Starting A Business In Tampa
If you’re looking at starting a business in Tampa, we’ve created this handy piece to help you be on your way to ensuring your new business is organized, properly established and equipped to hit the ground running. If you’re here because you need some convincing on why you should start a business in Tampa, consider this.
For potential entrepreneurs, Tampa, Florida is an ideal (and tempting) place to start a new business. It’s not just due to our coastal lifestyle, our artist community, or our incredible culinary and craft beer scene, it’s also because Tampa continues to boom with growth year after year. There’s a reason Jeff Vinik and others are not only investing in Tampa as a city, but also as a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation. Yes, there’s a reason Tampa is one of the the country’s fastest growing regions with more than 50,000 people moving to Tampa between 2017 and 2018. The area is ripe for economic growth, with a growing workforce, a growing market and an exponentially growing reputation for startups from countless industries.
So if you’re ready to build your brand and start the business of your dreams, here’s how to do it:
How to I Establish My Business In Florida?
For most businesses, the first step is to file your new venture with the Florida Division of Corporations. This is a relatively simple process that you can do through SunBiz. They’ve got an intuitive application process to form your business, as well as other resources available to learn more about the process, decide on a corporate structure and more.
Now is also a good time to determine what name you might want for your business. They provide an easy to use search feature to help you see if there are any other businesses registered under that name so you don’t waste your time working with a name that has already been taken…yikes. It’s a good idea to do this alongside checking to see if domains and social usernames are available, especially because squatting them while you wait for your registration to be completed.
What about Website Domain and Social Handles?
If you’re starting a business in Tampa—or anywhere else for that matter—it is critical that you ensure the business name isn’t already taken as a domain. Having a simple, easy to remember domain name that matches your business name is important for ensuring that your customers find you. You can of course do this manually, however, there are some really easy to use tools that make it a breeze. Namecheckr is a good choice for this, but there are other ones available.
If your domain and social handles are available, congratulations! Now you’ll want to snag them as soon as possible while you wait for your business to be officially formed.
PRO TIP: If you plan hosting your site with Squarespace, you’ll want to buy the domain through them as domains purchased directly through GoDaddy (and other domain brokers) will have a 60-day hold period. You’ll also save money!
How do I Set Up Business Banking?
This is a step that many businesses seem to wait on longer than they should. Once you have your business fully formed, you’ll want to use the information you receive from Sunbiz to register for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) which will allow you to set up your business bank account. You’ll need to do a bit of research to determine what bank is right for you. In some cases, banking with your personal bank provides certain benefits when it comes to taking draws for yourself in the future. Nevertheless, look around for the best and most convenient options for you.
Set up an appointment with a business banker to learn as much as you can and then set up your banking. Remember to bring your ID and EIN, as well as anyone else in the business who might need to have access to the account.
Now you’ll be able to deposit any incoming checks and pay for any startup expenses.
Where can I get a Logo Designer in Tampa?
Your business is now really starting to come together, but it won’t truly be ready for primetime until you’ve established your brand. What is a brand? Our old pal Wikipedia puts it like this:
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers.
If you’re starting a restaurant in Tampa, you want your restaurant to be distinctive from your competitors and one of the first ways to do that is through your logo. It is the identifying mark that people will come to recognize you by and if it is amateurish, or worse yet, non-distinctive, your risking everything you worked so hard for.
Especially in Tampa logo design is critical. It’s a competitive market, and if you don’t set your business apart from the get go, you might not be able to compete.
What’s a good location to open a business in Tampa?
Location is an important factor when considering where to locate your business. You’ll want to try to understand what exactly your business will need to thrive. For instance, does your business require lots of foot traffic to be profitable—or is it not a business people will visit often? Proximity to competitors, sq. footage costs, zoning laws—there is quite a bit to consider here.
Do your best to locate your business in a place that is advantageous. If you’re opening a coffee shop in Tampa, look for a place with considerable foot and/or vehicle traffic, on a popular travel route and with relatively low rent costs to help keep your overhead down. If you’re opening boutique shop in Tampa, a location that is walkable, with heavy foot traffic, near a well established destination is more ideal.
It is also a good idea to look into areas that are experiencing the most growth. Areas like Seminole Heights, Hyde Park, Midtown, South Tampa, Ybor City, Downtown Tampa and more are good places to start.
How do I do about marketing my Tampa business?
How will people find out about your business? You’ll want to create a smart, well designed and mobile friendly website and link it to all of your social media channels. Seriously, don’t skimp here. In Tampa website design can make or break your business. Not only can how your site is designed impact how people view your brand, it can also literally keep people from finding you on Google. It must be created intentionally with SEO and conversions in mind. Your site is there to share information with your prospective clients and customers, but also to encourage them to do business with you.
But it doesn’t stop there. Many business owners throw up a quick website, create some social media posts and call it a day, only to realize down the road that they were doing the bare minimum when it came to marketing their business. It’s important to understand the entire marketing ecosystem required to help your business be successful. Hiring a marketing consultant in Tampa could save you serious money down the road and help your business thrive.
Let Your Idea Grow
As Tampa Natives, we firmly believe that Tampa is a wonderful place to start a new business. Yes, there is quite a bit to do before you can start selling your product or service, but we hope this article provided you with valuable insight to help you be on your way to getting started.
Grove Brands prides itself on being a creative and digital marketing company that nurtures brands and grows businesses. If you’re starting your business in Tampa—or anywhere else for that matter—get in touch with us today. If you have any questions, feel free to hit the messenger button on the bottom right, visit our contact page or give us a call at 813-841-3698!
