South Carolina Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Anderson, South Carolina

Contemplating starting a business in Anderson, South Carolina? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Anderson.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you 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 Boiler Compounds Business guide or our Starting a Metal Rolling & Forming Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are opening your new business in Anderson. Some businesses will do better in Anderson than others. Don't forget to review Anderson demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Anderson, South Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
25438
5-9 Employees
10563
10-19 Employees
6825
20-49 Employees
4305
50-99 Employees
1533
100-249 Employees
777
250-499 Employees
189
500-999 Employees
84
1000+ Employees
63
All Anderson Businesses
49777

As a new Anderson entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Anderson 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
2
Ambulance Services
2
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
3
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automobile Manufacturing
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
14
Automotive Transmission Repair
6
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
13
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
5
Book Stores
7
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
4
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
18
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
9
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
10
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
6
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
2
Display Advertising
1
Drafting Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
7
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
16
Electronic Shopping
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
15
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
11
Facilities Support Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
13
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
11
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
12
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
9
Food Service Contractors
5
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
78
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
General Automotive Repair
21
General Freight Trucking, Local
8
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
4
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
10
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
3
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
5
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
9
Household Appliance Stores
7
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
42
Interior Design Services
4
Investigation Services
2
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
12
Jewelry Stores
15
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
20
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
82
Logging
2
Machine Shops
14
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
5
Marinas
1
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
10
Meat Markets
2
Men's Clothing Stores
6
Metal Heat Treating
1
Metal Stamping
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
6
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
4
Nail Salons
2
Narrow Fabric Mills
1
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Housing Operative Builders
6
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
8
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Dentists
39
Offices of Lawyers
64
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
5
Optical Goods Stores
4
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
10
Passenger Car Rental
3
Payroll Services
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
17
Photography Studios, Portrait
9
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
3
Quick Printing
3
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
14
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Repossession Services
1
Residential Remodelers
19
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
6
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Sales Financing
2
Savings Institutions
4
Securities Brokerage
12
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
3
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
13
Siding Contractors
5
Sign Manufacturing
5
Site Preparation Contractors
8
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
14
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
10
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Surface Active Agent Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Temporary Shelters
2
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
9
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
4
Travel Agencies
4
Used Car Dealers
13
Used Merchandise Stores
10
Vending Machine Operators
4
Veterinary Services
7
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
8
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
17
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Yarn Spinning Mills
1

Selecting a Name For Your Startup

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.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Anderson, it's imperative that you check now that no South Carolina company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Company Formation in Anderson, South Carolina

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The main advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in South Carolina, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in South Carolina. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Anderson, South Carolina, our web page covering Incorporating in South Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in South Carolina.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Anderson business to do well.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Cold Call Selling offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Anderson, South Carolina, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local South Carolina educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Anderson entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

Most new Anderson businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Anderson and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Anderson, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Anderson, South Carolina

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in South Carolina

Starting a Business in Aiken
Starting a Business in Bamberg

Browse All Business Startup Guides for South Carolina
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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