Mississippi Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Lexington, Mississippi
Are you starting a business in Lexington, Mississippi? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Lexington.
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.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Lexington. 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.
Lexington, Mississippi Demographic Information
Lexington has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Lexington demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Lexington.
Businesses
As a new Lexington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lexington 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
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Visit the business district of Lexington and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?
Most business experts recommend that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Costs of Franchise Ownership. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include EncouraGym and Froots Franchising Companies. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Soccer Franchises and Bakery Franchises.
Note on Lexington Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Lexington, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
Having a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, 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.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Mississippi.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Lexington business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Microlending as a Small Business Funding Source.
For Lexington entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Mississippi Angel Investors and our List of Mississippi Venture Capital Firms.
Building Up Your Sales
Being able to sell is a key enabler to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Lexington or are selling to customers throughout Mississippi, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
The Art of Customer Referrals offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
The best entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Lexington, Mississippi, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Mississippi universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Lexington networking organizations.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Lexington. 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 Lexington businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Lexington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Lexington, Mississippi
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Lexington.
- Resources for Lexington, Mississippi Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Lexington 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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