Tennessee Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Selmer, Tennessee

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new businesses do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Selmer. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • 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. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Selmer, Tennessee Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
459
5-9 Employees
165
10-19 Employees
66
20-49 Employees
39
50-99 Employees
21
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Selmer Businesses
783

As a new Selmer entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Selmer 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Beauty Salons
2
Business Associations
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Community Food Services
1
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
3
Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
5
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
10
General Automotive Repair
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
10
Investment Advice
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Logging
3
Machine Shops
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Metal Stamping
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Optometrists
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
3
Securities Brokerage
1
Siding Contractors
3
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
1
Tobacco Stores
2
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Selmer, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Franchising Scams. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include American Ramp Systems and Ham's Restaurants. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Video and DVD Rental Franchises and Child Photos and Portraits Franchises.

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

Naming the Business

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Selmer, it's imperative that you check now that no other Tennessee company is using the business name you want to use.

Marketing Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in Selmer and build your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. How to Get Started with Advertsing 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 sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Selmer business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales Techniques 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.

Next Steps

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

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

We are here to help Selmer businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Selmer 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 Selmer, Tennessee

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

More Startup Articles for Tennessee Cities

Starting a Business in Savannah
Starting a Business in Sevierville

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Tennessee
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary