Contemplating starting a business in Cary, North Carolina? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Cary.
Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
Cary has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Cary demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Cary.
As a new Cary entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cary 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 |
8 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
13 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
11 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
4 |
| Barber Shops |
5 |
| Beauty Salons |
49 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
7 |
| Blind and Shade Manufacturing |
1 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
5 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
7 |
| Business and Secretarial Schools |
1 |
| Business Associations |
9 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
4 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
4 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
6 |
| Caterers |
6 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
38 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
9 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
4 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Commodity Contracts Brokerage |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
17 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
5 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
70 |
| Computer Training |
4 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
10 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
2 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
4 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
9 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
82 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
6 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
4 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Discount Department Stores |
4 |
| Document Preparation Services |
4 |
| Drafting Services |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
4 |
| Educational Support Services |
6 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
20 |
| Electronic Computer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
6 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
9 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
9 |
| Engineering Services |
61 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
14 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
5 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
11 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
11 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
8 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
19 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
9 |
| Flooring Contractors |
4 |
| Florists |
8 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
5 |
| Food Product Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
10 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
6 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
3 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
105 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
17 |
| General Automotive Repair |
34 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
15 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
5 |
| Graphic Design Services |
9 |
| Greeting Card Publishers |
1 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
8 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
6 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
2 |
| Industrial Design Services |
2 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
50 |
| Interior Design Services |
6 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
4 |
| Internet Service Providers |
8 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
13 |
| Janitorial Services |
23 |
| Jewelry Stores |
21 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
8 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
5 |
| Landscaping Services |
25 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
107 |
| Limousine Service |
2 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
5 |
| Logging |
2 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
5 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
29 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
3 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
5 |
| Mobile Food Services |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
17 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
7 |
| Motor and Generator Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
5 |
| Nail Salons |
4 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
10 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
18 |
| News Syndicates |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
7 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
19 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
9 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
27 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
18 |
| Offices of Dentists |
74 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
47 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
18 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
5 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
9 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
8 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Outerwear Knitting Mills |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
2 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
5 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
17 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
2 |
| Periodical Publishers |
11 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
6 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
15 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
13 |
| Political Organizations |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
3 |
| Prepress Services |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
8 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
5 |
| Professional Organizations |
9 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
3 |
| Quick Printing |
5 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
25 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Reinsurance Carriers |
2 |
| Remediation Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
20 |
| Residential Remodelers |
30 |
| Retail Bakeries |
4 |
| Roofing Contractors |
6 |
| Sales Financing |
4 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
17 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
16 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
26 |
| Software Publishers |
20 |
| Software Reproducing |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
10 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
10 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
6 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
3 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
29 |
| Testing Laboratories |
7 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
6 |
| Tire Dealers |
6 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Tour Operators |
2 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
10 |
| Used Car Dealers |
6 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
10 |
| Veterinary Services |
21 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
6 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Web Search Portals |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
28 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
3 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
9 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
27 |
Having a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
Getting your Cary business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
To rise above the crowd in Cary and build your business, you need a solid marketing plan.
We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Pricing 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.
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Cary or are selling to customers throughout North Carolina, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
The best business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Cary, North Carolina, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Cary entrepreneurs.
You have a dream -- starting a business in Cary. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Cary and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Cary, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Cary.
