Mississippi Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Ripley, Mississippi

Contemplating starting a business in Ripley, Mississippi? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Ripley.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Before quitting your day job, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Ripley. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Business to Business Direct Marketing Business guide or our Starting a Sharpening Equipment & Stones Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Ripley. Some businesses will do better in Ripley than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Ripley demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Ripley, Mississippi Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3066
5-9 Employees
1155
10-19 Employees
693
20-49 Employees
567
50-99 Employees
210
100-249 Employees
147
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
21
1000+ Employees
0
All Ripley Businesses
5859

As a new Ripley entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ripley 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
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Beauty Salons
2
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
4
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
3
Florists
2
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Kaolin and Ball Clay Mining
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Logging
4
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
7
Offices of Optometrists
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Sales Financing
1
Sawmills
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Timber Tract Operations
1
Tire Dealers
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Ripley, it's very important that you make sure no Mississippi company has already registered the company name you have selected.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Software. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Mississippi.

Raising Funding for Your Venture

Obtaining startup financing for your Ripley business 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 Business Incubators.

For Ripley entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Mississippi Angel Investors and our List of Mississippi Venture Capital Firms.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Ripley, Mississippi, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Mississippi universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Ripley networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Ripley. 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.

We are here to help Ripley businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Ripley entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Ripley, Mississippi

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

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