Texas Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in McAllen, Texas

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

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in McAllen. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Mayonnaise & Salad Dressings Manufacturers Business guide or our How to Start a Medical Research Centers Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in McAllen. Some businesses will do better in McAllen than others. Only by spending some time analyzing McAllen demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

McAllen, Texas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5851
5-9 Employees
2505
10-19 Employees
1653
20-49 Employees
1152
50-99 Employees
399
100-249 Employees
237
250-499 Employees
60
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
6
All McAllen Businesses
11881

As a new McAllen entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in McAllen 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
9
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Ambulance Services
10
Amusement Arcades
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
12
Armored Car Services
1
Automobile Driving Schools
3
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
5
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
10
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
24
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
4
Barber Shops
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
8
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Boat Dealers
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
8
Bowling Centers
2
Business Associations
4
Business to Business Electronic Markets
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
13
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
11
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
7
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
5
Child Day Care Services
38
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
16
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
6
Clothing Accessories Stores
12
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Commodity Contracts Dealing
2
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
18
Computer Training
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
25
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
6
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Credit Unions
4
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
5
Dance Companies
1
Deep Sea Passenger Transportation
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
13
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
5
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
26
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
20
Electronic Shopping
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
4
Engineering Services
22
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Family Clothing Stores
31
Family Planning Centers
2
Farm Management Services
2
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
13
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
12
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
9
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
3
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
2
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
6
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
21
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
22
General Automotive Repair
29
General Freight Trucking, Local
11
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
22
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
4
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
4
HMO Medical Centers
1
Home Centers
5
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
3
Home Health Care Services
35
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
9
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
71
Interior Design Services
5
International Trade Financing
1
Internet Service Providers
5
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
3
Investigation Services
5
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
11
Jewelry Stores
47
Kidney Dialysis Centers
7
Land Subdivision
20
Landscaping Services
14
Language Schools
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
95
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
6
Locksmiths
3
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
6
Medical Laboratories
8
Men's Clothing Stores
6
Metal Stamping
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
3
Mixed Mode Transit Systems
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
5
Nail Salons
2
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
14
New Housing Operative Builders
6
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
5
Nonresidential Property Managers
10
Nursing Care Facilities
9
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
7
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
7
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
38
Offices of Chiropractors
15
Offices of Dentists
46
Offices of Lawyers
167
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
11
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Open-End Investment Funds
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
18
Packaging and Labeling Services
2
Packing and Crating
2
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
9
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
7
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
3
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
25
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
3
Plastics Bag Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
2
Poultry Processing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
7
Professional Organizations
3
Quick Printing
5
Radio Networks
1
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
21
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
14
Residential Remodelers
8
Retail Bakeries
5
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
2
Sales Financing
1
Scheduled Freight Air Transportation
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
7
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
43
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
17
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
11
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Tax Preparation Services
21
Telecommunications Resellers
3
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
2
Television Broadcasting
3
Temporary Help Services
20
Temporary Shelters
1
Textile Bag Mills
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Timber Tract Operations
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
15
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
3
Tour Operators
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
4
Travel Agencies
12
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
27
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Used Merchandise Stores
19
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
10
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
30
Window Treatment Stores
1
Women's Clothing Stores
49
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

What About Buying an Existing McAllen Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Texas. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in McAllen.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Writing a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Texas.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Getting your McAllen business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Line of Credit.

For McAllen entrepreneurs who need startup capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Texas Angel Investors and our List of Texas Venture Capital Firms.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in McAllen 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 McAllen, Texas

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

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