North Carolina Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in New Bern, North Carolina

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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 New Bern. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • Take a look at Starting a Company. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read 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 Opening an Incinerators, Parts, & Supplies Business guide or our Starting a Steam Cleaning Equipment Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in New Bern. Some businesses will do better in New Bern than others. A critical consideration is whether New Bern demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

New Bern, North Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2491
5-9 Employees
1032
10-19 Employees
729
20-49 Employees
465
50-99 Employees
165
100-249 Employees
51
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
3
All New Bern Businesses
4957

As a new New Bern entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in New Bern 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
5
Architectural Services
5
Art Dealers
3
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
10
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
3
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
3
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
4
Building Inspection Services
3
Business Associations
6
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
5
Child Day Care Services
12
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
5
Convenience Stores
6
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Couriers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
5
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
4
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
21
Electronic Shopping
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
2
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
9
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Family Clothing Stores
4
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
6
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
7
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Full-Service Restaurants
47
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
7
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Hardware Stores
2
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
17
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Building Construction
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
29
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
3
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
3
Jewelry Stores
11
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
23
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Locksmiths
2
Logging
12
Machine Shops
3
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Medical Laboratories
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
4
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
10
New Housing Operative Builders
5
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
5
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Dentists
30
Offices of Lawyers
46
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
6
One-Hour Photofinishing
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Passenger Car Rental
6
Payroll Services
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Portfolio Management
3
Private Mail Centers
1
Pulp Mills
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
14
Retail Bakeries
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
3
Sales Financing
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
9
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Support Activities for Forestry
2
Taxi Service
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Temporary Shelters
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Travel Agencies
2
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
6
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
8
Women's Clothing Stores
9

Forming a Company in New Bern, North Carolina

It's essential that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in North Carolina, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in North Carolina. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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 How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in New Bern, North Carolina, our web page covering Incorporating in North Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in North Carolina.

Bring in Revenues

Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in New Bern or are selling to customers throughout North Carolina, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales 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.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in New Bern, North Carolina, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking groups or organizations in which New Bern entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in New Bern. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help New Bern 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 New Bern, North Carolina

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in North Carolina

Starting a Business in Nashville
Starting a Business in Newland

Browse All Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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