Start a Business in Clayton, North Carolina

Thinking about starting a business in Clayton, North Carolina? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Clayton.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Most new companies do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Clayton. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
• You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Talk it over with a close friend or partner. 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.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Job Fair guide or our Starting a Fingerprinting Services & Equipment Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Clayton has some implications. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Clayton. Only by spending some time analyzing Clayton demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Clayton, North Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	27170
5-9 Employees	8493
10-19 Employees	4674
20-49 Employees	3705
50-99 Employees	741
100-249 Employees	399
250-499 Employees	114
500-999 Employees	171
1000+ Employees	0
All Clayton Businesses	45467

As a new Clayton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Clayton 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
Advertising Agencies	1
Ambulance Services	1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Beauty Salons	6
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	2
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills	1
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	2
Car Washes	2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	3
Caterers	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	22
Claims Adjusting	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Systems Design Services	5
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing	1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing	3
Convenience Stores	3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services	1
Credit Unions	3
Custom Computer Programming Services	7
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing	1
Deep Sea Freight Transportation	1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers	1
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	4
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	23
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Employment Placement Agencies	1
Engineering Services	6
Exam Preparation and Tutoring	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	4
Family Clothing Stores	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	5
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	6
Floor Covering Stores	1
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	2
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing	1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	3
Food Service Contractors	4
Framing Contractors	6
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers	1
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	8
General Freight Trucking, Local	3
General Rental Centers	3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Graphic Design Services	2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	2
Hardware Stores	1
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Homes for the Elderly	1
Household Appliance Stores	4
Industrial Building Construction	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	8
Internet Service Providers	1
Investigation Services	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	9
Jewelry Stores	3
Land Subdivision	4
Landscaping Services	27
Limited-Service Restaurants	28
Logging	2
Machine Shops	2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	2
Masonry Contractors	10
Materials Recovery Facilities	1
Media Representatives	1
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	2
New Housing Operative Builders	4
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	3
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	4
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	9
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	5
Packing and Crating	1
Paging	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	9
Passenger Car Rental	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	4
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Private Mail Centers	2
Public Relations Agencies	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Remediation Services	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	7
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	4
Savings Institutions	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	1
Siding Contractors	3
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	12
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	3
Solid Waste Collection	2
Tax Preparation Services	3
Telecommunications Resellers	1
Temporary Help Services	4
Testing Laboratories	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	4
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	1
Tire Dealers	1
Translation and Interpretation Services	1
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	7
Used Merchandise Stores	2
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Window Treatment Stores	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Visit the business district of Clayton and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Staffing a Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Snap-on-Tools Company and Gourmet Cup. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Closet Design and Construction Franchises and Fast Food Franchises.

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

Picking a Business Name

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.

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?

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 Clayton, it's imperative that you check now that no North Carolina company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Raising Capital for Your Business

Obtaining startup financing for your Clayton business is not an easy task. 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 Angel Investors.

For Clayton entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of North Carolina Angel Investors and our List of North Carolina Venture Capital Firms.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To grow your Clayton business, you need a excellent marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Media Kits discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

Most new Clayton businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

We are here to help Clayton 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 Clayton, North Carolina

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

• Resources for Clayton, North Carolina Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Clayton entrepreneurs.
• North Carolina Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in North Carolina.
• North Carolina Small Business Development Center - The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) helps small business owners meet the challenges of today's business environment. To do this, they provide management counseling and educational services to small and mid-sized businesses throughout North Carolina.
• Clayton, North Carolina Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Clayton, North Carolina newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Clayton area.

More Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
Starting a Business in Cherryville
Starting a Business in Clemmons

Browse All Business Startup Guides for North Carolina