Are you starting a business in Germantown, Tennessee? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Germantown.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
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 Germantown. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- 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. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Finding Your Niche in Life.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a LAN/WAN Devices Business guide or our Starting a Specialty & Fancy Boxes Business guide.
Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Germantown. Some businesses will do better in Germantown than others. A critical consideration is whether Germantown demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Germantown, Tennessee Demographic Information
Germantown has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Germantown demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Germantown.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
12446 |
| 5-9 Employees |
4452 |
| 10-19 Employees |
3255 |
| 20-49 Employees |
2436 |
| 50-99 Employees |
504 |
| 100-249 Employees |
294 |
| 250-499 Employees |
105 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
21 |
| All Germantown Businesses |
23513 |
As a new Germantown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Germantown 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 |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Art Dealers |
2 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
|
Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
19 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
6 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
2 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
|
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
7 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
8 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
|
Claims Adjusting |
3 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Commodity Contracts Brokerage |
3 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
9 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
|
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Couriers |
5 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
14 |
|
Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Digital Printing |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
8 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
|
Display Advertising |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
4 |
| Electronic Shopping |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
3 |
|
Engineering Services |
10 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
7 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
|
Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Florists |
7 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
27 |
|
General Automotive Repair |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
12 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Hat, Cap, and Millinery Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
31 |
| Interior Design Services |
5 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
|
Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
3 |
| Jewelry Stores |
5 |
| Land Subdivision |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
18 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
23 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
|
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
5 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
4 |
|
Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
4 |
| New Car Dealers |
1 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
11 |
|
Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
8 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
3 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
9 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
33 |
|
Offices of Lawyers |
21 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
6 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
|
Optical Goods Stores |
3 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
5 |
| Periodical Publishers |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
|
Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Portfolio Management |
4 |
| Private Mail Centers |
3 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
2 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
|
Radio Networks |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
15 |
| Residential Property Managers |
3 |
| Residential Remodelers |
9 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
8 |
|
Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
9 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
7 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
5 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
|
Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
5 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
|
Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
21 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
16 |
Should You Buy an Existing Germantown Business?
We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Tennessee. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Germantown.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Promoting Your New Startup
Whether your goal is to attract Germantown customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Marketing Versus Sales is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Germantown, Tennessee, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Tennessee universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Germantown networking organizations.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in Germantown. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
We are here to help Germantown businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Germantown, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Germantown, Tennessee
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Germantown.
- Resources for Germantown, Tennessee Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Germantown 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!
- Germantown, Tennessee Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Germantown, Tennessee newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Germantown area.
- Germantown, Tennessee Payroll Services - This list includes Germantown, Tennessee payroll services, national payroll services for Germantown, and helpful information on choosing a Germantown payroll service.
- Germantown, Tennessee Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Germantown, Tennessee, such as business brokers in Germantown and other helpful information on how to buy a Germantown business.
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