Open a Business in Lewes, Delaware

Contemplating starting a business in Lewes, Delaware? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Lewes.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Light Bulbs & Tubes Retail Business guide or our Opening a Sauna Equipment & Supplies Dealers Business guide.

Don't forget that Lewes is the place where you are starting a business. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Lewes. Don't forget to review Lewes demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Lewes, Delaware Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1019
5-9 Employees	392
10-19 Employees	234
20-49 Employees	126
50-99 Employees	30
100-249 Employees	18
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	3
All Lewes Businesses	1822

As a new Lewes entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lewes 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
Ambulance Services	1
Architectural Services	3
Art Dealers	4
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	7
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	5
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	3
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Child Day Care Services	4
Civic and Social Organizations	4
Collection Agencies	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Community Food Services	2
Computer Facilities Management Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Convenience Stores	2
Credit Unions	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	7
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers	1
Document Preparation Services	2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electrical Contractors	7
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Floor Covering Stores	5
Florists	3
Fluid Milk Manufacturing	1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers	1
Framing Contractors	2
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	2
Full-Service Restaurants	22
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	8
General Automotive Repair	3
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Graphic Design Services	3
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Historical Sites	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	2
Home Centers	2
Household Appliance Stores	2
Industrial Launderers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	4
Interior Design Services	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	4
Jewelry Stores	2
Land Subdivision	2
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	19
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	3
Limited-Service Restaurants	10
Limousine Service	1
Machine Shops	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Marinas	4
Marketing Consulting Services	6
Masonry Contractors	2
Media Representatives	1
Medical Laboratories	1
Miscellaneous Intermediation	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
Motion Picture and Video Production	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Nail Salons	1
Navigational Services to Shipping	1
New Car Dealers	4
New Housing Operative Builders	3
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	4
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Offices of Podiatrists	2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	4
Periodical Publishers	2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Professional Organizations	1
Public Relations Agencies	1
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Remediation Services	2
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	9
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Savings Institutions	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	3
Securities Brokerage	2
Sewage Treatment Facilities	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	4
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	3
Tax Preparation Services	1
Temporary Help Services	2
Tire Dealers	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	3
Used Merchandise Stores	4
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Voluntary Health Organizations	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	3

Is Buying an Existing Lewes Business a Good Strategy?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Delaware. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Lewes.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Outsourcing. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Delaware.

Selling Tips

Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Lewes or are selling to customers throughout Delaware, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

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.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Lewes, Delaware, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Delaware educational institutions. We also recommend you look into networking groups or organizations in which Lewes entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Lewes. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Lewes and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Lewes, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Lewes, Delaware

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

• Resources for Lewes, Delaware Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Lewes entrepreneurs.
• Delaware Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Delaware.
• Delaware Small Business Development Center - The Delaware Small Business Development Center helps Delaware entrepreneurs grow and manage their small businesses by providing them with access to business information, training, and counseling.
• Lewes, Delaware Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Lewes, Delaware newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Lewes area.
• Lewes, Delaware Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Lewes, Delaware area radio stations.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Delaware
Starting a Business in Hockessin
Starting a Business in Middletown

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Delaware
Starting a Business Guides for Other States