West Virginia Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Grafton, West Virginia

Contemplating starting a business in Grafton, West Virginia? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Grafton.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. 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 Furniture Pads Business guide or our Opening a Motion Picture Editing Services Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Grafton. Some businesses will do better in Grafton than others. Don't forget to review Grafton demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Grafton, West Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2282
5-9 Employees
840
10-19 Employees
504
20-49 Employees
252
50-99 Employees
63
100-249 Employees
63
250-499 Employees
21
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Grafton Businesses
4025

As a new Grafton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Grafton 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
Adhesive Manufacturing
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
4
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Credit Unions
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electrical Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Florists
2
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
4
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
4
Hardware Stores
3
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
4
Landscaping Services
1
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
1
Masonry Contractors
1
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
2
Offices of Optometrists
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Residential Remodelers
2
Roofing Contractors
1
Siding Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Solid Waste Collection
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Taxi Service
1
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading)
1
Used Car Dealers
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Grafton Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in West Virginia. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Grafton.

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

Forming a Company in Grafton, West Virginia

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 common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in West Virginia, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in West Virginia. In fact, you can 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 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 lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Grafton, West Virginia, our information on Incorporating in West Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in West Virginia.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Outsourcing. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in West Virginia.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Grafton, West Virginia, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby West Virginia universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking organizations for Grafton entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Grafton. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Grafton and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Grafton 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 Grafton, West Virginia

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

More Business Startup Guides for West Virginia

Starting a Business in Glenville
Starting a Business in Grantsville

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