Start a Business in Point Pleasant, West Virginia

Thinking about starting a business in Point Pleasant, West Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Point Pleasant.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

• Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Point Pleasant. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
• Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
• Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Point Pleasant, West Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	618
5-9 Employees	270
10-19 Employees	162
20-49 Employees	90
50-99 Employees	30
100-249 Employees	0
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	6
1000+ Employees	0
All Point Pleasant Businesses	1176

As a new Point Pleasant entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Point Pleasant 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 Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	1
Book Stores	1
Business Associations	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child Day Care Services	3
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	4
Electric Power Distribution	3
Electrical Contractors	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Florists	1
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	6
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	2
Homes for the Elderly	1
Industrial Launderers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	9
Iron and Steel Mills	1
Jewelry Stores	1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	6
Machine Shops	1
Museums	2
Musical Groups and Artists	1
New Housing Operative Builders	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	4
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	10
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Shoe Stores	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Tax Preparation Services	3
Temporary Shelters	1
Tire Dealers	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Point Pleasant, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Growth Trends in Franchising. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include American Business Systems and Planet Beach Tanning Spa. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Child Care Franchises and Cleaning and Maintenance Franchises.

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

Should You Buy an Existing Point Pleasant Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in West Virginia. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Point Pleasant.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

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

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Point Pleasant business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Angel Investors.

For Point Pleasant entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, browse our List of West Virginia Angel Investors and our List of West Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Point Pleasant and throughout the United States . 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 Point Pleasant, West Virginia

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

• Resources for Point Pleasant, West Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Point Pleasant 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.
• Point Pleasant, West Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Point Pleasant, West Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Point Pleasant area.
• Point Pleasant, West Virginia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Point Pleasant, West Virginia area radio stations.

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