Florida Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Plant City, Florida

Need help starting a business in Plant City, Florida? We've got the information you need to open a business in Plant City.

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read 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 How to Start a Dried Fruits Business guide or our Opening a Tree Planting Kits Retail Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Plant City. Some businesses will do better in Plant City than others. Don't forget to review Plant City demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Plant City, Florida Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2337
5-9 Employees
692
10-19 Employees
492
20-49 Employees
336
50-99 Employees
105
100-249 Employees
90
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
0
All Plant City Businesses
4082

As a new Plant City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Plant City 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
4
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
9
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Building
1
Business Associations
4
Cafeterias
3
Car Washes
4
Child Day Care Services
17
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
5
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
11
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
15
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
13
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
7
Family Clothing Stores
4
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
10
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
10
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Framing Contractors
6
Freight Transportation Arrangement
5
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
17
General Freight Trucking, Local
7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Manufacturing
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Design Services
2
Inland Water Freight Transportation
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
20
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
15
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
32
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
8
Limited-Service Restaurants
29
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
3
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
7
Meat Markets
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
New Car Dealers
6
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
10
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
15
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
10
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Power-Driven Handtool Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Quick Printing
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
3
Real Estate Credit
5
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
3
Residential Property Managers
2
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
4
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
5
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Temporary Help Services
3
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
4
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
5
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
9
Used Merchandise Stores
9
Vending Machine Operators
3
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Examine a list of Plant City businesses and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Growth Trends in Franchising. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include TruePresence and Goldilocks Bakeshop Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Restaurant Franchises and Modeling Franchises.

Note on Plant City Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Plant City, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Company Formation in Plant City, Florida

It's essential 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 corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. 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, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Florida. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

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 Piercing the Corporate Veil. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Plant City, Florida, our information on Incorporating in Florida may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Florida.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical 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. Failure to write a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Find Sample Business Plans Online. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Florida.

Startup Financing Basics

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Plant City business is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Plant City entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Florida Angel Investors and our List of Florida Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Plant City business, you need to focus on sales.

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Anticipating Prospect Responses is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Plant City and throughout the United States . 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 Plant City, Florida

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

  • Resources for Plant City, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Plant City 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.

More Business Startup Guides for Florida

Starting a Business in Perry
Starting a Business in Pompano Beach

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Florida
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