Ohio Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Ravenna, Ohio

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

What Business to Start

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 Table Cloths Business guide or our Opening a Syrups Retail Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Ravenna. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Ravenna. A critical consideration is whether Ravenna demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Ravenna, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5505
5-9 Employees
2065
10-19 Employees
1185
20-49 Employees
975
50-99 Employees
345
100-249 Employees
105
250-499 Employees
45
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
15
All Ravenna Businesses
10240

As a new Ravenna entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ravenna 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
Aircraft Manufacturing
1
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
11
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
5
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
4
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electronic Shopping
1
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fabric Coating Mills
1
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
4
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
14
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Janitorial Services
8
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscaping Services
14
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
18
Linen Supply
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
5
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
4
Meat Markets
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
4
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
12
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
3
Residential Property Managers
14
Residential Remodelers
5
Roofing Contractors
3
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
2
Schiffli Machine Embroidery
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
1
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Software Publishers
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Temporary Help Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
4
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
2
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Ravenna, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Scams. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include Steamatic, Inc. and Mister Transmission International. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Wine Franchises and Framing Store Franchises.

Note on Ravenna Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Ravenna, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Selecting a Name For Your Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

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.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Ravenna, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Ohio business.

Building Up Your Sales

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Ravenna or are selling to customers throughout Ohio, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

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.

Cold Call Selling offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful business owners know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Ravenna, Ohio, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Ohio universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Ravenna entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

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

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

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Ravenna and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Ravenna 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 Ravenna, Ohio

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

  • Resources for Ravenna, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ravenna entrepreneurs.
  • Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
  • Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.

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