Georgia Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Atlanta, Georgia
Need help starting a business in Atlanta, Georgia? We've got the information you need to open a business in Atlanta.
What Business Are You Starting?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Drain Services Business guide or our How to Start a Water Filters Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Remember that you are opening your new business in Atlanta. Some businesses will do better in Atlanta than others. A critical consideration is whether Atlanta demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Atlanta, Georgia Demographic Information
Atlanta has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Atlanta demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Atlanta.
Businesses
As a new Atlanta entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Atlanta 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.
Businesses
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Atlanta Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Georgia. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Atlanta.
If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.
Forming a Company in Atlanta, Georgia
A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.
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. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Georgia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Georgia. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as How to Incorporate. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Atlanta, Georgia, our information on Incorporating in Georgia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Georgia.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Georgia.
Bring in Revenues
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Atlanta or are selling to customers throughout Georgia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Mastering the Complex Sale is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Interviews With Atlanta Entrepreneurs
We're compiling a number of interviews with Atlanta entrepreneurs. Enjoy!
- Interview with Brand Architect Tony Rouse, of The Atlanta Food Rave
- Interview with EmpowerMe! CEO Adrienne Graham
- Interview with Peas for Prosperity Founder, Christy Annis
- Interview with Judi Gerhardt, Owner of Career Fashion Consignment
- Interview with Mike Reiner, founder of Capitol Investment Advisors
- Interview with Greg Corey, Principal of Porch Light Studio
- Interview with Entrepreneur Paul Baron
- Interview with OfficeArrow Cofounder Mike Lewis
- Interview with VIPDistinct Founder W. Glenn Bean
- Interview with Melissa Crane, Founder of DotDot Interactive
- Interview with Jason Morrison, Founder of Capitol Media Solutions
- Interview with Michele Y. Barnett, Founder of HerStylzShop.com
- Interview with Kevin and Kalen Redmon, Co-Owners of Limon Verde
- Interview with Jeremy Berman, Chief Creative Officer of MyDailyThread
- Interview with Katerina Taylor, President and Founder of Smart Kidz Money Matters
- Interview with Dan Morris, Owner of My Audio Bio
- Interview with Author and Entrepreneur C.F. Jackson
- Interview with Bizhemia Founder Matt Goodman
- Interview with Ming Gregory, Founder of Colorblind International
- Interview with David Gollahon, CEO of Franchise In-Sites
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Atlanta. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Atlanta and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Atlanta entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Atlanta, Georgia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Atlanta.
- Resources for Atlanta, Georgia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Atlanta entrepreneurs.
- Georgia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Georgia.
- Georgia Small Business Development Center - The Georgia SBDC program helps Georgia entrepreneurs with developing business plans, providing financial analysis, identifying sources of capital, and assessing marketing strategies.
More Business Startup Guides for Georgia
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Starting a Business in Augusta
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