Texas Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Panhandle, Texas
Thinking about starting a business in Panhandle, Texas? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Panhandle.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Most new businesses do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Panhandle. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
What Business Are You Starting?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read 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 How to Start a Financial Document Information Services Business guide or our How to Start a Welding Equipment & Supplies Manufacturers Business guide.
Remember that you are starting a business in Panhandle. If Panhandle already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. A critical consideration is whether Panhandle demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Panhandle, Texas Demographic Information
Panhandle has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Panhandle demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Panhandle.
Businesses
As a new Panhandle entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Panhandle 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
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
As you drive around Panhandle, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchising My Business. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Pinch A Penny, Inc. and Direct English. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Auto Parts and Tools Franchises and Landscaping Franchises.
Note on Panhandle Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Panhandle.
Choosing 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.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Panhandle, it's imperative that you check now that no other Texas company is using the business name you want to use.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Panhandle customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a excellent marketing plan.
You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Competitive Analysis discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Now It's Up To You
Most new Panhandle 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.
We are here to help Panhandle businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Panhandle, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Panhandle, Texas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Panhandle.
- Resources for Panhandle, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Panhandle 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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