Georgia Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Decatur, Georgia
Contemplating starting a business in Decatur, Georgia? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Decatur.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free Business Ideas.
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 How to Start an Orthopedics Physicians & Surgeons Business guide or our Opening a Tree Consultants Business guide.
Remember that starting a business in Decatur has some implications. If Decatur already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Decatur demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Decatur, Georgia Demographic Information
Decatur has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Decatur demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Decatur.
Businesses
As a new Decatur entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Decatur 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
Company Formation in Decatur, Georgia
A critical step is ensuring that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Georgia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Georgia. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Decatur, Georgia, our web page covering Incorporating in Georgia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Georgia.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
Having a business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Software. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Georgia.
Raising Funding for Your Venture
Obtaining startup financing for your Decatur business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Bank Credit Lines.
For Decatur entrepreneurs who need startup capital, browse our List of Georgia Angel Investors and our List of Georgia Venture Capital Firms.
How to Sell
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Decatur or are selling to customers throughout Georgia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. 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.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in Decatur. 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.
We are here to help Decatur businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Decatur 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 Decatur, Georgia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Decatur.
- Resources for Decatur, Georgia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Decatur 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.
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