Opening a Business in Barnesville, Ohio

Thinking about starting a business in Barnesville, Ohio? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Barnesville.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Most new companies don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

• Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Barnesville. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
• Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
• Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. 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.

Barnesville, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1412
5-9 Employees	432
10-19 Employees	276
20-49 Employees	84
50-99 Employees	36
100-249 Employees	12
250-499 Employees	12
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Barnesville Businesses	2264

As a new Barnesville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Barnesville 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	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Beauty Salons	3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	2
Child Day Care Services	2
Civic and Social Organizations	5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Screen Printing	2
Consumer Lending	1
Convenience Stores	2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Flooring Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	5
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	3
General Freight Trucking, Local	4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hardware Stores	2
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Homes for the Elderly	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	6
Landscaping Services	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	9
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers	1
Logging	1
Machine Shops	3
Men's Clothing Stores	1
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	5
Offices of Lawyers	3
Offices of Optometrists	2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Payroll Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Residential Remodelers	2
Rooming and Boarding Houses	1
Savings Institutions	1
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1

Choosing a Business Name

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

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?

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Barnesville, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Ohio business.

Company Formation in Barnesville, Ohio

A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

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.

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. Just because you are starting a business in Ohio, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Ohio. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Subchapter S Corporations. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Barnesville, Ohio, our web page covering Incorporating in Ohio may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Ohio.

Promoting Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in Barnesville and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Local Search 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.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Barnesville, Ohio, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Ohio universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Barnesville entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

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

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 Barnesville and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Barnesville, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Barnesville, Ohio

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

• Resources for Barnesville, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Barnesville entrepreneurs.
• Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
• Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.
• Barnesville, Ohio Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Barnesville, Ohio newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Barnesville area.
• Barnesville, Ohio Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Barnesville, Ohio area radio stations.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Ohio
Starting a Business in Barberton
Starting a Business in Batavia

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