Mississippi Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Meridian, Mississippi
Thinking about starting a business in Meridian, Mississippi? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Meridian.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
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 Free Business Ideas.
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 Opening a Rustic Furniture Business guide or our Opening a Snorkeling Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Meridian. Some businesses will do better in Meridian than others. Don't forget to review Meridian demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Meridian, Mississippi Demographic Information
Meridian has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Meridian demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Meridian.
Businesses
As a new Meridian entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Meridian 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
Should You Franchise?
Visit the business district of Meridian and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Costs of Franchise Ownership. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Scotts Lawn Service and Party Personnel Franchise Systems. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Candy and Chocolate Franchises and Fitness Franchises.
Note on Meridian Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Meridian.
Picking a Company Name
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Meridian, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Mississippi business.
Forming a Company in Meridian, Mississippi
It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Mississippi, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Mississippi. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Getting an EIN. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Meridian, Mississippi, our web page covering Incorporating in Mississippi may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Mississippi.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Raising money to fund your new Meridian business is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Incubators.
For Meridian entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Mississippi Angel Investors and our List of Mississippi Venture Capital Firms.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
With your business being located in Meridian, Mississippi, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Mississippi universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Meridian entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
As an entrepreneur in Meridian, 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 Meridian 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 Meridian, Mississippi
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Meridian.
- Resources for Meridian, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Meridian entrepreneurs.
- Mississippi Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Mississippi.
- Mississippi Small Business Development Center - The Mississippi Small Business Development Centers (MSBDC) is dedicated to helping build and grow businesses in Mississippi. For new entrepreneurs, this is an excellent resource.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Mississippi
Starting a Business in Meadville
Starting a Business in Mississippi State
Browse All Business Startup Guides for Mississippi
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs