Start a Business in Covington, Tennessee

Contemplating starting a business in Covington, Tennessee? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Covington.

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. 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 Opening an Identification Equipment & Supplies Manufacturer guide or our How to Start a Roofing Contractors Referral & Information Services Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Covington has some implications. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Covington. Make sure you fully understand Covington demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Covington, Tennessee 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	6380
5-9 Employees	2520
10-19 Employees	1260
20-49 Employees	810
50-99 Employees	330
100-249 Employees	270
250-499 Employees	90
500-999 Employees	30
1000+ Employees	0
All Covington Businesses	11690

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
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	4
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Beauty Salons	2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	3
Blood and Organ Banks	1
Bowling Centers	2
Business Associations	2
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	2
Child Day Care Services	6
Claims Adjusting	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	2
Computer and Software Stores	2
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing	1
Consumer Lending	5
Convenience Stores	1
Cotton Ginning	2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	2
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage	3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	2
Fluid Milk Manufacturing	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental	1
Full-Service Restaurants	9
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	3
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Hardware Stores	2
Home Health Care Services	2
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	2
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	6
Janitorial Services	3
Kidney Dialysis Centers	2
Landscaping Services	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	12
Logging	1
Manifold Business Forms Printing	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
New Car Dealers	6
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	2
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	5
Offices of Lawyers	8
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	4
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	1
Real Estate Credit	3
Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	2
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Steel Wire Drawing	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Temporary Help Services	3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire Dealers	2
Tobacco Stores	5
Used Car Dealers	5
Used Merchandise Stores	2
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	3
Yarn Spinning Mills	1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Covington, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?

We highly recommend you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as How to Get More Franchisees. 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.

Representative franchise opportunities include Artuzzi's Italian Kitchen and Cuppy's Coffee, Smoothies & More. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Blind Repair and Sales Franchises and Flooring Franchises.

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

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential 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. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Tennessee.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Covington customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

You can learn a ton about marketing on our site. Marketing Versus Sales 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 sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Covington, Tennessee, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Tennessee universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Covington networking organizations.

What's Next?

Most new Covington 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Covington and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Covington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Covington, Tennessee

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

• Resources for Covington, Tennessee Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Covington entrepreneurs.
• Tennessee Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Tennessee.
• Tennessee Small Business Development Center - If you are a small business owner, entrepreneur or you are thinking about starting a new business, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) is ready to help you every step of the way!
• Covington, Tennessee Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Covington, Tennessee newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Covington area.
• Covington, Tennessee Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Covington, Tennessee area radio stations.
• Covington, Tennessee Payroll Services - This list includes Covington, Tennessee payroll services, national payroll services for Covington, and helpful information on choosing a Covington payroll service.
• Covington, Tennessee Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Covington, Tennessee, such as business brokers in Covington and other helpful information on how to buy a Covington business.

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