Virginia Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Ashburn, Virginia

Need help starting a business in Ashburn, Virginia? We've got the information you need to open a business in Ashburn.

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Before quitting your day job, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Ashburn. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

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 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 Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Ashburn. Some businesses will do better in Ashburn than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Ashburn demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Ashburn, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5628
5-9 Employees
882
10-19 Employees
774
20-49 Employees
657
50-99 Employees
216
100-249 Employees
117
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
9
All Ashburn Businesses
8301

As a new Ashburn entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ashburn 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
2
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
9
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
19
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
88
Computer Training
2
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Credit Card Issuing
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying
1
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Document Preparation Services
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
4
Employment Placement Agencies
4
Engineering Services
11
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Fine Arts Schools
7
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
9
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
3
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
6
Full-Service Restaurants
24
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
2
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
4
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
8
Janitorial Services
7
Land Subdivision
1
Language Schools
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
32
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
9
Masonry Contractors
4
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
3
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Office Administrative Services
5
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
20
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Packing and Crating
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
2
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
3
Residential Property Managers
2
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
2
Secondary Market Financing
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Software Publishers
2
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Sports and Recreation Instruction
7
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
1
Tour Operators
2
Travel Agencies
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
4
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
8
Window Treatment Stores
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
7

Should You Buy an Existing Ashburn Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Ashburn.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Naming the Company

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Ashburn, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Virginia business.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Raising money to fund your new Ashburn business will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as 504 Loans.

For Ashburn entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Ashburn. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Ashburn and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Ashburn, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Ashburn, Virginia

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

More Business Startup Guides for Virginia

Starting a Business in Arlington
Starting a Business in Ashland

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

 

 

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