Ohio Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Middletown, Ohio

Need help starting a business in Middletown, Ohio? We've got the information you need to open a business in Middletown.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Evaluating Your Idea.

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 Starting a Fertilizing Services Business guide or our Opening a Guitars Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Middletown. Some businesses will do better in Middletown than others. Study Middletown demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Middletown, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
32128
5-9 Employees
11232
10-19 Employees
8544
20-49 Employees
5904
50-99 Employees
1584
100-249 Employees
1488
250-499 Employees
240
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
96
All Middletown Businesses
61216

As a new Middletown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Middletown 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
Architectural Services
3
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Publishers
2
Bowling Centers
3
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
14
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Computer Training
2
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
8
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Credit Unions
6
Custom Computer Programming Services
10
Dental Laboratories
2
Digital Printing
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
5
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
18
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
8
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
8
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Planning Centers
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
4
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
5
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
25
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
13
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
7
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
3
Industrial Launderers
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
20
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
3
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
14
Jewelry Stores
3
Junior Colleges
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
19
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
8
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
1
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
4
New Housing Operative Builders
3
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
17
Offices of Lawyers
23
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
4
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
3
Paperboard Mills
1
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
2
Periodical Publishers
6
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
10
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
2
Printing Ink Manufacturing
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
4
Real Estate Credit
3
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
9
Roofing Contractors
4
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
6
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
5
Site Preparation Contractors
8
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
4
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Women's Clothing Stores
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Middletown, it's critical that you ensure that no other Ohio company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Middletown, Ohio

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Ohio, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Ohio. As it turns out, you can incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Offshore Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Middletown, Ohio, our information on Incorporating in Ohio may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Ohio.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Having a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Presentations. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Ohio.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Middletown and advance your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Sponsoring Local Events is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Middletown, 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 Middletown and elsewhere to achieve real success. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Middletown, Ohio

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

  • Resources for Middletown, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Middletown entrepreneurs.
  • Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
  • Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.

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