Contemplating starting a business in Cleveland, Georgia? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Cleveland.
What Business Are You Starting?
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free Business Ideas.
To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Futures Exchanges Business guide or our Starting a Piano & Organ Movers Business guide.
Remember that your new startup will be located in Cleveland. Some businesses will do better in Cleveland than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Cleveland demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Cleveland, Georgia Demographic Information
Cleveland has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Cleveland demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Cleveland.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
15130 |
| 5-9 Employees |
4335 |
| 10-19 Employees |
2805 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1581 |
| 50-99 Employees |
510 |
| 100-249 Employees |
102 |
| 250-499 Employees |
51 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Cleveland Businesses |
24514 |
As a new Cleveland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Cleveland 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 |
| Aircraft Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
9 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
1 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Credit Card Issuing |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Doll and Stuffed Toy Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
11 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
4 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
7 |
| Flooring Contractors |
3 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Canning |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
9 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
6 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
5 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
3 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
4 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
14 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
3 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
3 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
5 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
9 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Racetracks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
3 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
1 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Sawmills |
4 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
5 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
4 |
| Wineries |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
Having a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Expert Advice on Business Plans. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Georgia.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Raising money to fund your new Cleveland business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Find Start-Up Capital.
For Cleveland entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Georgia Angel Investors and our List of Georgia Venture Capital Firms.
Bring in Revenues
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Cleveland business, you need to focus on sales.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Closing Sales Techniques offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Successful entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Cleveland, Georgia, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Georgia universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any Cleveland networking organizations.
Moving Forward
As an entrepreneur in Cleveland, 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Cleveland 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 Cleveland, Georgia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Cleveland.
- Resources for Cleveland, Georgia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Cleveland entrepreneurs.
- Georgia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Georgia.
- Georgia Small Business Development Center - The Georgia SBDC program helps Georgia entrepreneurs with developing business plans, providing financial analysis, identifying sources of capital, and assessing marketing strategies.
- Cleveland, Georgia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Cleveland, Georgia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Cleveland area.
- Cleveland, Georgia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Cleveland, Georgia area radio stations.
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