Florida Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Contemplating starting a business in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Ponte Vedra Beach. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Free 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 Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Don't forget that Ponte Vedra Beach is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Ponte Vedra Beach than others. A critical consideration is whether Ponte Vedra Beach demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2067
5-9 Employees
426
10-19 Employees
210
20-49 Employees
171
50-99 Employees
30
100-249 Employees
30
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Ponte Vedra Beach Businesses
2949

As a new Ponte Vedra Beach entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ponte Vedra Beach 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
8
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
17
Boat Dealers
1
Business Associations
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Commercial Photography
2
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
10
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
4
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
9
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
4
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Engineering Services
7
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
7
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
6
Full-Service Restaurants
24
Furniture Stores
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
6
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
20
Interior Design Services
8
International Trade Financing
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
2
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
11
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
10
Masonry Contractors
3
Media Buying Agencies
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
4
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
8
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
4
Office Administrative Services
9
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
10
Offices of Dentists
16
Offices of Lawyers
24
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Portfolio Management
7
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
3
Real Estate Credit
11
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Residential Property Managers
15
Roofing Contractors
1
Sales Financing
2
Savings Institutions
5
Securities Brokerage
17
Sewage Treatment Facilities
3
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Tax Preparation Services
1
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
4
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
15
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

Is Buying an Existing Ponte Vedra Beach Business a Good Strategy?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Florida. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Ponte Vedra Beach.

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

Selecting a Name For Your Startup

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Ponte Vedra Beach, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Florida business.

Company Formation in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to 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 Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, our web page covering Incorporating in Florida may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Florida.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Ponte Vedra Beach, 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 Ponte Vedra Beach businesses to be successful. 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 Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

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

  • Resources for Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ponte Vedra Beach 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.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Florida

Starting a Business in Pompano Beach
Starting a Business in Port Charlotte

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