Texas Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Austin, Texas
Are you starting a business in Austin, Texas? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Austin.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Most startup ventures don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Austin. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Evaluating Your Idea.
To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting an Industrial Union guide or our Starting a Stock Yards Business guide.
Don't forget that Austin is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Austin than others. Study Austin demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Austin, Texas Demographic Information
Austin has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Austin demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Austin.
Businesses
As a new Austin entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Austin 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.
Businesses
Have You Considered Franchising?
Visit the business district of Austin and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.
Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Multi-Unit Franchising. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Modernistic Cleaning Services and CrimsonCup Coffee & Tea. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Embroidery Franchises and Meal Preparation Franchises.
Note on Austin Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Austin.
What About Buying an Existing Austin Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Texas. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Austin.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
Having a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Mistakes. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Texas.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Raising money to fund your new Austin business will be harder than you might expect. 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 504 Loans.
For Austin entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Texas Angel Investors and our List of Texas Venture Capital Firms.
Austin Entrepreneur Interviews
We're compiling a number of interviews with Austin entrepreneurs. Enjoy!
- Interview with PR by the Book Founder Marika Flatt
- Interview with Flying Cart Founder Margo Baxter
- Interview with 4R Marketing Founder Trish Lambert
- Interview with Rachel Sanches, Founder of Joy Fabiano
- Interview with Bazaarvoice Co-Founder Brant Barton
- Interview with Margie Williams, Founder of Cypress Creek Marketing
Next Steps
Most new Austin businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Austin and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Austin, Texas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Austin.
- Resources for Austin, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Austin entrepreneurs.
- Texas Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Texas.
- Houston, Texas Small Business Development Center - Serving 32 counties in Southeast Texas through 14 business consulting and training centers, the Small Business Development Center Network contributes to the growth and prosperity of the Texas Gulf Coast communities.
- North Texas Small Business Development Center - The NTSBDC Network promotes small business success by providing management education.
- Northwest Texas Small Business Development Center - The Northwest Texas Small Business Development Center was established with Texas Tech University in 1986. This regional program serves over ninety thousand square miles including ninety-five counties with a population base of approximately 1.8 million people. This region is serviced by six centers located in Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland/Odessa, Abilene, Stephenville, and Wichita Falls.
- South-West Texas Border�SBDC Network Texas Small Business Development Center - The South-West Texas Border Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides consulting and technical assistance to the small business community.
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