South Carolina Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Greenwood, South Carolina

Thinking about starting a business in Greenwood, South Carolina? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Greenwood.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Evaluating Your Idea.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Baling Equipment & Supplies Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our Starting a Party Supplies Business guide.

Don't forget that you are opening your new business in Greenwood. Some businesses will do better in Greenwood than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Greenwood demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Greenwood, South Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
22824
5-9 Employees
11088
10-19 Employees
6372
20-49 Employees
4284
50-99 Employees
1800
100-249 Employees
684
250-499 Employees
396
500-999 Employees
72
1000+ Employees
72
All Greenwood Businesses
47592

As a new Greenwood entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Greenwood 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
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
5
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
9
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
3
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
5
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
20
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
18
Convenience Stores
5
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
6
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
4
Engineering Services
9
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
7
Family Planning Centers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
5
Food Service Contractors
6
Framing Contractors
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
48
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
5
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
13
General Freight Trucking, Local
9
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
7
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
6
Household Appliance Stores
4
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
25
Internet Service Providers
2
Investment Advice
3
Iron Foundries
2
Janitorial Services
11
Jewelry Stores
9
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
5
Landscaping Services
16
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
43
Limousine Service
1
Locksmiths
2
Logging
5
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
6
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
4
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
3
Nail Salons
2
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonferrous Forging
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
7
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
28
Offices of Lawyers
28
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
6
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
8
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Organizations
2
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
12
Roofing Contractors
2
Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Shoe Stores
8
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Solid Waste Collection
2
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Support Activities for Forestry
3
Tax Preparation Services
8
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
7
Temporary Shelters
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Weft Knit Fabric Mills
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
6
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Yarn Spinning Mills
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Visit the business district of Greenwood and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchising and Veterans. 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.

Sample franchise opportunities include Las Vegas Golf & Tennis Inc. and Pets Are Inn. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Golf Franchises and Landscaping Franchises.

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

Naming the Business

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Greenwood, it's critical that you ensure that no other South Carolina company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Greenwood, South Carolina

It's essential 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 traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. 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 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 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 LLC Advantages. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Greenwood, South Carolina, our information on Incorporating in South Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in South Carolina.

Promoting Your New Startup

Whether your goal is to attract Greenwood customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Promoting an Online Business is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Greenwood, South Carolina, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local South Carolina educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any Greenwood networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

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 Greenwood and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Greenwood, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

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

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

More Startup Articles for South Carolina Cities

Starting a Business in Greenville
Starting a Business in Greer

Browse All Business Startup Guides for South Carolina
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