Are you starting a business in Chester, Virginia? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Chester.
Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?
Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Chester. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. 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.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Free 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 Starting a Late Night Restaurant guide or our Opening a Washing Machine & Dryer Rental & Leasing Business guide.
Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Chester. Some businesses will do better in Chester than others. A critical consideration is whether Chester demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Chester, Virginia Demographic Information
Chester has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Chester demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Chester.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
18315 |
| 5-9 Employees |
6795 |
| 10-19 Employees |
5715 |
| 20-49 Employees |
3555 |
| 50-99 Employees |
1575 |
| 100-249 Employees |
810 |
| 250-499 Employees |
225 |
| 500-999 Employees |
180 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Chester Businesses |
37170 |
As a new Chester entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Chester 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 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
14 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
3 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
6 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
7 |
| Convenience Stores |
6 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Card Issuing |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
8 |
| Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
5 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
12 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Engineering Services |
6 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
5 |
| Facilities Support Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Farm Product Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
7 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
7 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
7 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
30 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
12 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
2 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
9 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
10 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
14 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
24 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
4 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
21 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
5 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
4 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
8 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
6 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
14 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
4 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stemming and Redrying |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
6 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
6 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Have You Considered Franchising?
As you drive around Chester, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Protecting Your Franchise Territory. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Grout Wizard and Companion Connection Senior Care. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Bagel Franchises and eBay Franchises.
Note on Chester Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Chester.
Company Formation in Chester, Virginia
It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.
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. Just because you are starting a business in Virginia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Virginia. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Nevada Incorporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Chester, Virginia, our information on Incorporating in Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Virginia.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Chester business 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 learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.
For Chester entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.
Bring in Revenues
Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Chester or are selling to customers throughout Virginia, 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? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Tips on Customer Referrals is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in Chester. 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 Chester and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Chester, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Chester, Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Chester.
- Resources for Chester, Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Chester 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.
- Chester, Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Chester, Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Chester area.
- Chester, Virginia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Chester, Virginia area radio stations.
- Chester, Virginia Payroll Services - This list includes Chester, Virginia payroll services, national payroll services for Chester, and helpful information on choosing a Chester payroll service.
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