Texas Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Port Lavaca, Texas

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, consider 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 Port Lavaca. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 Starting a Baskets Retail Business guide or our Opening a Golf Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Port Lavaca has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Port Lavaca than others. Study Port Lavaca demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Port Lavaca, Texas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
470
5-9 Employees
204
10-19 Employees
114
20-49 Employees
78
50-99 Employees
12
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Port Lavaca Businesses
896

As a new Port Lavaca entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Port Lavaca 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Beauty Salons
4
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
1
Credit Unions
2
Discount Department Stores
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
1
Full-Service Restaurants
15
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Household Appliance Stores
2
Human Rights Organizations
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
5
Interior Design Services
1
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Machine Shops
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
6
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
2
Port and Harbor Operations
1
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Shellfish Fishing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tortilla Manufacturing
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Forming a Company in Port Lavaca, Texas

A critical step is ensuring 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 decide among many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

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. If you are starting a business in Texas, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Texas. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

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 Registered Agents. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Port Lavaca, Texas, our web page covering Incorporating in Texas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Texas.

Building Up Your Sales

Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Port Lavaca or are selling to customers throughout Texas, 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.

Closing Sales Techniques 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.

Given that you are starting a business in Port Lavaca, Texas, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Texas universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Port Lavaca entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help Port Lavaca businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Port Lavaca, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Port Lavaca, Texas

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Texas

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Starting a Business in Portland

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