South Carolina Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Laurens, South Carolina

Are you starting a business in Laurens, South Carolina? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Laurens.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Most startup businesses don't make it, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Laurens. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Kitchen Accessories Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our Opening a Telemarketing Consultants Business guide.

Remember that starting a business in Laurens has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Laurens than others. A critical consideration is whether Laurens demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Laurens, South Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2235
5-9 Employees
855
10-19 Employees
378
20-49 Employees
306
50-99 Employees
126
100-249 Employees
135
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Laurens Businesses
4044

As a new Laurens entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Laurens 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
Amusement Arcades
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Consumer Lending
10
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
3
Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Credit Unions
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fabric Coating Mills
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
8
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
2
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Pattern Manufacturing
1
Investment Advice
1
Jewelry Stores
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
17
Logging
6
Machine Shops
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Meat Markets
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
9
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Remodelers
3
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
4
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Naming the Company

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Laurens, it's imperative that you check now that no South Carolina company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Laurens customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Sponsoring Local Events 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 sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Laurens business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Compensating Sales People 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.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Laurens, South Carolina, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby South Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your entrepreneurial education is to investigate networking organizations for Laurens entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

Most new Laurens businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

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

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

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

More Business Startup Guides for South Carolina

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Starting a Business in Lexington

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