Thinking about starting a business in Clarksburg, West Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Clarksburg.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Clarksburg. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- 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. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
Clarksburg, West Virginia Demographic Information
Clarksburg has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Clarksburg demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Clarksburg.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
6200 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3210 |
| 10-19 Employees |
2040 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1260 |
| 50-99 Employees |
405 |
| 100-249 Employees |
225 |
| 250-499 Employees |
30 |
| 500-999 Employees |
30 |
| 1000+ Employees |
15 |
| All Clarksburg Businesses |
13415 |
As a new Clarksburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Clarksburg 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 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
8 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Carpet and Rug Mills |
1 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
9 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
15 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
3 |
| Convenience Stores |
6 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
6 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
3 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
6 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
6 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
3 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
3 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
4 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
5 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
5 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
5 |
| General Automotive Repair |
12 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
23 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
36 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
3 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
7 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
3 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
9 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
17 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
34 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
7 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
2 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
11 |
| Retail Bakeries |
3 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Securities Brokerage |
8 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
5 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Specialty Canning |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Support Activities for Coal Mining |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
3 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
3 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Tobacco Stores |
4 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
8 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
3 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Should You Franchise?
Visit the business district of Clarksburg and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as The Franchising Process. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include WSI Internet Franchises and Curves. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Children's Fitness Franchises and Party Supply Franchises.
Note on Clarksburg Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Clarksburg.
What About Buying an Existing Clarksburg Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in West Virginia. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Clarksburg.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.
Naming the Business
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.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.
On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Clarksburg, it's very important that you make sure no other West Virginia company is using the business name you want to use.
Marketing Your New Venture
To rise above the crowd in Clarksburg and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Elevator Advertising is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Clarksburg. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Clarksburg 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 Clarksburg, West Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Clarksburg.
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