Mississippi Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Charleston, Mississippi
Are you starting a business in Charleston, Mississippi? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Charleston.
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 Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 Opening a Merchandise Brokers Business guide or our Starting a Musical Instruments Supplies & Accessories Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Don't forget that starting a business in Charleston has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Charleston. Only by spending some time analyzing Charleston demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Charleston, Mississippi Demographic Information
Charleston has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Charleston demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Charleston.
Businesses
As a new Charleston entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Charleston 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
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Charleston Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Mississippi. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Charleston.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.
Naming the Business
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.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
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 Charleston, it's critical that you ensure that no other Mississippi company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Charleston, Mississippi
A critical step is ensuring that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.
The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Mississippi, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Mississippi. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. 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. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Piercing the Corporate Veil. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Charleston, Mississippi, our information on Incorporating in Mississippi may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Mississippi.
Raising Funding for Your Venture
Getting your Charleston 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.
Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Only Idiots Send Venture Capitalists Business Plans.
For Charleston entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Mississippi Angel Investors and our List of Mississippi Venture Capital Firms.
Letting the World Know You Exist
To grow your Charleston business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Smart Branding is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Charleston, 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 Charleston and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Charleston 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 Charleston, Mississippi
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Charleston.
- Resources for Charleston, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Charleston entrepreneurs.
- Mississippi Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Mississippi.
- Mississippi Small Business Development Center - The Mississippi Small Business Development Centers (MSBDC) is dedicated to helping build and grow businesses in Mississippi. For new entrepreneurs, this is an excellent resource.
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