Starting a Business in Gloucester, Virginia

Thinking about starting a business in Gloucester, Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Gloucester.

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

• Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Gloucester. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
• Peruse Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
• 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.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 you are opening your new business in Gloucester. Some businesses will do better in Gloucester than others. A critical consideration is whether Gloucester demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Gloucester, Virginia Demographic Information

Gloucester has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Gloucester demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Gloucester.

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	798
5-9 Employees	288
10-19 Employees	192
20-49 Employees	114
50-99 Employees	15
100-249 Employees	9
250-499 Employees	3
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Gloucester Businesses	1419

As a new Gloucester entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gloucester 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
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Barber Shops	1
Beauty Salons	5
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Boat Building	1
Boat Dealers	2
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Caterers	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	3
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Claims Adjusting	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining	1
Consumer Lending	2
Convenience Stores	3
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Dental Laboratories	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	12
Elementary and Secondary Schools	3
Emergency and Other Relief Services	2
Employment Placement Agencies	1
Engineering Services	3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	2
Finfish Fishing	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	5
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers	3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Floor Covering Stores	1
Flooring Contractors	5
Florists	1
Framing Contractors	5
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing	1
Full-Service Restaurants	12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	2
General Freight Trucking, Local	4
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Historical Sites	1
Home Centers	1
Homes for the Elderly	3
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	6
Interior Design Services	1
Internet Service Providers	1
Janitorial Services	7
Jewelry Stores	2
Land Subdivision	3
Landscaping Services	15
Limited-Service Restaurants	7
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	4
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	5
New Housing Operative Builders	3
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	5
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	3
Offices of Lawyers	8
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Optical Goods Stores	2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	6
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Radio Stations	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Real Estate Investment Trusts	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	15
Roofing Contractors	3
Securities Brokerage	2
Septic Tank and Related Services	3
Sewage Treatment Facilities	1
Shellfish Fishing	2
Ship Building and Repairing	1
Siding Contractors	2
Site Preparation Contractors	6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Tax Preparation Services	3
Telecommunications Resellers	1
Temporary Shelters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Timber Tract Operations	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	2
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Voluntary Health Organizations	1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	3
Women's Clothing Stores	1
Wood Preservation	1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Gloucester, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Franchise a Business. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities 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 Gloucester Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Gloucester.

Should You Buy an Existing Gloucester Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Gloucester.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Gloucester, it's very important that you make sure no other Virginia company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Gloucester, Virginia

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

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. If you are starting a business in Virginia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Virginia. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 How to Incorporate. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Gloucester, Virginia, our information on Incorporating in Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Virginia.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, 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.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Virginia.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Gloucester business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Bank Credit Lines.

For Gloucester entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, you'll want to take a look at our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Gloucester customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Marketing Research is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

How to Sell

Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Gloucester or are selling to customers throughout Virginia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

The Art of Customer Referrals is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Gloucester, Virginia, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Virginia educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Gloucester entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Gloucester. 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Gloucester and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Gloucester 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 Gloucester, Virginia

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Gloucester.

• Resources for Gloucester, Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Gloucester entrepreneurs.
• Virginia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Virginia.
• Virginia Small Business Development Center - Virginia Small Business Development Centers offer professional business counseling, training and information resources to help grow and strengthen Virginia businesses.
• Gloucester, Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Gloucester, Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Gloucester area.

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