South Carolina Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Georgetown, South Carolina

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

Georgetown, South Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
23902
5-9 Employees
10716
10-19 Employees
5130
20-49 Employees
3192
50-99 Employees
912
100-249 Employees
570
250-499 Employees
171
500-999 Employees
57
1000+ Employees
57
All Georgetown Businesses
44707

As a new Georgetown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Georgetown 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
Ambulance Services
1
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
6
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
2
Book Stores
3
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
10
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Computer and Software Stores
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
9
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
6
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
7
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
6
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
8
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Ice Manufacturing
2
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
10
Interior Design Services
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
17
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
23
Logging
17
Machine Shops
3
Marinas
4
Marine Cargo Handling
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
1
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
10
Offices of Lawyers
28
Offices of Optometrists
2
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Petroleum Refineries
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
8
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
1
Sawmills
3
Securities Brokerage
2
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Steel Wire Drawing
1
Support Activities for Forestry
2
Tax Preparation Services
3
Temporary Help Services
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Timber Tract Operations
1
Tire Dealers
3
Tour Operators
2
Used Car Dealers
5
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
6

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Georgetown, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including How to Get More Franchisees. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include RE/MAX International and Scooter Planet. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Children's Franchises and Kitchen Design Franchises.

Note on Georgetown Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Georgetown.

Forming a Company in Georgetown, South Carolina

It's very important that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in South Carolina, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in South Carolina. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Why Incorporate in Delaware. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Georgetown, South Carolina, our information on Incorporating in South Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in South Carolina.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Outsourcing. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in South Carolina.

Promoting Your New Company

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

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Advertising on Google is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

How to Sell

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Georgetown business, you need to focus on sales.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Why Salespeople Fail 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

As an entrepreneur in Georgetown, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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 Georgetown and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Georgetown 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 Georgetown, South Carolina

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

More Business Startup Guides for South Carolina

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Starting a Business in Goose Creek

Browse All Business Startup Guides for South Carolina
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