Florida Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Tampa, Florida
Need help starting a business in Tampa, Florida? We've got the information you need to open a business in Tampa.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Most new ventures do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your 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 Tampa. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Which Business to Choose?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read 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 Starting an Auto Tire Shop Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our How to Start a Retaining Rings Business guide.
Don't forget that starting a business in Tampa has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Tampa than others. Make sure you fully understand Tampa demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Tampa, Florida Demographic Information
Tampa has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Tampa demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Tampa.
Businesses
As a new Tampa entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Tampa 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
Naming the Company
A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.
Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Tampa, it's imperative that you check now that no other Florida company is using the business name you want to use.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Tampa business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Line of Credit.
For Tampa entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, browse our List of Florida Angel Investors and our List of Florida Venture Capital Firms.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
The best entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Tampa, Florida, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Florida universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any Tampa networking organizations.
Interviews With Tampa Entrepreneurs
Here, we'll keep a running list of interviews we've had with Tampa entrepreneurs.
- Interview with Junk Removal Entrepreneur Nick Friedman
- Interview with Aging Backwards Founder Jackie Silver
- Interview with Adrien Edwards, Founder of TheNakedHippie
What's Next?
Most new Tampa businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Tampa and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Tampa, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Tampa, Florida
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Tampa.
- Resources for Tampa, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Tampa 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.
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