Thinking about starting a business in Christiansburg, Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Christiansburg.
Christiansburg, Virginia Demographic Information
Christiansburg has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Christiansburg demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Christiansburg.
| Business Size | # of Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
2374 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1056 |
| 10-19 Employees |
708 |
| 20-49 Employees |
564 |
| 50-99 Employees |
156 |
| 100-249 Employees |
54 |
| 250-499 Employees |
36 |
| 500-999 Employees |
12 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Christiansburg Businesses |
4960 |
As a new Christiansburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Christiansburg 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 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
8 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
20 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Books Printing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
6 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
1 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
5 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
3 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
6 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
11 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
4 |
| Flight Training |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
6 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
3 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
27 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
13 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
5 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
14 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
7 |
| Jewelry Stores |
6 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
12 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
31 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
7 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
3 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
9 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
12 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
4 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
6 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
12 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
8 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
5 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
6 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
7 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
8 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
2 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Christiansburg Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Christiansburg.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Company
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.
Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Christiansburg, it's critical that you ensure that you will be the only Virginia company using the business name you have chosen.
Forming a Company in Christiansburg, Virginia
It's very important 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 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. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Christiansburg, Virginia, our information on Incorporating in Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Virginia.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Find Sample Business Plans Online. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Virginia.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Christiansburg customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.
You can learn all about marketing on our site. Viral Marketing is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
The Art of Selling
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Christiansburg business, you need to focus on sales.
The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Mastering the Complex Sale is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
What's Next?
As an entrepreneur in Christiansburg, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Christiansburg and elsewhere to achieve real success. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Christiansburg, Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Christiansburg.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Virginia
Starting a Business in Chester
Starting a Business in Clarksville
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Business Startup Guides for Virginia