North Carolina Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Wilmington, North Carolina
Contemplating starting a business in Wilmington, North Carolina? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Wilmington.
Wilmington, North Carolina Demographic Information
Wilmington has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Wilmington demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Wilmington.
Businesses
As a new Wilmington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wilmington 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 Wilmington, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, 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.
Representative franchise opportunities include Caring Senior Service and JumpBunch, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Child Photos and Portraits Franchises and Financial Services Franchises.
Note on Wilmington Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Wilmington.
Forming a Company in Wilmington, North Carolina
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in North Carolina, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in North Carolina. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as LLC Advantages. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Wilmington, North Carolina, our web page covering Incorporating in North Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in North Carolina.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Mistakes. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Raising money to fund your new Wilmington business is not an easy task. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Line of Credit.
For Wilmington entrepreneurs who need startup capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of North Carolina Angel Investors and our List of North Carolina Venture Capital Firms.
How to Sell
Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Wilmington business to do well.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Mastering the Complex Sale 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.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
Given that you are starting a business in Wilmington, North Carolina, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Wilmington entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Moving Forward
Most new Wilmington 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 Wilmington and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Wilmington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Wilmington, North Carolina
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Wilmington.
- Resources for Wilmington, North Carolina Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Wilmington entrepreneurs.
- North Carolina Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in North Carolina.
- North Carolina SBA - With offices in Charlotte, Wilmington, Raleigh and Asheville, the SBA organizes many events and provides useful resources for new entrepreneurs and growing businesses throughout North Carolina.
More Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
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Starting a Business in Wilson
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