Georgia Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Dalton, Georgia

Need help starting a business in Dalton, Georgia? We've got the information you need to open a business in Dalton.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before quitting your day job, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Dalton. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Dalton, Georgia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
19452
5-9 Employees
8172
10-19 Employees
5814
20-49 Employees
4842
50-99 Employees
1764
100-249 Employees
864
250-499 Employees
432
500-999 Employees
234
1000+ Employees
54
All Dalton Businesses
41628

As a new Dalton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Dalton 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
6
Advertising Agencies
3
Alkalies and Chlorine Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
5
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
20
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
17
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
2
Book Stores
5
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
4
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
2
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
5
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
4
Car Washes
6
Carpet and Rug Mills
91
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
7
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
5
Computer and Software Stores
4
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
18
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
10
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
8
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
2
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
3
Display Advertising
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Fabric Coating Mills
2
Family Clothing Stores
9
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
39
Flooring Contractors
4
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
6
Freight Transportation Arrangement
9
Full-Service Restaurants
74
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
6
General Automotive Repair
17
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
9
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
8
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
55
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
6
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Interior Design Services
3
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
4
Janitorial Services
9
Jewelry Stores
9
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
14
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
78
Locksmiths
1
Logging
2
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manifold Business Forms Printing
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Markets
1
Media Representatives
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
5
Motor Vehicle Towing
5
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Narrow Fabric Mills
2
New Car Dealers
12
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonwoven Fabric Mills
3
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
7
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
18
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Lawyers
32
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
5
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
6
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Payroll Services
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Plastics Bag Manufacturing
2
Political Organizations
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Printing Ink Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
9
Retail Bakeries
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Sales Financing
2
Savings Institutions
7
Sawmills
3
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
8
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Surface Active Agent Manufacturing
3
Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
10
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
6
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
12
Tobacco Stores
6
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
3
Tortilla Manufacturing
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
8
Travel Agencies
3
Used Merchandise Stores
10
Vending Machine Operators
3
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
9
Women's Clothing Stores
10
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Yarn Spinning Mills
8

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.

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.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Dalton, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Georgia business.

Forming a Company in Dalton, Georgia

It's essential that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Georgia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Georgia. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Where to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Dalton, Georgia, our web page covering Incorporating in Georgia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Georgia.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Dalton customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Planning an Event is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Dalton, Georgia, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Georgia universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Dalton entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Dalton. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Dalton and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Dalton entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Dalton, Georgia

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

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