North Carolina Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Elizabethtown, North Carolina
Contemplating starting a business in Elizabethtown, North Carolina? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Elizabethtown.
What Business to Start
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 Evaluating Your Idea.
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 TDD/TTY Telephone Service guide or our Starting a Computer Storage Devices Manufacturers Business guide.
Don't forget that Elizabethtown is the place where you are starting a business. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Elizabethtown. A critical consideration is whether Elizabethtown demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Elizabethtown, North Carolina Demographic Information
Elizabethtown has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Elizabethtown demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Elizabethtown.
Businesses
As a new Elizabethtown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Elizabethtown 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.
Businesses
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Visit the business district of Elizabethtown and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Frats Ices and Churro Station. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Child Care Franchises and Home Services Franchises.
Note on Elizabethtown Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Elizabethtown.
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.
Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Elizabethtown, it's very important that you make sure no other North Carolina company is using the business name you want to use.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
Having a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Elizabethtown business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.
For Elizabethtown entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, we have assembled a List of North Carolina Angel Investors and our List of North Carolina Venture Capital Firms.
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in Elizabethtown. 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.
We are here to help Elizabethtown businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Elizabethtown, North Carolina
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Elizabethtown.
- Resources for Elizabethtown, North Carolina Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Elizabethtown entrepreneurs.
- North Carolina Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in North Carolina.
- North Carolina SBA - With offices in Charlotte, Wilmington, Raleigh and Asheville, the SBA organizes many events and provides useful resources for new entrepreneurs and growing businesses throughout North Carolina.
More Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
Starting a Business in Elizabeth City
Starting a Business in Elkin
Browse All Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs