Thinking about starting a business in Guntersville, Alabama? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Guntersville.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, 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 Guntersville. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Guntersville, Alabama Demographic Information
Guntersville has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Guntersville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Guntersville.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
740 |
| 5-9 Employees |
279 |
| 10-19 Employees |
204 |
| 20-49 Employees |
114 |
| 50-99 Employees |
45 |
| 100-249 Employees |
9 |
| 250-499 Employees |
12 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Guntersville Businesses |
1406 |
As a new Guntersville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Guntersville 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 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
3 |
|
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
7 |
| Boat Dealers |
3 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
4 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
3 |
|
Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Flexographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
5 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
|
Consumer Lending |
6 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
1 |
|
Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Florists |
1 |
|
Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
21 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
|
Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
5 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
|
Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
6 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
24 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
5 |
| Marinas |
5 |
| Marine Cargo Handling |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
|
Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
|
Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
8 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
14 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
|
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Poultry Processing |
2 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Residential Remodelers |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
| Soybean Processing |
1 |
|
Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
5 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
|
Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Have You Considered Franchising?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Guntersville and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
We highly recommend you look into purchasing a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Franchising Scams. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include QuickSELLit and Hangers Cleaners Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Retail Franchises and Party Supply Franchises.
Note on Guntersville Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Guntersville.
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.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Guntersville, it's imperative that you check now that no other Alabama company is using the business name you want to use.
How to Sell
Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Guntersville business to do well.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Selling with Questions is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
The best entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Guntersville, Alabama, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Alabama universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Guntersville networking organizations.
Next Steps
Most new Guntersville businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Guntersville and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Guntersville, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Guntersville, Alabama
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Guntersville.
- Resources for Guntersville, Alabama Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Guntersville entrepreneurs.
- Alabama Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Alabama.
- Alabama Small Business Development Center - Alabama's Small Business Development Center (SBDC) counsels and trains business people in a wide variety of business topics and provides comprehensive information services and access to experts in many fields. Counseling is provided free of charge to all Alabama small business owners.
- Guntersville, Alabama Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Guntersville, Alabama newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Guntersville area.
- Guntersville, Alabama Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Guntersville, Alabama area radio stations.
- Guntersville, Alabama Payroll Services - This list includes Guntersville, Alabama payroll services, national payroll services for Guntersville, and helpful information on choosing a Guntersville payroll service.
- Guntersville, Alabama Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Guntersville, Alabama, such as business brokers in Guntersville and other helpful information on how to buy a Guntersville business.
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