Georgia Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Lakeland, Georgia
Are you starting a business in Lakeland, Georgia? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Lakeland.
Lakeland, Georgia Demographic Information
Lakeland has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Lakeland demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Lakeland.
Businesses
As a new Lakeland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lakeland 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
Forming a Company in Lakeland, Georgia
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.
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.
Incorporating 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 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Lakeland, 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
Writing a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
To learn more about business plans, read Expert Advice on Business Plans. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Georgia.
Letting the World Know You Exist
Whether your goal is to attract Lakeland customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Getting Publicity discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Bring in Revenues
Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Lakeland business to do well.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Sales Forecasting is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Lakeland, Georgia, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Georgia universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Lakeland entrepreneurs.
Next Steps
Most new Lakeland businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Lakeland and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Lakeland, Georgia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Lakeland.
- Resources for Lakeland, Georgia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Lakeland 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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