Contemplating starting a business in Covington, Georgia? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Covington.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Running your own business is demanding, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to start a business?
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Covington. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
- Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Covington, Georgia Demographic Information
Covington has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Covington demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Covington.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
20530 |
| 5-9 Employees |
6660 |
| 10-19 Employees |
4500 |
| 20-49 Employees |
2760 |
| 50-99 Employees |
840 |
| 100-249 Employees |
720 |
| 250-499 Employees |
150 |
| 500-999 Employees |
60 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Covington Businesses |
36220 |
As a new Covington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Covington 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 |
| Adhesive Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
9 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
11 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
6 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing |
2 |
| Building Inspection Services |
2 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Cafeterias |
3 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
15 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
4 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
6 |
| Convenience Stores |
8 |
| Couriers |
3 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
6 |
| Dental Laboratories |
3 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
8 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
34 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
4 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
4 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
5 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
14 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
4 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
3 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
32 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
7 |
| General Automotive Repair |
14 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Glass Container Manufacturing |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
4 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
18 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
10 |
| Jewelry Stores |
5 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
3 |
| Land Subdivision |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
24 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
40 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
9 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Media Buying Agencies |
1 |
| Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
3 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
4 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
3 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
| Offices of Dentists |
16 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
21 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
6 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
9 |
| Periodical Publishers |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
3 |
| Real Estate Credit |
4 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Repossession Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
6 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Secondary Market Financing |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
6 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Siding Contractors |
7 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
16 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
5 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Testing Laboratories |
4 |
| Textile Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Thread Mills |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
3 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
5 |
| Tire Retreading |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
6 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
6 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
12 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Naming the Company
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Covington, it's critical that you ensure that no Georgia company has already registered the company name you have selected.
Forming a Company in Covington, Georgia
It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Georgia, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Georgia. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as LLC Advantages. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Covington, Georgia, our web page covering Incorporating in Georgia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Georgia.
How to Sell
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Covington business, you need to focus on sales.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Tips on Customer Referrals is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
The best business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Covington, Georgia, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Georgia universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your entrepreneurial education is to investigate Covington networking organizations.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Covington, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Covington and throughout the United States . 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 Covington, Georgia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Covington.
- Resources for Covington, Georgia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Covington 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.
- Covington, Georgia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Covington, Georgia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Covington area.
- Covington, Georgia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Covington, Georgia area radio stations.
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