Georgia Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Kennesaw, Georgia

Contemplating starting a business in Kennesaw, Georgia? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Kennesaw.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Kennesaw. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Kennesaw, Georgia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4040
5-9 Employees
1295
10-19 Employees
960
20-49 Employees
927
50-99 Employees
339
100-249 Employees
252
250-499 Employees
54
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Kennesaw Businesses
7876

As a new Kennesaw entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Kennesaw 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
4
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
5
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
33
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
3
Book Stores
6
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
5
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
10
Caterers
4
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
16
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
7
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
4
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Screen Printing
4
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
4
Computer Systems Design Services
38
Computer Training
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
3
Consumer Lending
4
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
4
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
2
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Card Issuing
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
39
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
9
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
10
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
30
Electronic Shopping
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Employment Placement Agencies
5
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
4
Family Clothing Stores
15
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
14
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
11
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
6
Food Service Contractors
5
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
5
Full-Service Restaurants
99
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
5
Furniture Stores
23
General Automotive Repair
19
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
12
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
10
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
6
Home Centers
5
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
9
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
5
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
45
Interior Design Services
5
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
3
Investigation Services
4
Janitorial Services
18
Jewelry Stores
17
Junior Colleges
1
Land Subdivision
5
Landscape Architectural Services
5
Landscaping Services
28
Limited-Service Restaurants
77
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
4
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marketing Consulting Services
13
Masonry Contractors
4
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
21
Motion Picture and Video Production
6
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Nail Salons
4
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
7
New Housing Operative Builders
3
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Office Administrative Services
12
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
17
Offices of Chiropractors
16
Offices of Dentists
31
Offices of Lawyers
11
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
15
Optical Goods Stores
7
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packing and Crating
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Payroll Services
5
Periodical Publishers
4
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
5
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
10
Portfolio Management
3
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
4
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Professional Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
3
Real Estate Credit
18
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
15
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Sales Financing
4
Savings Institutions
3
Secondary Market Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
7
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
26
Sign Manufacturing
9
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
23
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
8
Sound Recording Studios
2
Specialty Canning
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Temporary Help Services
21
Testing Laboratories
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
9
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
2
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Truss Manufacturing
2
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
3
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
7
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
34
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
7
Women's Clothing Stores
21
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Kennesaw and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Growth Trends in Franchising. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include ampm Mini Market and International House of Pancakes. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Security Franchises and Coffee Shop Franchises.

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

Picking a Company Name

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

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 Kennesaw, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Georgia business.

Forming a Company in Kennesaw, Georgia

A critical step is ensuring 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.

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 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 Georgia, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Georgia. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Kennesaw, Georgia, our web page covering Incorporating in Georgia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Georgia.

Startup Financing Basics

Raising money to fund your new Kennesaw business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as 504 Loans.

For Kennesaw entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Georgia Angel Investors and our List of Georgia Venture Capital Firms.

Next Steps

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Kennesaw businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Kennesaw, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Kennesaw, Georgia

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Georgia

Starting a Business in Jonesboro
Starting a Business in Kings Bay Base

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Georgia
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary