Florida Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Marathon, Florida

Are you starting a business in Marathon, Florida? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Marathon.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Good Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Electronic & Fax Advertising Business guide or our Opening an Employment Preparation Services Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Marathon has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Marathon than others. Make sure you fully understand Marathon demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Marathon, Florida Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4020
5-9 Employees
876
10-19 Employees
660
20-49 Employees
252
50-99 Employees
132
100-249 Employees
48
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Marathon Businesses
6000

As a new Marathon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Marathon 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Beauty Salons
7
Boat Building
2
Boat Dealers
6
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
1
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Convenience Stores
1
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
6
Engineering Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Finfish Fishing
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
8
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
25
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
6
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
4
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
7
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
12
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
10
Meat Markets
1
Media Representatives
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Nail Salons
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Lawyers
15
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
2
Professional Organizations
1
Radio Stations
5
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
4
Roofing Contractors
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shellfish Fishing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Taxi Service
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Forming a Company in Marathon, Florida

A critical step is ensuring that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Florida, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Florida. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Marathon, Florida, our information on Incorporating in Florida may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Florida.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Florida.

The Art of Selling

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Marathon business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Writing Great Proposals offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Marathon, Florida, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Florida universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Marathon entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Marathon, 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Marathon and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Marathon 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 Marathon, Florida

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

  • Resources for Marathon, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Marathon 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.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Florida

Starting a Business in Madison
Starting a Business in Marco Island

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