Contemplating starting a business in Beachwood, Ohio? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Beachwood.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
Most new businesses do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a 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:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Beachwood. 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.
What Business Are You Starting?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good Business Ideas.
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 Chauffeur Business guide or our How to Start a Dental Equipment & Supplies Business guide.
Remember that you are opening your new business in Beachwood. Some businesses will do better in Beachwood than others. Study Beachwood demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Beachwood, Ohio Demographic Information
Beachwood has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Beachwood demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Beachwood.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
6834 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2470 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1578 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1098 |
| 50-99 Employees |
414 |
| 100-249 Employees |
288 |
| 250-499 Employees |
72 |
| 500-999 Employees |
24 |
| 1000+ Employees |
12 |
| All Beachwood Businesses |
12790 |
As a new Beachwood entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Beachwood 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 |
| Advertising Agencies |
9 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
12 |
| Art Dealers |
2 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
29 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Bituminous Coal Underground Mining |
1 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
3 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
10 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
6 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Collection Agencies |
9 |
| Commercial Flexographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
19 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
3 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Couriers |
3 |
| Credit Card Issuing |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
32 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
8 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
7 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
3 |
| Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
5 |
| Electronic Shopping |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
6 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
7 |
| Engineering Services |
12 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
13 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
14 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
9 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
36 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
10 |
| Furniture Stores |
6 |
| General Automotive Repair |
1 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
13 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
4 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
3 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Home Health Care Services |
11 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Inland Water Passenger Transportation |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
75 |
| Interior Design Services |
8 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
24 |
| Janitorial Services |
10 |
| Jewelry Stores |
15 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
5 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
7 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
33 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
3 |
| Marinas |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
15 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Media Buying Agencies |
4 |
| Media Representatives |
3 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
7 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
5 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
17 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
3 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
4 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
25 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
13 |
| Office Administrative Services |
19 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
3 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
66 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
55 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
87 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
6 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
4 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
5 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
7 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
5 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
2 |
| Passenger Car Leasing |
3 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
10 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
25 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
4 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
6 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
14 |
| Recreational Goods Rental |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
41 |
| Residential Remodelers |
8 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Sales Financing |
4 |
| Satellite Telecommunications |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
7 |
| Securities Brokerage |
20 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
3 |
| Shoe Stores |
12 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
12 |
| Software Publishers |
3 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
19 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
12 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
10 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
5 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
29 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
30 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Should You Franchise?
As you drive around Beachwood, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Protecting Your Franchise Territory. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.
Sample franchise opportunities include The Cure Water Damage and Personal Training Professionals. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Wine Franchises and Framing Store Franchises.
Note on Beachwood Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Beachwood, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Naming the Company
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?
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Beachwood, it's imperative that you check now that no other Ohio company is using the business name you want to use.
Promoting Your New Company
To grow your Beachwood business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Typical Direct Mail Response Rates discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Never Give Up
Most new Beachwood businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Beachwood 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 Beachwood, Ohio
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Beachwood.
- Resources for Beachwood, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Beachwood 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.
- Beachwood, Ohio Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Beachwood, Ohio newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Beachwood area.
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