Start a Business in Carthage, Tennessee

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, 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:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Carthage. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
• We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Carthage, Tennessee Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	3330
5-9 Employees	990
10-19 Employees	690
20-49 Employees	360
50-99 Employees	180
100-249 Employees	150
250-499 Employees	30
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Carthage Businesses	5730

As a new Carthage entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Carthage 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
Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing	1
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Beauty Salons	2
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	1
Car Washes	1
Child Day Care Services	5
Consumer Lending	1
Convenience Stores	1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	1
Curtain and Drapery Mills	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	1
Electronic Shopping	2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	2
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	3
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	2
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Hardware Stores	2
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	4
Investigation Services	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	4
Machine Shops	2
Motorcycle Dealers	1
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	1
Offices of Dentists	3
Offices of Lawyers	8
Offices of Optometrists	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Passenger Car Rental	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	4
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Racetracks	1
Radio Stations	2
Repossession Services	1
Roofing Contractors	3
Sales Financing	1
Sawmills	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Tobacco Stores	2
Used Car Dealers	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Choosing a Business Name

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Carthage, it's very important that you make sure no other Tennessee company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Carthage, Tennessee

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. 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. 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 Tennessee, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Tennessee. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Carthage, Tennessee, our information on Incorporating in Tennessee may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Tennessee.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Writing a business plan is essential to the health of your new business. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Tennessee.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Carthage, Tennessee, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Tennessee universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Carthage entrepreneurs.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Carthage and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Carthage entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Carthage, Tennessee

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

• Resources for Carthage, Tennessee Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Carthage entrepreneurs.
• Tennessee Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Tennessee.
• Tennessee Small Business Development Center - If you are a small business owner, entrepreneur or you are thinking about starting a new business, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) is ready to help you every step of the way!
• Carthage, Tennessee Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Carthage, Tennessee newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Carthage area.
• Carthage, Tennessee Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Carthage, Tennessee area radio stations.

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