North Carolina Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Graham, North Carolina

Contemplating starting a business in Graham, North Carolina? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Graham.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Most startup ventures don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Graham. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Good Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting an Earthquake Engineering Firm guide or our Opening a Spill Control Equipment & Supplies Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Graham. Some businesses will do better in Graham than others. Study Graham demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Graham, North Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4645
5-9 Employees
1395
10-19 Employees
1125
20-49 Employees
810
50-99 Employees
225
100-249 Employees
105
250-499 Employees
30
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Graham Businesses
8335

As a new Graham entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Graham 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
5
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Dealers
2
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Burial Casket Manufacturing
1
Business Associations
1
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Clay Refractory Manufacturing
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
4
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
13
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Florists
3
Flour Milling
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
5
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
9
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Hardware Stores
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Industrial Launderers
3
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
5
Landscaping Services
7
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
18
Logging
1
Mail-Order Houses
3
Masonry Contractors
4
Meat Markets
1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Lawyers
30
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
2
Political Organizations
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Professional Organizations
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
4
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheer Hosiery Mills
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Testing Laboratories
2
Tire Dealers
3
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Graham, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising and Veterans. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include N-Hance and JumpBunch, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Child Care Franchises and Cleaning and Maintenance Franchises.

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

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for 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 Business Plan Mistakes. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Graham and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Marketing Versus Sales discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Graham, North Carolina, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Graham entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

Most new Graham businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

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

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

More Startup Articles for North Carolina Cities

Starting a Business in Goldsboro
Starting a Business in Greensboro

Browse All Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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