Ohio Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Shelby, Ohio

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

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

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Shelby. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Shelby, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3040
5-9 Employees
1848
10-19 Employees
696
20-49 Employees
552
50-99 Employees
168
100-249 Employees
120
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
24
1000+ Employees
0
All Shelby Businesses
6448

As a new Shelby entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Shelby 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Business Associations
1
Car Washes
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
1
Custom Roll Forming
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Electronic Auctions
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Floor Covering Stores
2
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
9
Investment Advice
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
8
Limousine Service
1
Machine Shops
3
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Musical Groups and Artists
2
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Packing and Crating
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
3
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Tire Dealers
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Visit the business district of Shelby and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Benefits of Owning A Franchise. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include BathCrest and HouseMaster. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Travel and Leisure Franchises and Child Safety Franchises.

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

Company Formation in Shelby, Ohio

A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Ohio, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Ohio. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Where to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Shelby, Ohio, our information on Incorporating in Ohio may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Ohio.

Raising Funding for Your Venture

Getting your Shelby business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Shelby entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Ohio Angel Investors and our List of Ohio Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Shelby customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Search Engine Promotion is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

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

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Compensating Sales People is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Shelby and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Shelby, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Shelby, Ohio

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

  • Resources for Shelby, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Shelby entrepreneurs.
  • Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
  • Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.

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