Are you starting a business in Douglas, Georgia? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Douglas.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
An entrepreneurial life is difficult, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you positive you want to start a business?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Douglas. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
What Business to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good Business Ideas.
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 How to Start a Gas Detectors & Alarms Dealership guide or our Opening a Naval Architects Firm guide.
Remember that you are starting a business in Douglas. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Douglas. A critical consideration is whether Douglas demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Douglas, Georgia Demographic Information
Douglas has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Douglas demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Douglas.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
8584 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3936 |
| 10-19 Employees |
2592 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1632 |
| 50-99 Employees |
408 |
| 100-249 Employees |
312 |
| 250-499 Employees |
48 |
| 500-999 Employees |
48 |
| 1000+ Employees |
48 |
| All Douglas Businesses |
17608 |
As a new Douglas entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Douglas 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 |
| Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Beauty Salons |
4 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Boat Building |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
3 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
6 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
7 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
8 |
| Cotton Ginning |
2 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
5 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
17 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
5 |
| General Automotive Repair |
16 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
1 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
15 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
3 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
26 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Logging |
3 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
3 |
| Medical Laboratories |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
8 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
10 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
23 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
6 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Paperboard Mills |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
8 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Poultry Processing |
2 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
5 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
6 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
3 |
| Truck Trailer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
10 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
4 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Yarn Spinning Mills |
1 |
Should You Franchise?
Visit the business district of Douglas and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Multi-Unit Franchising. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Atlantic Mower Parts & Supplies and CruiseShipCenters. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Training and Education Franchises and IT Franchises.
Note on Douglas Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Douglas.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Douglas Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Georgia. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Douglas.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Forming a Company in Douglas, Georgia
It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. 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 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 Subchapter S Corporations. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Douglas, Georgia, our web page covering Incorporating in Georgia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Georgia.
Never Give Up
As an entrepreneur in Douglas, 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 Douglas and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Douglas, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Douglas, Georgia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Douglas.
- Resources for Douglas, Georgia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Douglas 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.
- Douglas, Georgia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Douglas, Georgia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Douglas area.
- Douglas, Georgia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Douglas, Georgia area radio stations.
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