South Carolina Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Greer, South Carolina

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

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free 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 Opening a Career & Workplace Education Business guide or our Opening a Chapels Business guide.

Remember that starting a business in Greer has some implications. If Greer already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Make sure you fully understand Greer demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Greer, South Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2746
5-9 Employees
1086
10-19 Employees
645
20-49 Employees
414
50-99 Employees
144
100-249 Employees
66
250-499 Employees
27
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
9
All Greer Businesses
5143

As a new Greer entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Greer 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
Advertising Agencies
3
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Ambulance Services
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
2
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automobile Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
11
Book Stores
1
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
2
Building Inspection Services
4
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Car Washes
6
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
14
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
18
Convenience Stores
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
3
Couriers
7
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
12
Custom Roll Forming
1
Dental Laboratories
4
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
4
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
10
Electrical Contractors
17
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
16
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
13
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
9
Florists
3
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Framing Contractors
10
Freight Transportation Arrangement
12
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Full-Service Restaurants
40
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
15
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
5
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
3
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
26
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
2
Janitorial Services
15
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
2
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
30
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
44
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Logging
2
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marketing Consulting Services
9
Masonry Contractors
7
Materials Recovery Facilities
2
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
5
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
2
New Housing Operative Builders
10
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nonwoven Fabric Mills
2
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Chiropractors
11
Offices of Dentists
18
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
9
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
1
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing
1
Printing Ink Manufacturing
2
Private Mail Centers
3
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
6
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
6
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
4
Roofing Contractors
5
Savings Institutions
3
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
5
Securities Brokerage
4
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
5
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
2
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
24
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
11
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Collection
5
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
7
Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Testing Laboratories
1
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
5
Tire Retreading
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
4
Used Car Dealers
11
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
20
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Greer Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in South Carolina. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Greer.

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

Forming a Company in Greer, South Carolina

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in South Carolina, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in South Carolina. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Greer, South Carolina, our information on Incorporating in South Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in South Carolina.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in South Carolina.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Greer business the capital it needs to succeed 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.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Greer entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of South Carolina Angel Investors and our List of South Carolina Venture Capital Firms.

Moving Forward

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

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 Greer and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Greer, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Greer, South Carolina

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in South Carolina

Starting a Business in Greenwood
Starting a Business in Hampton

Browse All Business Startup Guides for South Carolina
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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