Thinking about starting a business in Dahlonega, Georgia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Dahlonega.
Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Dahlonega. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Dahlonega, Georgia Demographic Information
Dahlonega has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Dahlonega demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Dahlonega.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
755 |
| 5-9 Employees |
282 |
| 10-19 Employees |
138 |
| 20-49 Employees |
102 |
| 50-99 Employees |
21 |
| 100-249 Employees |
12 |
| 250-499 Employees |
6 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Dahlonega Businesses |
1316 |
As a new Dahlonega entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Dahlonega 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 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
1 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
2 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
6 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
2 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
4 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
7 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
7 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
20 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
5 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
10 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
8 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
3 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
8 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
12 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
5 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
6 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
2 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
3 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
4 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
| Yarn Spinning Mills |
1 |
Naming the Company
A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Dahlonega, it's very important that you make sure no other Georgia company is using the business name you want to use.
The Role of the Business Plan
Creating a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Georgia.
Promoting Your New Company
To rise above the crowd in Dahlonega and build your business, you need a solid marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Business Cards is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Building Up Your Sales
Being able to sell is a key enabler to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Dahlonega or are selling to customers throughout Georgia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Good Sales Strategies is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Dahlonega. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
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 Dahlonega and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Dahlonega, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Dahlonega, Georgia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Dahlonega.
- Resources for Dahlonega, Georgia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Dahlonega 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.
- Dahlonega, Georgia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Dahlonega, Georgia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Dahlonega area.
- Dahlonega, Georgia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Dahlonega, Georgia area radio stations.
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