Opening a Business in Bedford, Virginia

Are you starting a business in Bedford, Virginia? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Bedford.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting an Architectural Model Makers Business guide or our How to Start a Bicycle Helmets Business guide.

Remember that starting a business in Bedford has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Bedford than others. Don't forget to review Bedford demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Bedford, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	7551
5-9 Employees	3159
10-19 Employees	1620
20-49 Employees	918
50-99 Employees	243
100-249 Employees	135
250-499 Employees	108
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Bedford Businesses	13734

As a new Bedford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bedford 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing	1
Ambulance Services	1
Architectural Services	1
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills	1
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	2
Caterers	1
Charter Bus Industry	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	4
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Collection Agencies	1
Commercial Gravure Printing	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	2
Community Food Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Consumer Lending	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Dental Laboratories	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	3
Emergency and Other Relief Services	1
Engineering Services	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Family Planning Centers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Floor Covering Stores	3
Florists	5
Framing Contractors	2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	9
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
Furniture Stores	3
General Automotive Repair	11
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing	1
Hardware Stores	2
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Historical Sites	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	2
Industrial Launderers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	11
Janitorial Services	5
Jewelry Stores	2
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Land Subdivision	2
Landscaping Services	8
Limited-Service Restaurants	14
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers	1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	1
Locksmiths	1
Logging	1
Machine Shops	3
Mail-Order Houses	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	3
Masonry Contractors	9
Men's Clothing Stores	2
Museums	1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing	1
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	5
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Chiropractors	3
Offices of Dentists	5
Offices of Lawyers	18
Offices of Optometrists	1
Packaging and Labeling Services	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	7
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Printing Ink Manufacturing	1
Professional Organizations	2
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Residential Remodelers	4
Retail Bakeries	1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	2
Savings Institutions	1
Sawmills	3
Securities Brokerage	2
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Siding Contractors	2
Site Preparation Contractors	7
Solid Waste Collection	1
Spice and Extract Manufacturing	1
Support Activities for Forestry	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Temporary Help Services	1
Testing Laboratories	1
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	4
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	5
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	2

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Bedford, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Insty-Prints Printing Centers. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Car Wash Franchises and Moving Franchises.

Note on Bedford Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Bedford.

Forming a Company in Bedford, Virginia

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating 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 Virginia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Virginia. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Bedford, Virginia, our information on Incorporating in Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Virginia.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Bedford customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.

You can learn all about marketing on our site. Sponsoring Local Events is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Bedford 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. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Tips on Customer Referrals offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Bedford. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Bedford businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Bedford, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bedford, Virginia

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

• Resources for Bedford, Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bedford 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.
• Bedford, Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Bedford, Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Bedford area.
• Bedford, Virginia Payroll Services - This list includes Bedford, Virginia payroll services, national payroll services for Bedford, and helpful information on choosing a Bedford payroll service.

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