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  Entrepreneurial Resources - Advice for West Virginia Entrepreneurs  
  Spencer, West Virginia Resources for Entrepreneurs  
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Starting a Business in Spencer, West Virginia

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Spencer. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Finding Your Niche in Life.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Model Makers Business guide or our Starting a Physicians & Surgeons Clinics Business guide.

Remember that you are opening your new business in Spencer. Some businesses will do better in Spencer than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Spencer demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Spencer, West Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees 5330
5-9 Employees 1248
10-19 Employees 975
20-49 Employees 624
50-99 Employees 234
100-249 Employees 39
250-499 Employees 39
500-999 Employees 0
1000+ Employees 0
All Spencer Businesses 8489

As a new Spencer entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Spencer 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
Architectural Services 1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair 2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores 3
Baked Goods Stores 1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores 1
Bowling Centers 1
Building Inspection Services 1
Car Washes 2
Cemeteries and Crematories 1
Child Day Care Services 2
Civic and Social Organizations 2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners 1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing 1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells 2
Electric Power Distribution 1
Engineering Services 1
Environmental Consulting Services 1
Finish Carpentry Contractors 2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers 1
Floor Covering Stores 2
Flooring Contractors 1
Florists 2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets 1
Full-Service Restaurants 4
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services 2
General Automotive Repair 1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1
Hardware Stores 1
Home Centers 1
Home Health Care Services 1
Home Health Equipment Rental 1
Household Appliance Stores 1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing 1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages 6
Jewelry Stores 1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property 1
Limited-Service Restaurants 5
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers 1
Logging 2
Mail-Order Houses 1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers 2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers 1
Motorcycle Dealers 1
Natural Gas Distribution 1
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction 1
New Car Dealers 2
Newspaper Publishers 1
Nursing Care Facilities 1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants 3
Offices of Chiropractors 1
Offices of Dentists 2
Offices of Lawyers 3
Offices of Optometrists 2
Optical Goods Stores 1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors 1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing 1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores 2
Radio Stations 1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing 1
Residential Remodelers 2
Roofing Contractors 1
Sawmills 2
Sign Manufacturing 1
Site Preparation Contractors 5
Sporting Goods Stores 1
Tax Preparation Services 1
Testing Laboratories 2
Tobacco Stores 1
Tradebinding and Related Work 1
Used Car Dealers 2
Used Merchandise Stores 1
Video Tape and Disc Rental 2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters 1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems 1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers 1

Company Formation in Spencer, West Virginia

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating 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. Just because you are starting a business in West Virginia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in West Virginia. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Piercing the Corporate Veil. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Spencer, West Virginia, our information on Incorporating in West Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in West Virginia.

The Role of the Business Plan

Writing a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, 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 will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

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

Startup Financing Basics

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Spencer business is not an easy task. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Business Line of Credit.

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

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

With your business being located in Spencer, West Virginia, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local West Virginia educational institutions. We also recommend you look into networking groups or organizations in which Spencer entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Spencer businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Spencer entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

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

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

More Business Startup Guides for West Virginia
Starting a Business in Sistersville
Starting a Business in Summersville

Browse All Business Startup Guides for West Virginia
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Starting a Business - Business Ideas - Naming and Branding - City Guides

Buying a Business - Writing a Business Plan - Raising Money - Incorporate

Small Business Marketing - Customer Service Tips - Entrepreneurial Selling

Startup Leadership - Strategy - Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurs

Articles on Exporting - Human Resources for Entrepreneurs - Workers Comp

Legal Information for Entrepreneurs - Sarbanes-Oxley - Accounting - SBDC

Business Credit Cards - Nonprofit Entrepreneurs - Mission Statements

Tax Tips and Resources for Entrepreneurs - Operating Your Startup Business

Real Estate Decisions for Entrepreneurs - Franchising - Selling a Business

Starting a Home Business - Small Business Technology - Business Travel

Business Finance - Advice for Retailers - Entrepreneurship for Scientists

Administrative Professionals / Office Managers - Family Business Advice

Good Businesses to Start - Start an Energy Business - Start a Hedge Fund

Payroll Service Information - Productivity Tips - Bad Economy Advice

Small Business Websites - Search Engine Optimization - Online Reputation

Search Engine Marketing - Social Marketing Optimization - Business Forms

Business in the Jungle - Business in Fiction - Negotiating - Radio Ad Costs

Newspaper Advertising Rates - City-Specific Resources for Entrepreneurs

Small Business Insurance - Global Entrepreneurship - China & Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneur Features - Acquisition Speculation - Business Book Reviews

Small Business Loans - Studying Entrepreneurship - Social Entrepreneurship

Veteran Entrepreneurs - Useful Web Sites for Entrepreneurs - Dell Deals

Entrepreneurial Resources by State - Resources for Young Entrepreneurs

African American Entrepreneurs - Resources for Hispanic Entrepreneurs

Resources for Asian Entrepreneurs - Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

Resources for Gay Entrepreneurs - Businesses for Sale - Office Supplies

Economics - Lists of Small Business Incubators - Lists of Angel Investors

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms - Franchise Opportunities

Recommended Products and Services for Entrepreneurs - Contributors

Get FREE Price Quotes from Multiple Vendors - Business Glossary