Virginia Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in South Boston, Virginia
Are you starting a business in South Boston, Virginia? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in South Boston.
What Business Are You Starting?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 Opening an Aerospace Engineering Firm guide or our Opening a Televisions Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Remember that your new business will be in South Boston. Some businesses will do better in South Boston than others. A critical consideration is whether South Boston demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
South Boston, Virginia Demographic Information
South Boston has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for South Boston demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in South Boston.
Businesses
As a new South Boston entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in South Boston 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.
Businesses
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
As you drive around South Boston, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as How to Find Financing for Franchises. 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 Birthflowers.com and Certified Restoration Dry Cleaning Network. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Flooring Franchises and Mexican Restaurant Franchises.
Note on South Boston Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in South Boston, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing South Boston Business?
We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in South Boston.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.
Forming a Company in South Boston, Virginia
It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. 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.
Incorporating 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. If you are starting a business in Virginia, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Virginia. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Getting an EIN. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in South Boston, Virginia, our information on Incorporating in Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Virginia.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your South Boston business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Business Incubators.
For South Boston entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.
Building Up Your Sales
Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in South Boston or are selling to customers throughout Virginia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Why Salespeople Fail offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in South Boston. 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in South Boston and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new South Boston 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 South Boston, Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in South Boston.
- Resources for South Boston, Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist South Boston entrepreneurs.
- Virginia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Virginia.
- Virginia Small Business Development Center - Virginia Small Business Development Centers offer professional business counseling, training and information resources to help grow and strengthen Virginia businesses.
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