Alabama Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Fairhope, Alabama

Contemplating starting a business in Fairhope, Alabama? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Fairhope.

Fairhope, Alabama Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1358
5-9 Employees
435
10-19 Employees
312
20-49 Employees
171
50-99 Employees
30
100-249 Employees
9
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Fairhope Businesses
2318

As a new Fairhope entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Fairhope 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
4
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
9
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Dealers
3
Book Stores
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Display Advertising
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Electrical Contractors
6
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
10
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
5
Florists
2
Framing Contractors
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
22
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
12
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Household Appliance Stores
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
25
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
18
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Housing Operative Builders
4
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
20
Offices of Lawyers
24
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
4
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Roofing Contractors
3
Securities Brokerage
5
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
2
Temporary Help Services
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
10
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Choosing a Business Name

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Fairhope, it's very important that you make sure no other Alabama company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Fairhope, Alabama

It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

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. Just because you are starting a business in Alabama, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Alabama. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Offshore Company Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Fairhope, Alabama, our information on Incorporating in Alabama may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Alabama.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Fairhope business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.

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

Getting the Word Out About Your New Startup

To rise above the crowd in Fairhope and build your business, you need a solid marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Marketing Basics is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Fairhope or are selling to customers throughout Alabama, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Cold Call Selling is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Fairhope. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Fairhope businesses to be successful. 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 Fairhope, Alabama

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

  • Resources for Fairhope, Alabama Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Fairhope entrepreneurs.
  • Alabama Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Alabama.
  • Alabama Small Business Development Center - Alabama's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) counsels and trains business people in a wide variety of business topics and provides comprehensive information services and access to experts in many fields. Counseling is provided free of charge to all Alabama small business owners.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Alabama

Starting a Business in Evergreen
Starting a Business in Flomaton

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Alabama
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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