Texas Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Livingston, Texas

Need help starting a business in Livingston, Texas? We've got the information you need to open a business in Livingston.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Running your own business is demanding, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you positive you want to go into business for yourself?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Livingston. Get their take on what it's really like to be 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Construction Information Services Business guide or our How to Start a Four Color Processing Printing Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Livingston. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Livingston. Don't forget to review Livingston demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Livingston, Texas Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
10230
5-9 Employees
3861
10-19 Employees
1914
20-49 Employees
1320
50-99 Employees
396
100-249 Employees
198
250-499 Employees
33
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Livingston Businesses
17952

As a new Livingston entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Livingston 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
Ambulance Services
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Beauty Salons
3
Boat Dealers
1
Book Publishers
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
5
Credit Bureaus
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Full-Service Restaurants
14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
10
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Hardware Stores
3
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Janitorial Services
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
13
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Logging
14
Marinas
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
New Car Dealers
3
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paging
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
3
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
2
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
3
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Timber Tract Operations
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
5
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Livingston, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Growth Trends in Franchising. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include College Nannies & Tutors and Maid Brigade. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Blind Repair and Sales Franchises and Flooring Franchises.

Note on Livingston Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Livingston.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Livingston Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Texas. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Livingston.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Company Formation in Livingston, Texas

It's very important that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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. Just because you are starting a business in Texas, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Texas. 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 Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Livingston, Texas, our information on Incorporating in Texas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Texas.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best business owners know that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Livingston, Texas, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Texas universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any networking organizations for Livingston entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Livingston, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

We are here to help Livingston businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Livingston 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 Livingston, Texas

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

More Business Startup Guides for Texas

Starting a Business in Littlefield
Starting a Business in Llano

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Texas
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary