West Virginia Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Logan, West Virginia

Need help starting a business in Logan, West Virginia? We've got the information you need to open a business in Logan.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Most startup ventures fail, in part because the business owner did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you open a 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.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Logan. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. 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.

Logan, West Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2388
5-9 Employees
1278
10-19 Employees
828
20-49 Employees
360
50-99 Employees
144
100-249 Employees
54
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
0
All Logan Businesses
5088

As a new Logan entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Logan 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
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Couriers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Engineering Services
1
Fabric Coating Mills
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Flight Training
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
3
Full-Service Restaurants
12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Rental Centers
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Human Rights Organizations
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Investment Advice
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
13
Locksmiths
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Lawyers
18
Offices of Optometrists
3
Optical Goods Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Retail Bakeries
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Shoe Stores
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Support Activities for Coal Mining
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

Examine a list of Logan businesses and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

We highly recommend you look into purchasing a franchise. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Before Buying a Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Talent Tree, Inc. and Jiffy Lube International, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Carpet Care Franchises and Leisure and Entertainment Franchises.

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

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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

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 opening a business in Logan, it's imperative that you check now that you will be the only West Virginia company using the business name you have chosen.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Logan business will be harder than you might expect. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Line of Credit.

For Logan entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of West Virginia Angel Investors and our List of West Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Startup

To grow your Logan business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Writing Contributed Articles discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

Most new Logan businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Logan businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Logan entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Logan, West Virginia

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in West Virginia

Starting a Business in Lewisburg
Starting a Business in Madison

Browse All Business Startup Guides for West Virginia
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary