Thinking about starting a business in Seaford, Delaware? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Seaford.
Which Business to Choose?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Evaluating Your Idea.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start an Agricultural Loan Business guide or our Opening an Electric Motor Controls Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Remember that you are starting a business in Seaford. Some businesses will do better in Seaford than others. Don't forget to review Seaford demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Seaford, Delaware Demographic Information
Seaford has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Seaford demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Seaford.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
2002 |
| 5-9 Employees |
780 |
| 10-19 Employees |
504 |
| 20-49 Employees |
378 |
| 50-99 Employees |
78 |
| 100-249 Employees |
30 |
| 250-499 Employees |
12 |
| 500-999 Employees |
12 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Seaford Businesses |
3796 |
As a new Seaford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Seaford 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 |
|
Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
9 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
6 |
|
Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
8 |
|
Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Concrete Pipe Manufacturing |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
|
Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
2 |
|
Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
8 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Farm Product Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
4 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
6 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
|
Full-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
7 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
|
Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
2 |
|
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
7 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
|
Limited-Service Restaurants |
13 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
5 |
| Medical Laboratories |
2 |
|
Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Navigational Services to Shipping |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
|
Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
3 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
3 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
|
Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
2 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
|
Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
|
Sales Financing |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
12 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
|
Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
|
Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
8 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
|
Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
Forming a Company in Seaford, Delaware
It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Delaware, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Delaware. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Where to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Seaford, Delaware, our information on Incorporating in Delaware may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Delaware.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. 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. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Delaware.
How to Sell
Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Seaford business to do well.
Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
The best entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Seaford, Delaware, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Delaware universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Seaford entrepreneurs.
Moving Forward
Most new Seaford businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Seaford businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Seaford, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Seaford, Delaware
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Seaford.
- Resources for Seaford, Delaware Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Seaford entrepreneurs.
- Delaware Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Delaware.
- Delaware Small Business Development Center - The Delaware Small Business Development Center helps Delaware entrepreneurs grow and manage their small businesses by providing them with access to business information, training, and counseling.
- Seaford, Delaware Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Seaford, Delaware newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Seaford area.
- Seaford, Delaware Payroll Services - This list includes Seaford, Delaware payroll services, national payroll services for Seaford, and helpful information on choosing a Seaford payroll service.
- Seaford, Delaware Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Seaford, Delaware, such as business brokers in Seaford and other helpful information on how to buy a Seaford business.
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