Virginia Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Herndon, Virginia

Need help starting a business in Herndon, Virginia? We've got the information you need to open a business in Herndon.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much more arduous than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Herndon. 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.

Herndon, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
11400
5-9 Employees
3249
10-19 Employees
2439
20-49 Employees
1917
50-99 Employees
729
100-249 Employees
432
250-499 Employees
126
500-999 Employees
54
1000+ Employees
9
All Herndon Businesses
20355

As a new Herndon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Herndon 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
9
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
17
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Publishers
5
Building Inspection Services
3
Business Associations
12
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
5
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
28
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Systems Design Services
189
Computer Training
3
Convenience Stores
9
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Couriers
4
Credit Bureaus
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
149
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
5
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Digital Printing
2
Direct Mail Advertising
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
14
Electronic Shopping
7
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
54
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
4
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fine Arts Schools
5
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Floor Covering Stores
8
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
15
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Full-Service Restaurants
56
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
11
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
5
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Health Care Services
1
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
33
Interior Design Services
4
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
6
Investment Advice
9
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Janitorial Services
18
Jewelry Stores
4
Land Subdivision
4
Landscaping Services
30
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limousine Service
3
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marketing Consulting Services
20
Masonry Contractors
7
Media Buying Agencies
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Mixed Mode Transit Systems
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
13
Motion Picture and Video Production
6
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Nail Salons
4
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
1
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
8
Office Administrative Services
12
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
9
Offices of Dentists
35
Offices of Lawyers
15
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
4
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
6
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packing and Crating
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
16
Passenger Car Rental
2
Periodical Publishers
5
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Political Organizations
2
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
5
Quick Printing
4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
10
Real Estate Investment Trusts
3
Remediation Services
2
Repossession Services
1
Residential Remodelers
27
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Sales Financing
4
Savings Institutions
4
Secondary Market Financing
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
3
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Software Publishers
27
Software Reproducing
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Sports and Recreation Instruction
11
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
3
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
13
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
6
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
2
Travel Agencies
8
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
6
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
7
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Web Search Portals
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
13
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
28
Women's Clothing Stores
1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Herndon Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Herndon.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Herndon, Virginia

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Virginia, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Virginia. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Herndon, Virginia, our information on Incorporating in Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Virginia.

Ramping Up Sales

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

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.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

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

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Herndon, 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.

We are here to help Herndon 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 Herndon, Virginia

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

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