Are you starting a business in Gastonia, North Carolina? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Gastonia.
Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?
Being an entrepreneur is difficult, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Gastonia. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Gastonia, North Carolina Demographic Information
Gastonia has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Gastonia demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Gastonia.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3313 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1503 |
| 10-19 Employees |
984 |
| 20-49 Employees |
786 |
| 50-99 Employees |
294 |
| 100-249 Employees |
168 |
| 250-499 Employees |
18 |
| 500-999 Employees |
3 |
| 1000+ Employees |
12 |
| All Gastonia Businesses |
7081 |
As a new Gastonia entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gastonia 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 |
| Advertising Agencies |
2 |
| Amusement Arcades |
3 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
4 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
2 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
14 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
4 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
4 |
| Beauty Salons |
17 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Books Printing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Cafeterias |
3 |
| Car Washes |
4 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
8 |
| Child Day Care Services |
34 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
15 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
6 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
4 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
4 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
4 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
5 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
8 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
5 |
| Credit Unions |
4 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
3 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
3 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
2 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
4 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
9 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
4 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
26 |
| Electronic Shopping |
6 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
7 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
13 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
6 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
14 |
| Family Planning Centers |
2 |
| Farm Product Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
3 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
6 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
13 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
5 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
8 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
5 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
55 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
7 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
14 |
| General Automotive Repair |
20 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
4 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
11 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
5 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
5 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
4 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
14 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
9 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
38 |
| Interior Design Services |
6 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
6 |
| Janitorial Services |
19 |
| Jewelry Stores |
14 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
28 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
74 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
37 |
| Manifold Business Forms Printing |
3 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
4 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
5 |
| Masonry Contractors |
11 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
5 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
7 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
3 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
5 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Music Publishers |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
3 |
| Narrow Fabric Mills |
2 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
3 |
| New Car Dealers |
10 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
4 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
10 |
| Office Administrative Services |
8 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
3 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
14 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
14 |
| Offices of Dentists |
38 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
53 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
9 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
5 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
4 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
2 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
5 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
7 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Passenger Car Leasing |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
3 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
19 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
5 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
3 |
| Prepress Services |
1 |
| Printing Ink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
4 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
4 |
| Pulp Mills |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
3 |
| Real Estate Credit |
12 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
2 |
| Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
7 |
| Residential Remodelers |
6 |
| Retail Bakeries |
3 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
2 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Sales Financing |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
8 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
13 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Soft Drink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Sports Teams and Clubs |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
12 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
11 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
2 |
| Textile Machinery Manufacturing |
12 |
| Thread Mills |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Cord and Tire Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
13 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
5 |
| Used Car Dealers |
12 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
10 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
8 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
5 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
2 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Weft Knit Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
16 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
12 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Yarn Spinning Mills |
11 |
Forming a Company in Gastonia, North Carolina
It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.
The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating 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 can incorporate wherever you want. 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 C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Gastonia, North Carolina, our information on Incorporating in North Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in North Carolina.
Marketing Your New Startup
Whether your goal is to attract Gastonia customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Transit Advertising is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Bring in Revenues
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Gastonia business, you need to focus on sales.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
Good business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Gastonia, North Carolina, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Gastonia entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
As an entrepreneur in Gastonia, 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Gastonia and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Gastonia 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 Gastonia, North Carolina
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Gastonia.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in North Carolina
Starting a Business in Garner
Starting a Business in Gates
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Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
