Virginia Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Powhatan, Virginia

Are you starting a business in Powhatan, Virginia? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Powhatan.

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Powhatan. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. 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.

Powhatan, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3270
5-9 Employees
1134
10-19 Employees
549
20-49 Employees
360
50-99 Employees
81
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Powhatan Businesses
5394

As a new Powhatan entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Powhatan 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
3
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Caterers
3
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
2
Couriers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Document Preparation Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
9
Engineering Services
8
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
9
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
11
Florists
4
Framing Contractors
13
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
8
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Rental Centers
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
8
Land Subdivision
7
Landscaping Services
22
Limited-Service Restaurants
7
Locksmiths
1
Logging
1
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
8
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
15
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
17
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Sales Financing
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Siding Contractors
3
Site Preparation Contractors
18
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
4
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
5
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Used Car Dealers
6
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Virginia.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Powhatan business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as 504 Loans.

For Powhatan entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

Building Up Your Sales

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Powhatan business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

The Art of Customer Referrals is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Powhatan, Virginia, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Virginia universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Powhatan entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Powhatan, 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.

We are here to help Powhatan businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Powhatan, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Powhatan, Virginia

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Virginia

Starting a Business in Petersburg
Starting a Business in Pulaski

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Virginia
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