North Carolina Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Cary, North Carolina

Are you starting a business in Cary, North Carolina? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Cary.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Cary. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Cary, North Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
16113
5-9 Employees
5373
10-19 Employees
4050
20-49 Employees
2718
50-99 Employees
1062
100-249 Employees
603
250-499 Employees
108
500-999 Employees
72
1000+ Employees
9
All Cary Businesses
30108

As a new Cary entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cary 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
8
Ambulance Services
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
13
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
11
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Barber Shops
5
Beauty Salons
49
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
7
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
5
Bowling Centers
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
9
Business to Business Electronic Markets
2
Cafeterias
4
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
4
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
2
Caterers
6
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
38
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Civic and Social Organizations
9
Claims Adjusting
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Computer and Software Stores
17
Computer Facilities Management Services
5
Computer Training
4
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
10
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
4
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
9
Custom Computer Programming Services
82
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
6
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Discount Department Stores
4
Document Preparation Services
4
Drafting Services
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Educational Support Services
6
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electrical Contractors
20
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
6
Elementary and Secondary Schools
9
Engineering Services
61
Environmental Consulting Services
14
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
5
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
11
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
8
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
19
Floor Covering Stores
9
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
8
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
5
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
6
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Full-Service Restaurants
105
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
17
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
15
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
5
Greeting Card Publishers
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
3
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
8
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
6
Household Appliance Stores
6
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Design Services
2
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
50
Interior Design Services
6
Internet Service Providers
8
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
13
Janitorial Services
23
Jewelry Stores
21
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
8
Landscaping Services
25
Limited-Service Restaurants
107
Limousine Service
2
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
5
Logging
2
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
2
Marketing Consulting Services
29
Masonry Contractors
6
Meat Markets
2
Media Representatives
3
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
5
Mobile Food Services
2
Motion Picture and Video Production
7
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
5
Nail Salons
4
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
10
News Syndicates
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
7
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
19
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
9
Offices of Chiropractors
18
Offices of Dentists
74
Offices of Lawyers
47
Offices of Optometrists
18
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
9
Optical Goods Stores
8
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Outerwear Knitting Mills
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
17
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
11
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
6
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
15
Political Organizations
3
Portfolio Management
3
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
8
Professional Employer Organizations
5
Professional Organizations
9
Public Relations Agencies
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
25
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Reinsurance Carriers
2
Remediation Services
2
Residential Property Managers
20
Residential Remodelers
30
Roofing Contractors
6
Sales Financing
4
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
17
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
16
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
26
Software Publishers
20
Software Reproducing
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
10
Support Activities for Forestry
2
Tax Preparation Services
6
Telecommunications Resellers
3
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
29
Testing Laboratories
7
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
6
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
10
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Veterinary Services
21
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Web Search Portals
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
28
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
9
Women's Clothing Stores
27

Do You Need a Business Plan?

Having a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Cary business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on finding startup capital, such as 504 Loans.

For Cary entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of North Carolina Angel Investors and our List of North Carolina Venture Capital Firms.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To rise above the crowd in Cary and build your business, you need a solid marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Pricing is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Cary or are selling to customers throughout North Carolina, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Cold Call Selling is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

The best business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Cary, North Carolina, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Cary entrepreneurs.

Interviews With Cary Entrepreneurs

Here, we'll keep a running list of interviews we've had with Cary entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Cary. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Cary and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Cary, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Cary, North Carolina

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

More Business Startup Guides for North Carolina

Starting a Business in Carolina Beach
Starting a Business in Cashiers

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