Open a Business in Bridgeport, West Virginia

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Most new ventures do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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 Bridgeport. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Data Recovery Business guide or our Opening a Spill Control Services Business guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Bridgeport. Some businesses will do better in Bridgeport than others. A critical consideration is whether Bridgeport demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Bridgeport, West Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	8676
5-9 Employees	5100
10-19 Employees	3636
20-49 Employees	2556
50-99 Employees	684
100-249 Employees	180
250-499 Employees	108
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Bridgeport Businesses	20940

As a new Bridgeport entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bridgeport 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
Architectural Services	1
Armored Car Services	1
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	7
Beauty Salons	10
Bituminous Coal Underground Mining	2
Book Stores	2
Business Associations	1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores	1
Car Washes	1
Caterers	1
Child Day Care Services	5
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Clothing Accessories Stores	4
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Community Food Services	1
Computer and Software Stores	3
Consumer Lending	2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	2
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	1
Couriers	4
Credit Unions	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Dental Laboratories	1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	5
Discount Department Stores	1
Display Advertising	1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Educational Support Services	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	4
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Engineering Services	2
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Facilities Support Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	7
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Flat Glass Manufacturing	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	17
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	5
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Hardware Stores	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Household Appliance Stores	2
Industrial Building Construction	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	11
Internet Service Providers	2
Janitorial Services	2
Jewelry Stores	8
Junior Colleges	1
Landscaping Services	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	19
Logging	1
Machine Shops	3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	2
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	4
Medical Laboratories	2
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Miscellaneous Intermediation	3
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	2
New Car Dealers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	5
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	5
Offices of Chiropractors	6
Offices of Dentists	11
Offices of Lawyers	5
Offices of Optometrists	4
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Optical Goods Stores	4
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	2
Passenger Car Rental	2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	1
Professional Employer Organizations	1
Professional Organizations	1
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Residential Remodelers	4
Roofing Contractors	3
Sales Financing	1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation	2
Securities Brokerage	5
Shoe Stores	6
Site Preparation Contractors	7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Solid Waste Collection	4
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Tax Preparation Services	4
Television Broadcasting	1
Temporary Help Services	2
Testing Laboratories	3
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	1
Tire Dealers	2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Used Car Dealers	4
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Vending Machine Operators	2
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	3
Women's Clothing Stores	7

Is Buying an Existing Bridgeport Business a Good Strategy?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in West Virginia. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Bridgeport.

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Bridgeport, West Virginia

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

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 West Virginia, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in West Virginia. In fact, you are allowed to 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 are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Bridgeport, West Virginia, our information on Incorporating in West Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in West Virginia.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Bridgeport business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Bridgeport entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of West Virginia Angel Investors and our List of West Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

What's Next?

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bridgeport, West Virginia

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

• Resources for Bridgeport, West Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bridgeport entrepreneurs.
• West Virginia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in West Virginia.
• Wisconsin Small Business Development Center - Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers offer a variety of educational services to small-businesses. The low-cost courses, seminars, and workshops cover both basic and complex topics, from marketing to management techniques to business plan development.
• Bridgeport, West Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Bridgeport, West Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Bridgeport area.

More Business Startup Guides for West Virginia
Starting a Business in Bluefield
Starting a Business in Buckhannon

Browse All Business Startup Guides for West Virginia