Kissimmee is one of the best cities in the US to start your business. The commercial market always has room for new products and services here. This guide on how to start a business in Kissimmee will provide you information about the process of starting a new business in other cities and starting a business specifically in Kissimmee.

We have divided this guide on how to start a business in Kissimmee into three sections. The first part includes information, research, and department guide about Kissimmee businesses. The second section contains information about the process, a systematic guide on how to start a business in Kissimmee. The third section explains about documentation, licensing, and commercial classification of the districts.

If you need any help in starting your business in Kissimmee, please call us at 407-502-2400, or email us at [email protected] .

Section 01 – Research and Department Guide

Kissimmee is a heaven for new entrepreneurs as the city offers department wise distribution for corporate operations. Many business assistance programs and groups operate under the supervision of the City of Kissimmee Development Services Department.

Assistance Programs for Large Industries

If you want to expand your existing business or learn about how to start a new large business in Kissimmee then the Economic Development Department working under The City and Osceola County can come over to your help. If you are wondering about how to start a business in Kissimmee, then here are a number of incentives and programs include the following.

• Electricity Sales Tax Exemption Program for Manufacturing Industries
• Aviation Tax Exemptions
• Cash Incentives for Large Industries
• High Impact Performance Incentive Grant
• Quick Response Training
• Transportation Fund
• Transportation Fee Mitigation Program
• Industrial Bonds and more

You can contact the department for more information about the available programs and incentives. For city information, call (407) 518-2328.

There are many additional incentives for enterprise planning to relocate to Kissimmee including these.

• Job Tax Credit: Corporate Income
• Building Material Refund
• Sales Exemption for Electrical Energy
• Business Equipment Refund
• Jobs Tax credit: Sales and Use
• Community Contribution Tax Credit and more

Assistance Programs and Groups for Small Businesses

The Chamber of Commerce of Osceola County provides a number of services for the people of Kissimmee and Osceola County who want to know how to start a business in Kissimmee. Some services and programs for new businesses include these.

Hispanic Business Council – Provides guidance for the Hispanic communities.

Black Business Council – Provides guidance for the Black communities.

The Small Business Council – It provides the opportunities for marketing and networking within the small businesses.

Small Business Development Center – Operating under the Chamber of Commerce of the County, it provides free counseling services for manufacturing, financing, and other fields.

The Leads Group Center – A networking program allows you to communicate with other businesses in Kissimmee. It helps the new people who want to know how to start a business in Kissimmee.

Call 407-847-3174 for more information regarding the services of the Chamber of Commerce.

Disney Entrepreneur Center

Disney Entrepreneur is a public-private cooperation and partnership program that helps new and old small businesses in Kissimmee to network, communicate, and grow. Its number of programs include Hispanic Business Initiative Fund, African American Chamber of Commerce, SCORE, UCF Business Incubation Program, National Association of Women Business Owners, and other programs.

If you need any help in starting your business in Kissimmee, please call us at 407-502-2400, or email us at [email protected] .

Research

The small and large business can conduct thorough pre-launch research by contacting the Osceola County Library System. You can also visit the Osceola County Economic Development Department for information about the small and large businesses and researching new markets in Kissimmee. Research could be very helpful if you want to know how to start a business in Kissimmee.

District-Wise Distribution of Grants

Kissimmee business districts are divided into Kissimmee Main Street District and Community Redevelopment Agency.

Kissimmee Main Street District

The Kissimmee Main Street District includes the Historic downtown Kissimmee. The Economic Restructuring Committee operates in this area for its economic growth and development. Following are the grants for your understanding about how to start a business in Kissimmee.

New Business Assistance Grant

• Pay utility deposit over period of 24 months
• Reimbursement program for first $500 promotion in 90 days

Conditional Use Assistance Grant

• Conditional use permit of reimbursements
• $1200 permit fee – reimbursement of $1000

Community Redevelopment Agency

Some areas of the downtown and the surrounding areas are included in the Community Redevelopment Agency. The grants include these.

Matching Sign Grant

• Erect new signage in given area

Matching Façade Rehabilitation Grant

• $5000 grant
• For preservation of historic buildings and designs

Matching Revitalization Grant

• $5000 grant
• For preservation of historic buildings and designs

Water-Sewer Impact Fee Assistance

• 50% impact fee
• 5-year payment plan

For more information, please call 407-518-2586.

Section 02 – Systematic Guide on How to Start a Business in Kissimmee

The systematic process of how to start a business in Kissimmee is based on the following nine steps.

1.    Writing an Executive Business Plan

An executive business plan is a thorough plan that defines your goals, visions, ideologies, targets, and 3-5 year plans. The executive business plan is a layout of your resources, finances, and expected output of your efforts. It is a roadmap that defines the milestones of increasing your revenue and organizational goals.

There are two ways to write a business plan. Firstly, you can write it on your own and secondly, you can hire a business planer and proposal writer to make it for you. Your executive business plan MUST include the following.

Executive Summary

It defines the profile of your company, goals of the company, and vision and mission statement.

Management, Employees, and Organization

It defines the structure of your organization and your corporate policies. The management also includes the primary employees and members of the board of directors.

Company Description

The company description includes information about your products and services and the unique features of your organization. It must define the features that make you different from other organizations.

Market Analysis

This section will include all the information regarding industry, market and competitors of your business.

Services and Products

This section will descriptively define your products, your customer base, and the benefits your customers receive from your products. Also describe the lifecycle of your products and your plan B for sustaining your product in the market in times of crisis.

Marketing and Sales

Your corporate business strategy will be included here. Mostly, this is the most descriptive section of a business plan.

Funding

If you are looking for any funds, then make a list of your sponsors in this section. Otherwise, make a list of your available resources and mention the revenue expected form these resources.

Financial Projections

Financial projections describe the backup of funding and resources to use in critical times.

Appendix

Generally appendix includes the glossary and important terms used in the business plan. However, you can also include the resumes, employee selection plan, and any useful information in this section.

If you need any help in starting your business in Kissimmee, please call us at 407-502-2400, or email us at [email protected] .

 

2.    Business Assistance and Training

The business rules differ from area to area. Therefore, getting business assistance and training is essential to keep your business safe from legal complications. The Section 01 includes all the departments and groups you may need for guidance.

3.    Select a Business Location

In order to maintain a budget and obtain the maximum revenue from your supply-chain management system, it is important to choose a business location wisely.

The first step is to choose a location that offers maximum resources for fulfilling your corporate needs. These corporate needs include:

• Maintaining your brand image
• Sustaining in a competitive market
• Safety against physical and cyber crime
• Plans for the future growth of your business
• Local labor market to supply for your employees
• Proximity to suppliers and market saturation

The next step is to evaluate your finances.

• Find out the hidden costs.
• Find out the applicable taxes. Read Section 01 for more information about taxations grants and leases in Kissimmee.
• Find out the minimum and maximum wage in the area. Minimum labor wage in Kissimmee is $7.93 for adults.

Finally, find out the commercial classification of the business zones to find out the most suitable zone for your business. The third section includes detailed information about the commercial classification of business zones in Kissimmee.

4.    Find Out the Funding Options

There are a number of public and private options for funding your business. You can choose crowdfunding or venture capitalism for privately funding your business.

The United States Government has established a federal institution, the US Small Business Administration for funding the small businesses. Some of the loans under this system include:

• General Small Business Loan 7A
• Microloan Program
• Startup Loans
• Disaster Loans
• Real Estate and Equipment Loans CDC/504

You can also find other grants and loan programs in Kissimmee explained in the section 01.

5.    Establish a Legal Structure

If you are confused about how to start a business in Kissimmee or establish a legal structure then you may seek legal guidance of a federal agent. Generally, there are following legal structures of an organization.

LLC or Limited Liability Company

The Limited Liability Companies or LLC contain the features of sole proprietorship and corporations. The benefit of forming an LLC is that this structure reduces the corporation liabilities from your company.

In order to sign up as a Limited Liability Company, you need to submit the Articles of Organization to the Divisions of Corporations of Florida of Florida State Department.

Sole Proprietorship

If you want to know about how to start a business in Kissimmee and you are also doubtful about the sustainability of your business then the best structure for you is sole proprietorship. The Schedule CZ explains the sole proprietorship laws. Companies operating with the structure of sole proprietorship do not submit their income tax files. However, these companies have some personal liabilities. According to the Florida’s Homestead Laws, the government is allowed to seal the house of the business owner if the corporate liabilities are not fulfilled.

Corporation

You need to first understand the concept of a corporation before knowing how to start a business in Kissimmee.

A company operating under Corporation status has to submit the income taxes. Following are the two categories in Corporations.

The C Corporations pay the income taxes as well as the stakeholder taxes where the profits are distributed. The income of S Corporations is allocated to the stakeholders. These corporations pay only one level of the taxes.

Partnership

Read below to know how to start a business in Kissimmee on partnership basis.

When two or more people coordinate to work as a corporation, it is called a partnership based business. however, the partnership based business are legally more complicated than other types of businesses. If you are wondering about how to start a business in Kissimmee and also confused about dismantling your business after some time then partnership based business is not a suitable option for you.

6.    Selecting a Business Name and Registering It

You need to select a business name and register it with Florida Division of Corporations. Contact the Division for more information about the required forms and obligations.

There are a few restrictions to select the business name. Most often, the name of the business is selected according to the name of the owner of that business. You can use Corporation, LLC, or any other structure in front of the business name. Apart from registering it with Florida Divisions of Corporations, you also need to register the business with your local agency.

If you have a partnership or sole proprietorship based business then there are a few different restrictions. As general rule, the name is composed as ‘Doing Business As’. In the ‘As’ section, you will enter the structure of your business, for example, LLC.

7.    Registering with the State and Local Taxes

There are four basic types of taxes applicable on all types of businesses. In order to understand the flexibilities available for different types of businesses, please contact a federal registered agent.

The taxes include:

1. Income Tax
2. Employers Tax
3. Federal Excise Tax
4. Tax for Self-Employment

For self-understanding, you can go through the IRS Guidelines for Taxes.

8.    Obtain all the Business Licenses and Permits

We have discussed this section descriptively in the Section 03 of this guide on how to start a business in Kissimmee.

9.    Understand the Employer Responsibilities

The federal and state government implies some rules and regulations on corporations to fulfill the employee rights. To complete the process of how to start a new business in Kissimme, you need to fulfill the following steps.

The first step is to obtain Employer Tax ID by getting EIN Number for the employees.

Secondly, use bookkeeping software or hire a CPA for maintaining the records of your organizational and employee taxes. The documents required for maintaining the records include the Federal Income Tax Withholding, State Taxes, and Federal Wage and Tax Statements.

You also need to submit the l-9 form as a proof of the Employee Eligibility. You can also E-verify the Employee Eligibility.

For more information about basic process of starting up a business in Kissimmee, please click here.

To learn more about how to start a business in Kissimmee, read the Section 03.

Section 03 – Documentation and Commercial Classification of the Zones

This section of how to start a business in Kissimmee includes information about the documents, licenses, and commercial classification of different zones in Kissimmee.

Obtaining a State License

A state license is necessary in the process of how to start a business in Kissimmee.

Different commercial zones require different sate licenses to operate. The state licenses apply on all types of businesses including Hotels, Restaurants, Professionals, Alcohol and Tobacco retailers, Real Estate Agents, and Contractors and Sub-Contractors. You can contact Florida Divisions of Corporations to know more about the state licenses. You may also learn more about the licenses from the Florida department of Business and Professional Regulations by calling them at 850-487-1395.

Health Department Permit

The State Health Department will provide you a work permit after interrogating your employee health and safety policies. Make sure that you do not ignore the Health Department in the process of how to start a business in Kissimmee.

Permit of worker’s Compensation

The Florida Department of Labor and Employment Security may require you to provide you a Worker’s Compensation coverage for their health and safety.

Building Your Business

The process of how to start a new business is not difficult if you have legal guidance about planning and building your business.

The Development Review Committee will perform a Site Review of your business location. The review will include 5 copies of the construction and suggest changes for improving the safety and environment of the site according to your organizational needs. The Building and Planning Divisions will assist you if you want to construct a new building for your business.

Obtain the Building Permits

After constructing a new building or renovating the existing building, you need to obtain a Building Permit Application from the City’s Building Division and provide three stamped building plans along with the required documents to Florida State.

Impact Fees and Certificate of Occupancy

The Transportation and Water/Sewer impact fee applies on all new and old buildings. The Planning Division will help you know more about the fees and how to start a business in Kissimmee.

After completing the building project, the City Building Inspector will pay a visit to the site and approve it. You will get the Certificate of Occupancy to start your business in the building.

F.K.A. Occupational License

You need to obtain a Business Tax Receipt from the City of Kissimmee and the Osceola County to operate your business. Make sure to renew the Tax Receipt before September 30 every year. Please contact the Building Division to know more about obtaining a Business Tax Receipt. To know more about how to start a business in Kissimmee and getting Occupational license, call 407-518-2118.

Commercial Classification of Business Zones

Different commercial zones in Kissimmee offer different liabilities for taxes, signage and other business requirements. A proper map of the zoning divisions is available at http://dibs.kissimmee.org/.

Here are the major commercial zones to help you understand how to start a business in Kissimmee.

B1

B1 is the Downtown commercial area of Kissimmee. It operates as the center of business activity in the city and receives major transport of the city.

B2

B2 is the neighborhood commercial area. It is used for offices, personal service establishments and business supply goods.

B3

This area is used for office and retail type businesses. It is not ideal for manufacturing, industrial or warehousing businesses,

B5

B5 is the office commercial area. It is more of a corporate type division where major sales oerations are not registered.

RPB

The Residential Professional Business division includes a mixture of residential buildings and offices.

HC

The major retailer businesses are included in this area. This is Highway Commercial area and receives a lot of vehicular traffic. It is good for warehousing and industrial developments.

IB

The Industrial Business area is perfect for manufacturing, warehousing, retailing, wholesale, and repair facility businesses.

AI

This is Airport Industrial area. It requires strict security for entry and exit. It is ideal for businesses related with airport or business that involve air supply and air transportation.

Now that you know a lot about how to start a business in Kissimmee, you are ready to start your own business here. Make sure to take legal guidance so that there are no legal complications involved in your business.

If you need any help in starting your business in Kissimmee, please call us at 407-502-2400, or email us at [email protected] .