Florida Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Defuniak Springs, Florida

Need help starting a business in Defuniak Springs, Florida? We've got the information you need to open a business in Defuniak Springs.

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 Good Business Ideas.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Defuniak Springs. If Defuniak Springs already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Make sure you fully understand Defuniak Springs demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Defuniak Springs, Florida Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
786
5-9 Employees
216
10-19 Employees
90
20-49 Employees
63
50-99 Employees
24
100-249 Employees
18
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Defuniak Springs Businesses
1203

As a new Defuniak Springs entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Defuniak Springs 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Stores
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
2
Convenience Stores
3
Credit Unions
1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Electric Power Distribution
4
Electrical Contractors
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
9
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
6
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Logging
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
1
Masonry Contractors
4
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Narrow Fabric Mills
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Lawyers
13
Offices of Optometrists
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Poultry Processing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Remodelers
5
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Company Formation in Defuniak Springs, Florida

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Florida, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Florida. In fact, you can 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's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Piercing the Corporate Veil. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Defuniak Springs, Florida, our web page covering Incorporating in Florida may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Florida.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read The Art of the Executive Summary. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Florida.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Defuniak Springs customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Defuniak Springs business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Tips on Customer Referrals is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Defuniak Springs businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Defuniak Springs 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 Defuniak Springs, Florida

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

  • Resources for Defuniak Springs, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Defuniak Springs 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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