Kentucky Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Somerset, Kentucky

Contemplating starting a business in Somerset, Kentucky? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Somerset.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Most startup companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Somerset. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Somerset, Kentucky Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
14160
5-9 Employees
7008
10-19 Employees
4560
20-49 Employees
2536
50-99 Employees
792
100-249 Employees
504
250-499 Employees
144
500-999 Employees
120
1000+ Employees
0
All Somerset Businesses
29824

As a new Somerset entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Somerset 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
Amusement Arcades
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
13
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
6
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
3
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
5
Cable and Other Program Distribution
4
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
15
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
4
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
2
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Family Clothing Stores
4
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
5
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
2
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
17
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
10
General Automotive Repair
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
4
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
6
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
32
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
2
Janitorial Services
7
Jewelry Stores
4
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limousine Service
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Logging
1
Machine Shops
5
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
6
Marinas
2
Masonry Contractors
5
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping
1
Motorcycle Dealers
4
Museums
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
5
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
18
Offices of Dentists
23
Offices of Lawyers
29
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
4
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
3
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
5
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
6
Roofing Contractors
2
Sales Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
5
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Small Arms Ammunition Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
8
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
5
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
5
Travel Agencies
1
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
7
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Somerset Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Kentucky. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Somerset.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Writing a business plan is essential to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for 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. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Kentucky.

Promoting Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Somerset and grow your business, you need a excellent marketing plan.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Technology Marketing discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Somerset business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Mastering the Complex Sale offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

What's Next?

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

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Somerset and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Somerset 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 Somerset, Kentucky

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

  • Resources for Somerset, Kentucky Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Somerset entrepreneurs.
  • Kentucky Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Kentucky.
  • Kentucky Small Business Development Center - The Kentucky Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) has been assisting Kentucky small business community for more than 25 years. KSBDC is co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is administered by the University of Kentucky in partnership with regional universities, community and private colleges, and the private sector.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Kentucky

Starting a Business in Shepherdsville
Starting a Business in Springfield

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

 

 

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