Kentucky Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Mount Sterling, Kentucky

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Evaluating Your Idea.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Letter Shop Services Business guide or our Opening a Student Exchange Programs Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Mount Sterling. Some businesses will do better in Mount Sterling than others. Study Mount Sterling demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Mount Sterling, Kentucky Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3700
5-9 Employees
1845
10-19 Employees
1125
20-49 Employees
660
50-99 Employees
165
100-249 Employees
135
250-499 Employees
45
500-999 Employees
15
1000+ Employees
15
All Mount Sterling Businesses
7705

As a new Mount Sterling entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mount Sterling 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
10
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
5
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Bowling Centers
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
6
Electronic Shopping
1
Engineering Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Framing Contractors
1
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
9
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
10
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
19
Mail-Order Houses
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Metal Stamping
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
7
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonwoven Fabric Mills
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
12
Offices of Lawyers
9
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Quick Printing
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
2
Temporary Help Services
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
1
Truck Trailer Manufacturing
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
5
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Mount Sterling and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as How to Franchise. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Case In Point and Cambridge Educational Centers. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Wedding Franchises and Hardware Store Franchises.

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

The Role of the Business Plan

Writing a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. 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 counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Kentucky.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Raising money to fund your new Mount Sterling business will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

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

For Mount Sterling entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Kentucky Angel Investors and our List of Kentucky Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Startup

To grow your Mount Sterling business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. National TV Spot Advertising Rates 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 Mount Sterling business to do well.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. 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.

What's Next?

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Mount Sterling businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Mount Sterling entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Mount Sterling, Kentucky

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

  • Resources for Mount Sterling, Kentucky Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Mount Sterling entrepreneurs.
  • Kentucky Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Kentucky.
  • Kentucky Small Business Development Center - The Kentucky Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) has been assisting Kentucky small business community for more than 25 years. KSBDC is co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is administered by the University of Kentucky in partnership with regional universities, community and private colleges, and the private sector.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Kentucky

Starting a Business in Morgantown
Starting a Business in Mount Vernon

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