Kentucky Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Ashland, Kentucky
Need help starting a business in Ashland, Kentucky? We've got the information you need to open a business in Ashland.
What Business Are You Starting?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Evaluating Your Idea.
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 a Bedspreads Retail & Custom Made Business guide or our How to Start a Powder Coatings Business guide.
Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Ashland. Some businesses will do better in Ashland than others. Study Ashland demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Ashland, Kentucky Demographic Information
Ashland has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Ashland demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Ashland.
Businesses
As a new Ashland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ashland 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
Have You Considered Franchising?
Visit the business district of Ashland and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to look into purchasing a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Understanding Franchise Contracts. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include The Little Gym International, Inc. and Blue Moon Mexican Café. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Flooring Franchises and Mexican Restaurant Franchises.
Note on Ashland Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Ashland.
Should You Buy an Existing Ashland Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Kentucky. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Ashland.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Marketing Your New Company
Whether your goal is to attract Ashland customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Phone Book Advertising Costs is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Ashland, Kentucky, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Kentucky universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Ashland entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Ashland, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Ashland and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Ashland, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Ashland, Kentucky
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Ashland.
- Resources for Ashland, Kentucky Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ashland 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.
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