Opening a Business in Clay, West Virginia

Contemplating starting a business in Clay, West Virginia? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Clay.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Running your own business is difficult, much more arduous than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to go into business for yourself?

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 Clay. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
• 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Which Business to Choose?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Neuropsychological Testing Business guide or our Starting an Engraving Equipment & Supplies Dealers Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Clay. If Clay already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Don't forget to review Clay demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Clay, West Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	279
5-9 Employees	81
10-19 Employees	90
20-49 Employees	36
50-99 Employees	0
100-249 Employees	9
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Clay Businesses	495

As a new Clay entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Clay 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Child Day Care Services	1
Florists	1
Full-Service Restaurants	2
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Health Care Services	2
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	1
Offices of Dentists	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1

Is Buying an Existing Clay Business a Good Strategy?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in West Virginia. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Clay.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Free Business Plan Templates. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in West Virginia.

Letting the World Know You Exist

Whether your goal is to attract Clay customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Direct Mail Costs 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.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Clay, West Virginia, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby West Virginia universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Clay networking organizations.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Clay, 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 Clay 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 Clay, West Virginia

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

• Resources for Clay, West Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Clay entrepreneurs.
• West Virginia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in West Virginia.
• Wisconsin Small Business Development Center - Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers offer a variety of educational services to small-businesses. The low-cost courses, seminars, and workshops cover both basic and complex topics, from marketing to management techniques to business plan development.
• Clay, West Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Clay, West Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Clay area.

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