Thinking about starting a business in Paris, Tennessee? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Paris.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Paris. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
What Business Are You Starting?
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 Free Business Ideas.
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 Myotherapy Business guide or our How to Start a Hair Removal Business guide.
Remember that starting a business in Paris has some implications. If Paris already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Don't forget to review Paris demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Paris, Tennessee Demographic Information
Paris has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Paris demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Paris.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
6090 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2625 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1848 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1029 |
| 50-99 Employees |
252 |
| 100-249 Employees |
210 |
| 250-499 Employees |
84 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Paris Businesses |
12138 |
As a new Paris entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Paris 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 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
3 |
|
Beauty Salons |
5 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
6 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
12 |
|
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
5 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
5 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
|
Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
|
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
|
Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
|
Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
5 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
5 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
|
Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Valve Manufacturing |
1 |
| Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
8 |
| Janitorial Services |
5 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Kaolin and Ball Clay Mining |
1 |
|
Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
18 |
| Livestock Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
5 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
|
Meat Processed from Carcasses |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Motor and Generator Manufacturing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
|
New Car Dealers |
5 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
7 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
12 |
|
Offices of Lawyers |
9 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
4 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
|
Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
7 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Reinsurance Carriers |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
|
Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
|
Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
7 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
|
Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Paris Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Tennessee. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Paris.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Paris business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Business Incubators.
For Paris entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Tennessee Angel Investors and our List of Tennessee Venture Capital Firms.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
Given that you are starting a business in Paris, Tennessee, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Tennessee universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Paris networking organizations.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Paris. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Paris businesses to be successful. 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 Paris, Tennessee
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Paris.
- Resources for Paris, Tennessee Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Paris entrepreneurs.
- Tennessee Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Tennessee.
- Tennessee Small Business Development Center - If you are a small business owner, entrepreneur or you are thinking about starting a new business, the Tennessee Small Business Development Center (TSBDC) is ready to help you every step of the way!
- Paris, Tennessee Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Paris, Tennessee newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Paris area.
- Paris, Tennessee Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Paris, Tennessee area radio stations.
- Paris, Tennessee Payroll Services - This list includes Paris, Tennessee payroll services, national payroll services for Paris, and helpful information on choosing a Paris payroll service.
- Paris, Tennessee Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Paris, Tennessee, such as business brokers in Paris and other helpful information on how to buy a Paris business.
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