Florida Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Mount Dora, Florida

Thinking about starting a business in Mount Dora, Florida? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Mount Dora.

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

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 Mount Dora. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • 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. 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.

Mount Dora, Florida Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1056
5-9 Employees
357
10-19 Employees
210
20-49 Employees
117
50-99 Employees
42
100-249 Employees
33
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
3
All Mount Dora Businesses
1824

As a new Mount Dora entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mount Dora 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
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
3
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Convenience Stores
3
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Discount Department Stores
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Electrical Contractors
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
28
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
2
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
9
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Interior Design Services
4
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
4
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Museums
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
14
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
8
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Securities Brokerage
2
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Software Publishers
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Temporary Help Services
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
8
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Mount Dora Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Florida. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Mount Dora.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Choosing a Company Name

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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Mount Dora, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Florida business.

Company Formation in Mount Dora, Florida

It's very important 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.

When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as 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. Just because you are starting a business in Florida, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Florida. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Why Incorporate in Delaware. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Mount Dora, 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 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. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Florida.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Raising money to fund your new Mount Dora business is a difficult chore. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Only Idiots Send Venture Capitalists Business Plans.

For Mount Dora entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, you'll want to take a look at our List of Florida Angel Investors and our List of Florida Venture Capital Firms.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Mount Dora. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Mount Dora 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 Mount Dora, Florida

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

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