Georgia Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Rome, Georgia

Need help starting a business in Rome, Georgia? We've got the information you need to open a business in Rome.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Before you get too far along in the process, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Rome. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Rome, Georgia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
19390
5-9 Employees
8253
10-19 Employees
5460
20-49 Employees
3738
50-99 Employees
1533
100-249 Employees
819
250-499 Employees
273
500-999 Employees
63
1000+ Employees
42
All Rome Businesses
39571

As a new Rome entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Rome 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
3
Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
4
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
16
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
15
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
11
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
5
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Rug Mills
4
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
15
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Civic and Social Organizations
10
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
8
Computer Training
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
13
Convenience Stores
12
Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
7
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Dental Laboratories
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
7
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
5
Electrical Contractors
14
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Family Clothing Stores
13
Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Floor Covering Stores
3
Florists
7
Flour Milling
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
5
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
3
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
58
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
Furniture Stores
12
General Automotive Repair
12
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
7
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
6
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
11
Home Health Equipment Rental
5
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Launderers
4
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
5
Janitorial Services
12
Jewelry Stores
9
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
20
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
68
Linen Supply
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Logging
3
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing
1
Metal Stamping
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
5
Museums
2
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
10
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nonwoven Fabric Mills
1
Nursing Care Facilities
8
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
25
Offices of Chiropractors
12
Offices of Dentists
29
Offices of Lawyers
54
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
7
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
4
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Petroleum Refineries
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
17
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Poultry Processing
1
Prepress Services
1
Professional Organizations
1
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
5
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
4
Real Estate Credit
9
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
5
Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing
1
Sales Financing
2
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
4
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Shoe Stores
9
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
6
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Sports Teams and Clubs
2
Support Activities for Forestry
3
Surface Active Agent Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
12
Telephone Answering Services
2
Temporary Help Services
7
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
10
Tobacco Stores
2
Travel Agencies
4
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Vending Machine Operators
6
Veterinary Services
9
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
9
Women's Clothing Stores
15
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
2
Yarn Spinning Mills
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Rome and 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 Credit and Franchise Purchasing. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include AmericInn and FASTFRAME USA INC.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Framing Store Franchises and Juice Bar Franchises / Smoothie Franchises.

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

Company Formation in Rome, Georgia

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Georgia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Georgia. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Incorporating Online. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Rome, Georgia, our information on Incorporating in Georgia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Georgia.

The Role of the Business Plan

Writing a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Georgia.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Rome business the capital it needs to succeed 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 Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Rome entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Georgia Angel Investors and our List of Georgia Venture Capital Firms.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Rome 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 Rome, Georgia

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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