Are you starting a business in Elizabethton, Tennessee? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Elizabethton.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Most new companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Elizabethton. Get their take on what it's really like to be 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Elizabethton, Tennessee Demographic Information
Elizabethton has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Elizabethton demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Elizabethton.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
882 |
| 5-9 Employees |
354 |
| 10-19 Employees |
177 |
| 20-49 Employees |
120 |
| 50-99 Employees |
57 |
| 100-249 Employees |
30 |
| 250-499 Employees |
12 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Elizabethton Businesses |
1632 |
As a new Elizabethton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Elizabethton 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 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
7 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
8 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
6 |
| Convenience Stores |
8 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
11 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
6 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
2 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
14 |
| Janitorial Services |
3 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
7 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
27 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
3 |
| Marking Device Manufacturing |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
6 |
| Office Administrative Services |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
12 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
11 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
8 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
2 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Repossession Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
4 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
8 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
As you drive around Elizabethton, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Five Franchise Opportunities To Watch. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include American Business Systems and Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Tax Preparation Franchises and Child Safety Franchises.
Note on Elizabethton Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Elizabethton, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
What About Buying an Existing Elizabethton Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Tennessee. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Elizabethton.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Company
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Elizabethton, it's imperative that you check now that no Tennessee company has already registered the company name you have selected.
Selling Tips
Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Elizabethton business to do well.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. 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.
Moving Forward
Most new Elizabethton businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Elizabethton businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Elizabethton, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Elizabethton, Tennessee
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Elizabethton.
- Resources for Elizabethton, Tennessee Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Elizabethton 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!
- Elizabethton, Tennessee Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Elizabethton, Tennessee newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Elizabethton area.
- Elizabethton, Tennessee Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Elizabethton, Tennessee area radio stations.
- Elizabethton, Tennessee Payroll Services - This list includes Elizabethton, Tennessee payroll services, national payroll services for Elizabethton, and helpful information on choosing a Elizabethton payroll service.
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