Louisiana Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in West Monroe, Louisiana

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

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Before quitting your day job, take inventory of 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:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in West Monroe. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • Take a look at Starting a Company. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. 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.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, 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 Opening a Churches for the Mentally Disabled Business guide or our Starting a Synthetic Lubricants Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in West Monroe has some implications. Some businesses will do better in West Monroe than others. A critical consideration is whether West Monroe demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

West Monroe, Louisiana Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4454
5-9 Employees
1768
10-19 Employees
1128
20-49 Employees
858
50-99 Employees
210
100-249 Employees
138
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
24
1000+ Employees
0
All West Monroe Businesses
8586

As a new West Monroe entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in West Monroe 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
4
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
4
Architectural Services
2
Armored Car Services
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
3
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
1
Book Publishers
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
2
Child Day Care Services
15
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Claims Adjusting
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Photography
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
9
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
11
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
3
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
6
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Display Advertising
2
Drafting Services
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electrical Contractors
29
Electronic Auctions
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
9
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Floor Covering Stores
5
Florists
5
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Framing Contractors
3
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Full-Service Restaurants
32
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
14
General Freight Trucking, Local
7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hat, Cap, and Millinery Manufacturing
1
Home Health Care Services
6
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
30
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
8
Jewelry Stores
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
6
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
19
Limited-Service Restaurants
37
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Locksmiths
1
Logging
3
Machine Shops
2
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Masonry Contractors
10
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
5
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Nail Salons
3
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
11
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Dentists
21
Offices of Lawyers
28
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
7
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paperboard Mills
1
Payroll Services
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Prepress Services
1
Printing Ink Manufacturing
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
3
Real Estate Credit
3
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
4
Residential Property Managers
5
Residential Remodelers
4
Roofing Contractors
5
Securities Brokerage
6
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Collection
3
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
8
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Sugarcane Mills
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Television Broadcasting
5
Testing Laboratories
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
7
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
3
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
9
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
3
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in West Monroe, it's very important that you make sure no other Louisiana company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in West Monroe, Louisiana

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will separate 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 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. If you are starting a business in Louisiana, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Louisiana. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles 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 West Monroe, Louisiana, our information on Incorporating in Louisiana may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Louisiana.

Promoting Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract West Monroe customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid marketing plan.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Marketing Basics is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help West Monroe 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 West Monroe, Louisiana

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Louisiana

Starting a Business in Welsh
Starting a Business in Winnfield

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Louisiana
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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