Thinking about starting a business in Wheeling, West Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Wheeling.
Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?
An entrepreneurial life is demanding, much more arduous than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Wheeling. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 Helicopter Dealers Business guide or our Opening a Shake Roofing Maintenance & Repair Business guide.
Don't forget that you are starting a business in Wheeling. If Wheeling already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Study Wheeling demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Wheeling, West Virginia Demographic Information
Wheeling has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Wheeling demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Wheeling.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
5733 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2934 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1971 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1368 |
| 50-99 Employees |
387 |
| 100-249 Employees |
252 |
| 250-499 Employees |
72 |
| 500-999 Employees |
27 |
| 1000+ Employees |
9 |
| All Wheeling Businesses |
12753 |
As a new Wheeling entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wheeling 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 |
3 |
| Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
2 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
3 |
| Architectural Services |
7 |
| Armored Car Services |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Barber Shops |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
19 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Bituminous Coal Underground Mining |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
2 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
4 |
| Child and Youth Services |
7 |
| Child Day Care Services |
9 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
25 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
5 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Flexographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
6 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
3 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
7 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting) |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
2 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
3 |
| Creamery Butter Manufacturing |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
8 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
3 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
21 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
6 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
10 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
| Flight Training |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
6 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Fluid Milk Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
6 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
39 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
9 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
11 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
8 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
4 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
4 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
3 |
| Home Health Care Services |
10 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
4 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Hydroelectric Power Generation |
1 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
20 |
| Interior Design Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
8 |
| Jewelry Stores |
6 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
9 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
38 |
| Linen Supply |
2 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Mattress Manufacturing |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
4 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
2 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Museums |
4 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
10 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
7 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
4 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
13 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
| Offices of Dentists |
31 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
64 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
10 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
4 |
| Passenger Car Leasing |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
11 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Portfolio Management |
2 |
| Prepress Services |
3 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
3 |
| Racetracks |
3 |
| Radio Stations |
7 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Residential Remodelers |
11 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
2 |
| Roofing Contractors |
10 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
2 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
5 |
| Sports Teams and Clubs |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
5 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Television Broadcasting |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
5 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
3 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
7 |
| Tire Retreading |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
8 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
6 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
3 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
9 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around Wheeling, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Selling A Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include United Marketing Solutions and Children's Lighthouse Learning Centers. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Business Services Franchises and Child Education and Tutoring Franchises.
Note on Wheeling Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Wheeling.
The Role of the 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.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in West Virginia.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Wheeling business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Wheeling entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, you'll want to take a look at our List of West Virginia Angel Investors and our List of West Virginia Venture Capital Firms.
Promoting Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Wheeling customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Facebook Advertising is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Wheeling, 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 Wheeling businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Wheeling 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 Wheeling, West Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Wheeling.
- Resources for Wheeling, West Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Wheeling 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.
- Wheeling, West Virginia Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Wheeling, West Virginia newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Wheeling area.
- Wheeling, West Virginia Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Wheeling, West Virginia area radio stations.
- Wheeling, West Virginia Payroll Services - This list includes Wheeling, West Virginia payroll services, national payroll services for Wheeling, and helpful information on choosing a Wheeling payroll service.
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