Thinking about starting a business in Ashland, Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Ashland.
Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?
Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Ashland. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Talk it over with a close friend or partner. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Ashland, Virginia 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.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
24514 |
| 5-9 Employees |
11220 |
| 10-19 Employees |
8772 |
| 20-49 Employees |
7548 |
| 50-99 Employees |
2040 |
| 100-249 Employees |
765 |
| 250-499 Employees |
102 |
| 500-999 Employees |
51 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Ashland Businesses |
55012 |
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.
| Business Type |
# of
Businesses |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
4 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
3 |
|
Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
12 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Blind and Shade Manufacturing |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
|
Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
11 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
|
Commercial Bakeries |
2 |
| Commercial Flexographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
6 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
2 |
| Concrete Pipe Manufacturing |
2 |
|
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Copper Wire (except Mechanical) Drawing |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
|
Custom Roll Forming |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
6 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
26 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
|
Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
14 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
4 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
|
Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Flour Milling |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
|
Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
3 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
22 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
5 |
| General Automotive Repair |
21 |
|
General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
|
Heating Oil Dealers |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
13 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
|
Janitorial Services |
10 |
| Jewelry Stores |
5 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
15 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
26 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
|
Logging |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
5 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
3 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
8 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
|
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
3 |
| Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
|
New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newsprint Mills |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
5 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
7 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
|
Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
8 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
12 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
|
Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
10 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
|
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Prepress Services |
1 |
| Printing Ink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
|
Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
3 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
19 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
2 |
|
Roofing Contractors |
4 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Satellite Telecommunications |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
|
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ship Building and Repairing |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
11 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
2 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
2 |
| Sound Recording Studios |
1 |
|
Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
5 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Testing Laboratories |
2 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
5 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
3 |
|
Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
7 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
|
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
17 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Naming the Business
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Ashland, it's very important that you make sure no other Virginia company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Virginia.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Ashland 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.
The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Realistic Debt Financing Options.
For Ashland entrepreneurs who need startup capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.
Promoting Your New Business
Whether your goal is to attract Ashland customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. National TV Spot Advertising Rates is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
How to Sell
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Ashland or are selling to customers throughout Virginia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads 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 Ashland. 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.
We are here to help Ashland businesses to be successful. 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 Ashland, Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Ashland.
- Resources for Ashland, Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ashland 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.
- Ashland, Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Ashland, Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Ashland area.
- Ashland, Virginia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Ashland, Virginia area radio stations.
- Ashland, Virginia Payroll Services - This list includes Ashland, Virginia payroll services, national payroll services for Ashland, and helpful information on choosing a Ashland payroll service.
- Ashland, Virginia Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Ashland, Virginia, such as business brokers in Ashland and other helpful information on how to buy a Ashland business.
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