Georgia Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Thomson, Georgia

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

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Most new ventures do not succeed, in part because the founder 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 Thomson. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • 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. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Thomson, Georgia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2223
5-9 Employees
882
10-19 Employees
513
20-49 Employees
288
50-99 Employees
90
100-249 Employees
90
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Thomson Businesses
4131

As a new Thomson entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Thomson 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
2
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Business Associations
2
Child Day Care Services
7
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
3
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
3
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
3
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Home Centers
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
14
Internet Service Providers
1
Iron Foundries
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
4
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
17
Locksmiths
1
Logging
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
7
Marinas
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
11
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
1
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
4
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
3
Taxi Service
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Textile Bag Mills
1
Tire Dealers
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
4
Yarn Spinning Mills
2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Thomson, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Selling A Franchise. 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 Weichert Realtors and Molly Maid. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Asian Restaurant Franchises and Environmental Testing Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Thomson Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Georgia. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Thomson.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Raising Capital for Your Startup

Getting your Thomson business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Thomson entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Georgia Angel Investors and our List of Georgia Venture Capital Firms.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract Thomson customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Making the Most of Trade Shows 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 taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

The best business owners know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Thomson, Georgia, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Georgia universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Thomson networking organizations.

Never Give Up

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Thomson and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Thomson, Georgia

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

More Business Startup Guides for Georgia

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Starting a Business in Tifton

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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