Start a Business in Philippi, West Virginia

Contemplating starting a business in Philippi, West Virginia? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Philippi.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Running your own business is demanding, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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 Philippi. 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.

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free 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 Opening a Washing Machine & Dryer Rental & Leasing Business guide or our Starting a Kitchen Cabinet Refacing & Refinishing Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Philippi. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Philippi. A critical consideration is whether Philippi demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Philippi, West Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	258
5-9 Employees	96
10-19 Employees	54
20-49 Employees	33
50-99 Employees	12
100-249 Employees	6
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Philippi Businesses	459

As a new Philippi entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Philippi 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Beauty Salons	1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Bituminous Coal Underground Mining	1
Bowling Centers	1
Car Washes	2
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child Day Care Services	1
Couriers	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Emergency and Other Relief Services	1
Engineering Services	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Food Service Contractors	2
Full-Service Restaurants	4
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
General Automotive Repair	3
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Stores	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Historical Sites	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	3
Logging	7
Men's Clothing Stores	1
New Car Dealers	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	1
Offices of Lawyers	4
Offices of Optometrists	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Residential Remodelers	1
Retail Bakeries	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Tire Dealers	1
Used Car Dealers	2
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Philippi Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in West Virginia. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Philippi.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

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: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Philippi, it's critical that you ensure that no other West Virginia company is using the business name you want to use.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in West Virginia.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Philippi, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

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

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

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

• Resources for Philippi, West Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Philippi entrepreneurs.
• West Virginia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in West Virginia.
• Wisconsin Small Business Development Center - Wisconsin Small Business Development Centers offer a variety of educational services to small-businesses. The low-cost courses, seminars, and workshops cover both basic and complex topics, from marketing to management techniques to business plan development.
• Philippi, West Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Philippi, West Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Philippi area.

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