North Carolina Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina

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

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Before you get too far along in the process, consider 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:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Pilot Mountain. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free 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 Starting a Manufacturer of Saddlery & Harness guide or our Opening a Gun Safety & Marksmanship Instruction Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Pilot Mountain has some implications. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Pilot Mountain. Don't forget to review Pilot Mountain demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Pilot Mountain, North Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
315
5-9 Employees
108
10-19 Employees
66
20-49 Employees
60
50-99 Employees
3
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Pilot Mountain Businesses
555

As a new Pilot Mountain entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Pilot Mountain 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
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Beauty Salons
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Engineering Services
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
6
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
3
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
7
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
4
Men's and Boys' Neckwear Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Optometrists
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Residential Property Managers
1
Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills
2
Sales Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Storage Battery Manufacturing
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Veterinary Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Window Treatment Stores
1
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Pilot Mountain, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Understanding Franchise Contracts. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppes and Mr. Pickle's Sandwich Shop. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Travel and Leisure Franchises and Child Safety Franchises.

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

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Pilot Mountain, it's very important that you make sure no other North Carolina company is using the business name you want to use.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Pilot Mountain business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as How Much Venture Capital Is There?.

For Pilot Mountain entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of North Carolina Angel Investors and our List of North Carolina Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

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

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Sales Forecasting 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.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Pilot Mountain. 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 Pilot Mountain businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Pilot Mountain, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Pilot Mountain, North Carolina

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

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

Starting a Business in Oxford
Starting a Business in Plymouth

Browse All Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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