Start a Business in Havelock, North Carolina

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

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Running your own business is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Havelock. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
• We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Havelock, North Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1170
5-9 Employees	408
10-19 Employees	324
20-49 Employees	228
50-99 Employees	60
100-249 Employees	18
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Havelock Businesses	2208

As a new Havelock entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Havelock 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
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Automotive Transmission Repair	2
Beauty Salons	4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Boat Building	1
Boat Dealers	1
Book Stores	1
Business Associations	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	1
Child Day Care Services	7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Computer and Software Stores	3
Computer Facilities Management Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	4
Convenience Stores	2
Couriers	1
Credit Unions	4
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electrical Contractors	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Facilities Support Services	2
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Floor Covering Stores	2
Florists	1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Full-Service Restaurants	14
Furniture Stores	5
General Automotive Repair	8
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Rental Centers	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Centers	2
Home Health Care Services	1
Hunting and Trapping	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	6
Janitorial Services	5
Landscaping Services	5
Limited-Service Restaurants	19
Mail-Order Houses	1
Marinas	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
New Car Dealers	3
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	8
Offices of Optometrists	2
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Optical Goods Stores	2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Professional Employer Organizations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Property Managers	4
Residential Remodelers	4
Retail Bakeries	1
Roofing Contractors	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Security Guards and Patrol Services	1
Siding Contractors	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Taxi Service	2
Temporary Help Services	1
Tire Dealers	2
Used Car Dealers	2
Vending Machine Operators	2
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	2

Picking a Business Name

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Havelock, it's critical that you ensure that no other North Carolina company is using the business name you want to use.

The Role of the Business Plan

Creating a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Havelock customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.

We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Six Tips for Getting Customer Testimonials is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Havelock, North Carolina, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Havelock entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Havelock, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Havelock businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Havelock, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Havelock, North Carolina

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

• Resources for Havelock, North Carolina Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Havelock entrepreneurs.
• North Carolina Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in North Carolina.
• North Carolina Small Business Development Center - The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) helps small business owners meet the challenges of today's business environment. To do this, they provide management counseling and educational services to small and mid-sized businesses throughout North Carolina.
• Havelock, North Carolina Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Havelock, North Carolina newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Havelock area.

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