Texas Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Abilene, Texas

Thinking about starting a business in Abilene, Texas? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Abilene.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Running your own business is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you want to start a business?

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 Abilene. 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?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Starting a Building Materials & Supplies Commercial & Industrial Business guide or our Starting a Horse Shows Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Abilene. Some businesses will do better in Abilene than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Abilene demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Abilene, Texas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
9622
5-9 Employees
4218
10-19 Employees
2838
20-49 Employees
1734
50-99 Employees
534
100-249 Employees
324
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
24
All Abilene Businesses
19348

As a new Abilene entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Abilene 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
3
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
2
Amusement Arcades
7
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
5
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
26
Automotive Transmission Repair
5
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
25
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
10
Boat Building
2
Boat Dealers
2
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
8
Bowling Centers
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
3
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
6
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child Day Care Services
23
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
27
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
6
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
7
Commercial Photography
2
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
4
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
16
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
6
Convenience Stores
4
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
2
Cotton Ginning
1
Couriers
6
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
13
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
6
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
6
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
10
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
19
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
9
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
31
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
22
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
18
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
5
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
15
Floor Covering Stores
8
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
8
Food Service Contractors
6
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Full-Service Restaurants
75
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
7
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
16
General Automotive Repair
38
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
12
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
5
Grantmaking Foundations
7
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
3
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
17
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
9
Human Rights Organizations
1
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
4
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
80
Interior Design Services
3
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
6
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
27
Jewelry Stores
11
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
30
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
7
Limited-Service Restaurants
90
Linen Supply
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
2
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Locksmiths
3
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
8
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
6
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
6
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Museums
5
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
2
Natural Gas Distribution
3
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction
1
New Car Dealers
12
Nonresidential Property Managers
6
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
11
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
6
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
30
Offices of Dentists
48
Offices of Lawyers
71
Offices of Optometrists
16
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
8
Optical Goods Stores
8
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
14
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
7
Payroll Services
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
8
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
16
Photography Studios, Portrait
8
Political Organizations
1
Port and Harbor Operations
1
Portfolio Management
4
Private Mail Centers
6
Professional Organizations
4
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
3
Racetracks
1
Radio Networks
2
Radio Stations
14
Real Estate Credit
7
Repossession Services
2
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
14
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
5
Sales Financing
3
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
4
Securities Brokerage
20
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
14
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Soft Drink Manufacturing
2
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
10
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Tax Preparation Services
9
Telemarketing Bureaus
3
Television Broadcasting
4
Temporary Help Services
5
Temporary Shelters
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
15
Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading)
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
6
Tobacco Stores
3
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Truck Trailer Manufacturing
2
Used Car Dealers
24
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
8
Used Merchandise Stores
12
Vending Machine Operators
5
Veterinary Services
17
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
4
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
12
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
11
Women's Clothing Stores
15
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Abilene Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Texas. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Abilene.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Selling Tips

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Abilene business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Landing Big Customers is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Abilene, Texas, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Texas universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any networking organizations for Abilene entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Abilene, 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Abilene and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Abilene entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Abilene, Texas

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

More Business Startup Guides for Texas

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Starting a Business in Albany

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Texas
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