Texas Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Dallas, Texas
Are you starting a business in Dallas, Texas? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Dallas.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Dallas. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Dallas, Texas Demographic Information
Dallas has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Dallas demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Dallas.
Businesses
As a new Dallas entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Dallas 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
Picking a Business Name
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.
Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Dallas, it's very important that you make sure no other Texas company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
Creating a business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Presentations. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Texas.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Dallas business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Business Cash Advances.
For Dallas entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Texas Angel Investors and our List of Texas Venture Capital Firms.
The Art of Selling
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Dallas or are selling to customers throughout Texas, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Mastering the Complex Sale offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Dallas, Texas, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Texas universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Dallas entrepreneurs.
Interviews With Dallas Entrepreneurs
We're compiling a number of interviews with Dallas entrepreneurs. Enjoy!
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Dallas. 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Dallas and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Dallas, Texas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Dallas.
- Resources for Dallas, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Dallas entrepreneurs.
- Texas Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Texas.
- Houston, Texas Small Business Development Center - Serving 32 counties in Southeast Texas through 14 business consulting and training centers, the Small Business Development Center Network contributes to the growth and prosperity of the Texas Gulf Coast communities.
- North Texas Small Business Development Center - The NTSBDC Network promotes small business success by providing management education.
- Northwest Texas Small Business Development Center - The Northwest Texas Small Business Development Center was established with Texas Tech University in 1986. This regional program serves over ninety thousand square miles including ninety-five counties with a population base of approximately 1.8 million people. This region is serviced by six centers located in Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland/Odessa, Abilene, Stephenville, and Wichita Falls.
- South-West Texas Border�SBDC Network Texas Small Business Development Center - The South-West Texas Border Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides consulting and technical assistance to the small business community.
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