Thinking about starting a business in Greensboro, North Carolina? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Greensboro.
Most new ventures do not succeed, in part because the business owner 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.
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:
Greensboro has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Greensboro demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Greensboro.
As a new Greensboro entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Greensboro 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 |
| Advertising Agencies |
20 |
| Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing |
1 |
| Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting) |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Amusement and Theme Parks |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
4 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
6 |
| Architectural Services |
30 |
| Art Dealers |
8 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
3 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
3 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
10 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
52 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
8 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Barber Shops |
5 |
| Beauty Salons |
71 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
16 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
3 |
| Book Publishers |
8 |
| Book Stores |
14 |
| Books Printing |
2 |
| Bottled Water Manufacturing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
3 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills |
4 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Mills |
3 |
| Building Inspection Services |
4 |
| Business and Secretarial Schools |
2 |
| Business Associations |
24 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
3 |
| Cafeterias |
11 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
4 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
2 |
| Car Washes |
23 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
12 |
| Caterers |
24 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
6 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
21 |
| Child Day Care Services |
110 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
13 |
| Cigarette Manufacturing |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
28 |
| Claims Adjusting |
12 |
| Clay Refractory Manufacturing |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Coffee and Tea Manufacturing |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
13 |
| Collection Agencies |
6 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
3 |
| Commercial Flexographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Gravure Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
31 |
| Commercial Photography |
19 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
8 |
| Commodity Contracts Brokerage |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
15 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
4 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
58 |
| Computer Training |
4 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
2 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
17 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
10 |
| Convenience Stores |
37 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
8 |
| Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting) |
1 |
| Copper Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
4 |
| Couriers |
18 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
3 |
| Credit Bureaus |
2 |
| Credit Card Issuing |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
16 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
5 |
| Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
45 |
| Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing |
2 |
| Dance Companies |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
9 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
13 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
4 |
| Digital Printing |
3 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
21 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
5 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
5 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
3 |
| Discount Department Stores |
5 |
| Display Advertising |
7 |
| Document Preparation Services |
12 |
| Drafting Services |
4 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
36 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
21 |
| Educational Support Services |
5 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
80 |
| Electronic Connector Manufacturing |
2 |
| Electronic Shopping |
9 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
22 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
2 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
11 |
| Engineering Services |
66 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
6 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
8 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
11 |
| Fabric Coating Mills |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
4 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
38 |
| Family Planning Centers |
4 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
20 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
21 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
47 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
13 |
| Flooring Contractors |
16 |
| Florists |
12 |
| Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
16 |
| Food Service Contractors |
42 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
2 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
8 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
26 |
| Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
271 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
13 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
26 |
| Furniture Stores |
44 |
| General Automotive Repair |
84 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
19 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
7 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
25 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
38 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
7 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
8 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
12 |
| Graphic Design Services |
39 |
| Greeting Card Publishers |
1 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
4 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
16 |
| Hardware Stores |
9 |
| Hazardous Waste Collection |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
2 |
| Heavy Duty Truck Manufacturing |
1 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
13 |
| Home Centers |
7 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
18 |
| Home Health Care Services |
28 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
4 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
21 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
6 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
7 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
3 |
| Industrial Design Services |
7 |
| Industrial Launderers |
5 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
2 |
| Industrial Valve Manufacturing |
1 |
| Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
201 |
| Interior Design Services |
33 |
| Internet Service Providers |
4 |
| Investigation Services |
5 |
| Investment Advice |
27 |
| Iron and Steel Mills |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
119 |
| Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
44 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
7 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
6 |
| Landscaping Services |
88 |
| Language Schools |
1 |
| Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
8 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
249 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
11 |
| Locksmiths |
4 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
15 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
13 |
| Manifold Business Forms Printing |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
9 |
| Marine Cargo Handling |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
39 |
| Marking Device Manufacturing |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
17 |
| Mattress Manufacturing |
2 |
| Meat Markets |
5 |
| Meat Processed from Carcasses |
2 |
| Media Buying Agencies |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
10 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
19 |
| Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
3 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
5 |
| Mobile Food Services |
4 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
25 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
8 |
| Motor and Generator Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing |
3 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
13 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
8 |
| Museums |
5 |
| Music Publishers |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
6 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
9 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
7 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
3 |
| New Car Dealers |
31 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
20 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
6 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
18 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
20 |
| Office Administrative Services |
25 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
26 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
13 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
97 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
23 |
| Offices of Dentists |
128 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
191 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
19 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
14 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
7 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
29 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
13 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
5 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
3 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
2 |
| Paging |
3 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
5 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
13 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
44 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
2 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
19 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pen and Mechanical Pencil Manufacturing |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
18 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
10 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
8 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
4 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
44 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
18 |
| Plastics Bag Manufacturing |
1 |
| Plastics Bottle Manufacturing |
1 |
| Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Political Organizations |
3 |
| Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
16 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
2 |
| Prepress Services |
4 |
| Printing Ink Manufacturing |
3 |
| Private Mail Centers |
5 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
6 |
| Professional Organizations |
10 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
11 |
| Radio Stations |
11 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
5 |
| Real Estate Credit |
56 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
9 |
| Recreational Goods Rental |
1 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
3 |
| Reinsurance Carriers |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
2 |
| Repossession Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
52 |
| Residential Remodelers |
63 |
| Retail Bakeries |
4 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
7 |
| Roofing Contractors |
21 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
3 |
| Sales Financing |
15 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Sawmills |
2 |
| Scheduled Freight Air Transportation |
2 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
6 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
49 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
14 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
7 |
| Shoe Stores |
40 |
| Siding Contractors |
10 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
7 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
17 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
36 |
| Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing |
1 |
| Software Publishers |
11 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
7 |
| Sound Recording Studios |
1 |
| Spice and Extract Manufacturing |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
23 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
8 |
| Sports Teams and Clubs |
3 |
| Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing |
2 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Surface Active Agent Manufacturing |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
39 |
| Taxi Service |
6 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
5 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
3 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
3 |
| Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
5 |
| Temporary Help Services |
59 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
6 |
| Textile Bag Mills |
1 |
| Textile Machinery Manufacturing |
2 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
7 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
13 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Tire Dealers |
24 |
| Tire Retreading |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
5 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
3 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
22 |
| Used Car Dealers |
37 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
11 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
34 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
11 |
| Veterinary Services |
43 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
18 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
5 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
4 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
5 |
| Web Search Portals |
1 |
| Weft Knit Fabric Mills |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
110 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
7 |
| Wineries |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
41 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
54 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
2 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Yarn Spinning Mills |
1 |
It's essential that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. Just because 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Where to Incorporate. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Greensboro, North Carolina, our web page covering Incorporating in North Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in North Carolina.
Writing a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
Obtaining startup financing for your Greensboro business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Bank Credit Lines.
Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Greensboro 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.
The best entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local North Carolina educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Greensboro networking organizations.
Most new Greensboro 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 Greensboro and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Greensboro.
