Virginia Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Charlottesville, Virginia

Thinking about starting a business in Charlottesville, Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Charlottesville.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Running your own business is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you certain 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:

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

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good Business Ideas.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start an Electric Motors & Generators Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our How to Start a Wood Pellets Business guide.

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

Charlottesville, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5729
5-9 Employees
2367
10-19 Employees
1722
20-49 Employees
1206
50-99 Employees
324
100-249 Employees
150
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
9
All Charlottesville Businesses
11561

As a new Charlottesville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Charlottesville 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
2
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
46
Art Dealers
7
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
12
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
66
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
3
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Book Publishers
6
Book Stores
11
Bottled Water Manufacturing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
4
Business Associations
13
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
3
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
6
Car Washes
6
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
9
Caterers
13
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
32
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
5
Civic and Social Organizations
13
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
2
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
9
Commercial Photography
4
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Systems Design Services
26
Computer Training
2
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
9
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
5
Convenience Stores
18
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
6
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Credit Unions
9
Curtain and Drapery Mills
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
27
Dental Laboratories
6
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
8
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
4
Discount Department Stores
3
Document Preparation Services
6
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Dry Pasta Manufacturing
1
Educational Support Services
7
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
23
Electronic Shopping
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
14
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Environmental Consulting Services
9
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
18
Family Planning Centers
2
Fine Arts Schools
7
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
20
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
7
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
10
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
36
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
140
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
3
Furniture Stores
18
General Automotive Repair
30
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
12
Graphic Design Services
12
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
2
Heating Oil Dealers
6
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
11
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
3
Home Health Care Services
9
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
6
Household Appliance Stores
3
Hydroelectric Power Generation
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Launderers
4
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
69
Interior Design Services
9
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
5
Internet Service Providers
5
Investment Advice
17
Janitorial Services
33
Jewelry Stores
19
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
12
Landscape Architectural Services
12
Language Schools
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
90
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
3
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
9
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marketing Consulting Services
11
Masonry Contractors
16
Media Representatives
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
9
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
12
Motion Picture and Video Production
7
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Musical Groups and Artists
4
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
5
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
14
New Housing Operative Builders
12
Newspaper Publishers
9
Nonresidential Property Managers
7
Office Administrative Services
17
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
8
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
33
Offices of Chiropractors
18
Offices of Dentists
66
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
6
Offices of Podiatrists
6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
9
One-Hour Photofinishing
2
Optical Goods Stores
9
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
3
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
27
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Parking Lots and Garages
4
Passenger Car Rental
4
Periodical Publishers
12
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
6
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
7
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Photography Studios, Portrait
13
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Political Organizations
4
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
8
Public Relations Agencies
3
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
11
Real Estate Credit
23
Real Estate Investment Trusts
3
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Residential Property Managers
25
Residential Remodelers
45
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
9
Rooming and Boarding Houses
11
Sales Financing
4
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
3
Securities Brokerage
22
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
20
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
11
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
25
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
10
Solid Waste Collection
3
Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators
1
Sound Recording Studios
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
21
Sports and Recreation Instruction
15
Tax Preparation Services
11
Taxi Service
3
Telephone Answering Services
2
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Help Services
10
Testing Laboratories
4
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
7
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
8
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
2
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
2
Travel Agencies
9
Truss Manufacturing
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Used Merchandise Stores
25
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
15
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
4
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Web Search Portals
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
15
Wineries
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
13
Women's Clothing Stores
34
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Charlottesville, 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 consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Get More Franchisees. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Blind Brokers Network and Charles Wells - UK. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Consulting Franchises and Franchises that Serve Liquor.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Charlottesville Business?

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

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Building Up Your Sales

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Hiring Good Sales People offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Virginia universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into networking organizations for Charlottesville entrepreneurs.

Charlottesville Entrepreneur Interviews

We're compiling a number of interviews with Charlottesville entrepreneurs. Enjoy!

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Charlottesville, 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 Charlottesville and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville, Virginia

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

More Startup Articles for Virginia Cities

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Starting a Business in Chatham

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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