South Carolina Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Darlington, South Carolina

Need help starting a business in Darlington, South Carolina? We've got the information you need to open a business in Darlington.

Darlington, South Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3600
5-9 Employees
1545
10-19 Employees
645
20-49 Employees
600
50-99 Employees
180
100-249 Employees
105
250-499 Employees
15
500-999 Employees
30
1000+ Employees
0
All Darlington Businesses
6720

As a new Darlington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Darlington 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Business Associations
3
Cafeterias
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
7
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Consumer Lending
9
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
3
Credit Unions
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
4
Food Service Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
4
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
19
Logging
2
Machine Shops
3
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Markets
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonwoven Fabric Mills
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Surface-Coated Paperboard Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Temporary Help Services
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Timber Tract Operations
1
Tire Dealers
4
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Darlington, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchising My Business. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Purified Water To Go and Blackjack Pizza Franchising Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cartridge Recycling Franchises and Handyman Services Franchises.

Note on Darlington Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Darlington, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

What About Buying an Existing Darlington Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in South Carolina. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Darlington.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, 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 South Carolina.

Marketing Your New Startup

To grow your Darlington business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Typical Direct Mail Response Rates is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Darlington, South Carolina, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby South Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Darlington networking organizations.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Darlington. 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.

We are here to help Darlington businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

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

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

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