Virginia Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Danville, Virginia

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Danville. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read 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 Investment Bankers Business guide or our Starting a Kitchen Fixtures & Accessories Dealers Business guide.

Don't forget that Danville is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Danville than others. A critical consideration is whether Danville demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Danville, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
33072
5-9 Employees
14976
10-19 Employees
10335
20-49 Employees
5967
50-99 Employees
2340
100-249 Employees
780
250-499 Employees
195
500-999 Employees
78
1000+ Employees
117
All Danville Businesses
67860

As a new Danville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Danville 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 Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
1
Automatic Vending Machine Manufacturing
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
16
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
11
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Book Stores
4
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
6
Cement Manufacturing
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
11
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Claims Adjusting
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
13
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Consumer Lending
4
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
15
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
4
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
2
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
11
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
6
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
5
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Fish and Seafood Markets
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
9
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
7
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
60
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
7
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
13
General Automotive Repair
23
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
6
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
2
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
7
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
36
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Jewelry Stores
12
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Landscaping Services
14
Limited-Service Restaurants
54
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Machine Shops
3
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
7
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
4
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
New Car Dealers
14
New Housing Operative Builders
1
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
14
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
27
Offices of Lawyers
22
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Optical Goods Stores
6
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
11
Photography Studios, Portrait
8
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
8
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
18
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Shoe Stores
12
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Sporting Goods Stores
8
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
11
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
9
Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading)
1
Tire Retreading
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stemming and Redrying
2
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
4
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
19
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
7
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
10

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

Visit the business district of Danville and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Staffing a Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include Bail Bond Franchisors, Inc. and DRYCLEAN USA. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Travel and Leisure Franchises and Child Safety Franchises.

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

Is Buying an Existing Danville Business a Good Strategy?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Danville.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Danville business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. 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 securing funding, such as 504 Loans.

For Danville entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, you'll want to take a look at our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

Ramping Up Sales

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Danville or are selling to customers throughout Virginia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Writing Great Proposals is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

What's Next?

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Danville and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Danville 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 Danville, Virginia

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Virginia

Starting a Business in Dahlgren
Starting a Business in Drakes Branch

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

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