Starting a Business in Clarksville, Virginia

Are you starting a business in Clarksville, Virginia? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Clarksville.

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

Talk to other entrepreneurs in Clarksville. 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.

Clarksville, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	2160
5-9 Employees	1200
10-19 Employees	510
20-49 Employees	330
50-99 Employees	60
100-249 Employees	60
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Clarksville Businesses	4320

As a new Clarksville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Clarksville 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	1
Beauty Salons	1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Car Washes	1
Caterers	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	1
Full-Service Restaurants	6
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
General Automotive Repair	4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Stores	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Hunting and Trapping	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	3
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	6
Logging	1
Marinas	1
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Mineral Wool Manufacturing	1
Museums	1
New Car Dealers	1
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	1
Offices of Lawyers	2
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Professional Organizations	1
Residential Remodelers	1
Roofing Contractors	1
Sawmills	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Support Activities for Forestry	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Used Car Dealers	2
Used Merchandise Stores	2
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Clarksville, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. 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 How to Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include Triple O's and Blue Sky Creamery. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Bookstore Franchises and Deli Restaurant Franchises.

Note on Clarksville Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Clarksville.

Is Buying an Existing Clarksville Business a Good Strategy?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Clarksville.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Clarksville, it's critical that you ensure that no other Virginia company is using the business name you want to use.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Clarksville business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

For Clarksville entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Company

To grow your Clarksville business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Holiday-Powered Marketing is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Clarksville, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help Clarksville businesses to be successful. 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 Clarksville, Virginia

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

Resources for Clarksville, Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Clarksville 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.
Clarksville, Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Clarksville, Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Clarksville area.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Virginia
Starting a Business in Christiansburg
Starting a Business in Covington

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