Thinking about starting a business in Gates, North Carolina? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Gates.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
Most new ventures fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Gates. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Talk it over with a close friend or partner. 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.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Free 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 Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.
Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Gates. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Gates. Make sure you fully understand Gates demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Gates, North Carolina Demographic Information
Gates has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Gates demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Gates.
| Business Size | # of Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
88 |
| 5-9 Employees |
24 |
| 10-19 Employees |
12 |
| 20-49 Employees |
12 |
| 50-99 Employees |
0 |
| 100-249 Employees |
0 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Gates Businesses |
136 |
As a new Gates entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gates 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 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
1 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Logging |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
As you drive around Gates, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
We highly recommend you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Growth Trends in 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.
Sample franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.
Note on Gates Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Gates, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Gates 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 Gates.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.
Selecting a Name For Your Venture
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.
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 opening a business in Gates, it's imperative that you check now that no other North Carolina company is using the business name you want to use.
Company Formation in Gates, North Carolina
It's essential 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.
The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
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. Just because you are starting a business in North Carolina, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in North Carolina. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Gates, North Carolina, our information on Incorporating in North Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in North Carolina.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Gates business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as How Equity Dilution Works.
For Gates entrepreneurs who need startup capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of North Carolina Angel Investors and our List of North Carolina Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Venture
To rise above the crowd in Gates and advance your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Local Search discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Ramping Up Sales
Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Gates business to do well.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Selling Stuff on the Web 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 know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Gates, 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 wise to see if there are any Gates networking organizations.
Never Give Up
Most new Gates businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Gates and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Gates, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Gates, North Carolina
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Gates.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in North Carolina
Starting a Business in Gastonia
Starting a Business in Goldsboro
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Business Startup Guides for North Carolina