Are you starting a business in Elizabeth City, North Carolina? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Elizabeth City.
Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?
Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Elizabeth City. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Elizabeth City, North Carolina Demographic Information
Elizabeth City has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Elizabeth City demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Elizabeth City.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1412 |
| 5-9 Employees |
756 |
| 10-19 Employees |
390 |
| 20-49 Employees |
291 |
| 50-99 Employees |
69 |
| 100-249 Employees |
21 |
| 250-499 Employees |
3 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Elizabeth City Businesses |
2945 |
As a new Elizabeth City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Elizabeth City 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 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
9 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
4 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
20 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
8 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
3 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
5 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
3 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting) |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
4 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
3 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
4 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
9 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
4 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
4 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finfish Fishing |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
5 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
5 |
| General Automotive Repair |
14 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
5 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
16 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
5 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
10 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
29 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
2 |
| Logging |
4 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manifold Business Forms Printing |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
5 |
| Marinas |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
3 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
3 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
9 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
3 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
7 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
| Offices of Dentists |
11 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
21 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
4 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paging |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
6 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
10 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Racetracks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
3 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Residential Remodelers |
10 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
4 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sound Recording Studios |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Textile Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
6 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
4 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
| Yarn Spinning Mills |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Elizabeth City Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in North Carolina. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Elizabeth City.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Forming a Company in Elizabeth City, North Carolina
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 pick from 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 North Carolina, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in North Carolina. In fact, you are allowed to 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, our web page covering Incorporating in North Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in North Carolina.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.
How to Sell
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Elizabeth City or are selling to customers throughout North Carolina, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Tips on Customer Referrals is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in Elizabeth City. 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.
We are here to help Elizabeth City businesses to be successful. 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 Elizabeth City, North Carolina
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Elizabeth City.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in North Carolina
Starting a Business in Edenton
Starting a Business in Elizabethtown
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Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
