Florida Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Sebastian, Florida

Need help starting a business in Sebastian, Florida? We've got the information you need to open a business in Sebastian.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to start a business?

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Sebastian. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Sebastian, Florida Demographic Information

Sebastian has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Sebastian demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Sebastian.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2866
5-9 Employees
720
10-19 Employees
372
20-49 Employees
150
50-99 Employees
36
100-249 Employees
18
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Sebastian Businesses
4174

As a new Sebastian entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sebastian for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that you are pursuing.

Business Type
# of
Businesses
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Dealers
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Photography
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Convenience Stores
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electrical Contractors
11
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
1
Finfish Fishing
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
11
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
24
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
12
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
4
Janitorial Services
10
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
23
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
11
Locksmiths
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marinas
6
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Museums
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
10
Offices of Lawyers
10
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
12
Payroll Services
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
5
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
2
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
3
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Residential Remodelers
9
Roofing Contractors
6
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
5
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Tax Preparation Services
4
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
1
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Sebastian, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Find Financing for Franchises. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include T.J. Cinnamons and Baymont Inns. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Candy and Chocolate Franchises and Fitness Franchises.

Note on Sebastian Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Sebastian, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Forming a Company in Sebastian, Florida

A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Florida, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Florida. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Sebastian, Florida, our information on Incorporating in Florida may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Florida.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Sebastian business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Sebastian entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Florida Angel Investors and our List of Florida Venture Capital Firms.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Successful business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Sebastian, Florida, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Florida universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into Sebastian networking organizations.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Sebastian, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help Sebastian businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Sebastian entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Sebastian, Florida

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Sebastian.

  • Resources for Sebastian, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Sebastian entrepreneurs.
  • Florida Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Florida.
  • Florida Small Business Development Center - The Florida Small Business Development Center Network (FSBDCN) is a statewide economic development partnership between higher education and other stakeholder organizations dedicated to providing entrepreneurs and established businesses with the assistance needed to start, grow and succeed, contributing to the Florida economy.

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