Texas Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Merkel, Texas
Are you starting a business in Merkel, Texas? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Merkel.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
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:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Merkel. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
What Business to Start
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good Business Ideas.
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 Filtering Materials & Supplies Retail Business guide or our Starting a Stamps Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Always keep in mind that starting a business in Merkel has some implications. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Merkel. Make sure you fully understand Merkel demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Merkel, Texas Demographic Information
Merkel has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Merkel demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Merkel.
Businesses
As a new Merkel entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Merkel 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
Naming the Business
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
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.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Merkel, it's very important that you make sure you will be the only Texas company using the business name you have chosen.
Forming a Company in Merkel, Texas
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. 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.
Incorporation 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. If you are starting a business in Texas, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Texas. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Merkel, Texas, our information on Incorporating in Texas may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Texas.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Texas.
Promoting Your New Company
Whether your goal is to attract Merkel customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.
We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Viral Marketing is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Merkel. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
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 Merkel 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 Merkel, Texas
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Merkel.
- Resources for Merkel, Texas Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Merkel 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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