Business Plan
Starting a business or non-profit organization is not a trivial undertaking. The following steps should only be undertaken after you have completed your business plan and obtained sufficient funding. Help in developing a business plan is available from local SCORE mentors, Online mentors, face-to-face workshops, and online training.
Four Basic Steps
Starting a business in Texas requires only four primary steps: Choosing a Business Structure, Getting an Employer Identification Number (also known as a federal tax I.D. number), Setting up Tax Information, and, for most businesses, Preparing for Employees. This site will walk you through each of these steps.
Registering your Business Name
Your business name must be on file with the county clerk’s office in each county your business operates. This is to protect your business name from being used by someone else. The name you have chosen may not be available, so have at least 3 choices before visiting the county clerk.
Listing of South Texas Counties and their websites
Counties Surrounding San Antonio
- Atascosa County
- Bandera County
- Bexar County
- Blanco County
- Comal County
- Frio County
- Guadalupe County
- Kendall County
- Kerr County
- Medina County
- Uvalde County
- Wilson County
- Listing of all Texas Counties
- Listing of all Texas County Clerks
Counties in the Rio Grande Valley
- Brooks County
- Cameron County
- Dimmit County
- Duval County
- Hidalgo County
- Jim Hogg County
- La Salle County
- Maverick County
- McMullen County*
- Starr County
- Webb County
- Willacy County
- Zapata County
- Zavala County
(* = no website - check the listing of Texas County Clerks)
Business Licenses
There is no “General Business License” requirement in Texas. However, certain types of businesses are required to have a state license. Contact the State Licensing Office to see if your business is required to be licensed by the state.
City Licenses
Check with your City Hall for licensing or zoning requirements.
Listing of City websites in South Texas
- Alamo Heights
- La Vernia
- Balcones Heights
- Leon Valley
- Bandera
- Lytle
- Blanco
- Marion
- Boerne
- Natalia
- Brownsville
- New Braunfels
- Bulverde
- Olmos Park
- Castroville
- Pearsall
- China Grove
- Rio Grande City
- Cibolo
- San Antonio
- Converse
- Schertz
- Devine
- Selma
- Edinburg
- Seguin
- Falfurrias
- Somerset
- Floresville
- St Hedwig
- Garden Ridge
- Terrell Hills
- Helotes
- Universal City
- Hill Country Village
- Uvalde
- Hollywood Park
- Von Ormy
- Hondo