Florida Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Winter Park, Florida

Contemplating starting a business in Winter Park, Florida? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Winter Park.

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Before quitting your day job, 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 Winter Park. 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.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good 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 How to Start an Aviation Sports Business guide or our Starting a Business Development Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Winter Park. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Winter Park. A critical consideration is whether Winter Park demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Winter Park, Florida Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
12816
5-9 Employees
3888
10-19 Employees
2382
20-49 Employees
1530
50-99 Employees
564
100-249 Employees
330
250-499 Employees
66
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
24
All Winter Park Businesses
21600

As a new Winter Park entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Winter Park 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
14
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
10
Apprenticeship Training
2
Art Dealers
7
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
8
Book Publishers
2
Book Stores
6
Bowling Centers
2
Breweries
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
12
Caterers
5
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
15
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
9
Claims Adjusting
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Collection Agencies
5
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Photography
4
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Systems Design Services
16
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
5
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
3
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
4
Convenience Stores
11
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Credit Unions
4
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
32
Custom Roll Forming
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
9
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
4
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
9
Discount Department Stores
3
Display Advertising
5
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
12
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
15
Educational Support Services
6
Electrical Contractors
21
Electronic Shopping
7
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Engineering Services
45
Environmental Consulting Services
6
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
8
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
8
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
30
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
17
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
11
Florists
5
Food Service Contractors
4
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
3
Framing Contractors
5
Freight Transportation Arrangement
5
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
84
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
8
General Automotive Repair
29
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
8
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
14
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
3
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
6
Home Health Equipment Rental
5
Homes for the Elderly
4
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
98
Interior Design Services
27
Internet Service Providers
4
Investigation Services
7
Investment Advice
33
Janitorial Services
24
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
8
Junior Colleges
2
Landscape Architectural Services
6
Landscaping Services
36
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
6
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
59
Limousine Service
2
Locksmiths
3
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
4
Mail-Order Houses
7
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Marketing Consulting Services
25
Masonry Contractors
8
Meat Markets
1
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
3
Men's Clothing Stores
4
Miscellaneous Intermediation
5
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
37
Motion Picture and Video Production
9
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
5
Music Publishers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
4
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
3
New Car Dealers
14
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
9
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
18
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Chiropractors
20
Offices of Dentists
69
Offices of Lawyers
146
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Other Holding Companies
6
Offices of Podiatrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
33
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
6
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
22
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
3
Periodical Publishers
8
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
12
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
11
Private Mail Centers
3
Professional Employer Organizations
4
Public Relations Agencies
5
Quick Printing
8
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
24
Real Estate Investment Trusts
2
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
32
Residential Remodelers
30
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Roofing Contractors
11
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Satellite Telecommunications
2
Savings Institutions
7
Securities Brokerage
20
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
6
Siding Contractors
3
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
20
Software Publishers
6
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
4
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Tax Preparation Services
7
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
4
Telephone Answering Services
1
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
22
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
4
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
11
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
16
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
3
Translation and Interpretation Services
4
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
12
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
11
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
34
Window Treatment Stores
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
10
Women's Clothing Stores
11

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Visit the business district of Winter Park and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Franchise. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Signature Landscape Lighting and Mad Science. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Environmental Testing Franchises and IT Franchises.

Note on Winter Park Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Winter Park.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Winter Park Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Florida. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Winter Park.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Having a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

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

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best business owners know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

With your business being located in Winter Park, Florida, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Florida universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into networking groups or organizations in which Winter Park entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Winter Park 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 Winter Park, Florida

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

  • Resources for Winter Park, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Winter Park 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.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Florida

Starting a Business in Winter Haven
Starting a Business in Zephyrhills

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