Kentucky Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Henderson, Kentucky

Are you starting a business in Henderson, Kentucky? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Henderson.

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

An entrepreneurial life is demanding, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Henderson. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. 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.

Henderson, Kentucky Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
17400
5-9 Employees
8748
10-19 Employees
5076
20-49 Employees
3096
50-99 Employees
1368
100-249 Employees
648
250-499 Employees
144
500-999 Employees
36
1000+ Employees
72
All Henderson Businesses
36588

As a new Henderson entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Henderson 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
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Architectural Services
2
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Bituminous Coal Underground Mining
1
Book Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
3
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Photography
2
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Consumer Lending
7
Convenience Stores
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
1
Crown and Closure Manufacturing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
8
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
5
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
5
Flour Milling
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
23
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
6
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
2
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
4
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
28
Interior Design Services
1
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Jewelry Stores
4
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
15
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
33
Locksmiths
1
Logging
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Nail Salons
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
6
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
17
Offices of Lawyers
23
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
7
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
2
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
4
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
5
Sales Financing
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
5
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
4
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Steel Wire Drawing
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
2
Tire Dealers
6
Tobacco Stores
2
Used Car Dealers
12
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around Henderson, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Opportunities in International Franchising. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Sunshine Pack and Ship and Maid Brigade. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Vending Franchises and eBay Franchises.

Note on Henderson Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Henderson.

Forming a Company in Henderson, Kentucky

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 corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

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 Kentucky, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Kentucky. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Company Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Henderson, Kentucky, our information on Incorporating in Kentucky may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Kentucky.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Henderson business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Attracting Investors.

For Henderson entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, you'll want to take a look at our List of Kentucky Angel Investors and our List of Kentucky Venture Capital Firms.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

The best business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Henderson, Kentucky, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Kentucky educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Henderson entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Henderson and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Henderson, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Henderson, Kentucky

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

  • Resources for Henderson, Kentucky Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Henderson entrepreneurs.
  • Kentucky Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Kentucky.
  • Kentucky Small Business Development Center - The Kentucky Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) has been assisting Kentucky small business community for more than 25 years. KSBDC is co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is administered by the University of Kentucky in partnership with regional universities, community and private colleges, and the private sector.

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