Florida Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Naples, Florida
Thinking about starting a business in Naples, Florida? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Naples.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Before you get too far along in the process, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Naples. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Naples, Florida Demographic Information
Naples has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Naples demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Naples.
Businesses
As a new Naples entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Naples 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
What About Franchising Opportunities?
Visit the business district of Naples and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Multi-Unit Franchising. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.
Sample franchise opportunities include American Engine Installation and International House of Pancakes. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Carpet Retail Franchises and Home Inspection Franchises.
Note on Naples Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Naples, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
The Role of the Business Plan
Having a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Florida.
Raising Money for Your Business
Getting your Naples business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.
For Naples entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, browse our List of Florida Angel Investors and our List of Florida Venture Capital Firms.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
Successful business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
With your business being located in Naples, Florida, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Florida universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Naples entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Naples Entrepreneur Interviews
Enjoy these interviews we've had with Naples entrepreneurs.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Naples. 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 Naples 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 Naples, Florida
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Naples.
- Resources for Naples, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Naples 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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