Are you starting a business in Weirton, West Virginia? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Weirton.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
Running your own business is difficult, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you certain you are ready to take on this challenge?
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Weirton. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. 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.
Weirton, West Virginia Demographic Information
Weirton has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Weirton demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Weirton.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
861 |
| 5-9 Employees |
375 |
| 10-19 Employees |
240 |
| 20-49 Employees |
147 |
| 50-99 Employees |
51 |
| 100-249 Employees |
27 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
6 |
| All Weirton Businesses |
1707 |
As a new Weirton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Weirton 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 Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Beauty Salons |
6 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Casinos (except Casino Hotels) |
1 |
| Caterers |
3 |
| Cement Manufacturing |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
7 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
4 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
5 |
| Crown and Closure Manufacturing |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
3 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
25 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
4 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
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 |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
11 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Iron and Steel Mills |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Metal Can Manufacturing |
2 |
| Mineral Wool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
3 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
13 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
22 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
3 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
9 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Tire Retreading |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Picking a Company Name
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Weirton, it's critical that you ensure that no other West Virginia company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Weirton, West Virginia
A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal 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. If you are starting a business in West Virginia, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in West Virginia. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
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 Registered Agents. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Weirton, West Virginia, our information on Incorporating in West Virginia may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in West Virginia.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, 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.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in West Virginia.
Marketing Your New Startup
Whether your goal is to attract Weirton 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. Planning an Event is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Never Give Up
As an entrepreneur in Weirton, 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Weirton and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Weirton 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 Weirton, West Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Weirton.
- Resources for Weirton, West Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Weirton 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.
- Weirton, West Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Weirton, West Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Weirton area.
- Weirton, West Virginia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Weirton, West Virginia area radio stations.
- Weirton, West Virginia Payroll Services - This list includes Weirton, West Virginia payroll services, national payroll services for Weirton, and helpful information on choosing a Weirton payroll service.
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