Thinking about starting a business in Leesburg, Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Leesburg.
What Business to Start
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 Opening a Men's Uniforms Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our How to Start a Prosthetic Eyes Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Leesburg. Some businesses will do better in Leesburg than others. Study Leesburg demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Leesburg, Virginia Demographic Information
Leesburg has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Leesburg demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Leesburg.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
15924 |
| 5-9 Employees |
5724 |
| 10-19 Employees |
3870 |
| 20-49 Employees |
2646 |
| 50-99 Employees |
864 |
| 100-249 Employees |
396 |
| 250-499 Employees |
36 |
| 500-999 Employees |
18 |
| 1000+ Employees |
36 |
| All Leesburg Businesses |
29514 |
As a new Leesburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Leesburg 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 |
4 |
| Aircraft Manufacturing |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
7 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
|
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
19 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
|
Book Stores |
4 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
3 |
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
|
Car Washes |
5 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Cheese Manufacturing |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
14 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
|
Clothing Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
4 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
45 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
2 |
|
Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
4 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
2 |
| Couriers |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
30 |
| Dance Companies |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
|
Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
3 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
2 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
3 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
|
Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
10 |
| Electronic Computer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
|
Engineering Services |
29 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
2 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
3 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
20 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
10 |
|
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
5 |
| Flight Training |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
7 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
4 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
|
Framing Contractors |
6 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
38 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
12 |
| General Automotive Repair |
10 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
|
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
8 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
3 |
| Graphic Design Services |
9 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
|
Historical Sites |
4 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
6 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
|
Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
29 |
| Internet Service Providers |
5 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
4 |
| Janitorial Services |
24 |
| Jewelry Stores |
14 |
|
Land Subdivision |
6 |
| Landscaping Services |
22 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
29 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
2 |
| Locksmiths |
2 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
2 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
|
Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
10 |
| Masonry Contractors |
5 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
3 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
|
Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
9 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
6 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
5 |
|
Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
7 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
5 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
15 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
7 |
| Offices of Dentists |
35 |
|
Offices of Lawyers |
60 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
4 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
5 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
|
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
9 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
5 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
5 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
|
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
2 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Professional Organizations |
3 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
3 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
3 |
|
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
7 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
6 |
| Residential Remodelers |
21 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
3 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
|
Securities Brokerage |
12 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
18 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Silverware and Hollowware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
9 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Software Publishers |
2 |
|
Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
6 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Taxi Service |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
2 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
|
Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
12 |
| Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
5 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
7 |
| Veterinary Services |
8 |
|
Video Tape and Disc Rental |
4 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
6 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wineries |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
6 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
18 |
|
Zoos and Botanical Gardens |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Leesburg Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Leesburg.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.
Company Formation in Leesburg, Virginia
A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating 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. Just because you are starting a business in Virginia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Virginia. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Pre-Incorporation Agreements. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Leesburg, Virginia, our web page covering Incorporating in Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Virginia.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Software. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Virginia.
Bring in Revenues
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Leesburg business, you need to focus on sales.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Writing Great Proposals is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Leesburg, Virginia, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Virginia universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Leesburg entrepreneurs.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Leesburg, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Leesburg and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Leesburg, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Leesburg, Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Leesburg.
- Resources for Leesburg, Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Leesburg entrepreneurs.
- Virginia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Virginia.
- Virginia Small Business Development Center - Virginia Small Business Development Centers offer professional business counseling, training and information resources to help grow and strengthen Virginia businesses.
- Leesburg, Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Leesburg, Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Leesburg area.
- Leesburg, Virginia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Leesburg, Virginia area radio stations.
- Leesburg, Virginia Payroll Services - This list includes Leesburg, Virginia payroll services, national payroll services for Leesburg, and helpful information on choosing a Leesburg payroll service.
- Leesburg, Virginia Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Leesburg, Virginia, such as business brokers in Leesburg and other helpful information on how to buy a Leesburg business.
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