Virginia Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Hampton, Virginia

Need help starting a business in Hampton, Virginia? We've got the information you need to open a business in Hampton.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Running your own business is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Hampton. 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.

Hampton, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
43030
5-9 Employees
20943
10-19 Employees
15327
20-49 Employees
10374
50-99 Employees
3705
100-249 Employees
1677
250-499 Employees
351
500-999 Employees
156
1000+ Employees
195
All Hampton Businesses
95758

As a new Hampton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hampton 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
1
Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
4
Architectural Services
4
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
4
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
14
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
3
Beauty Salons
34
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
6
Book Stores
4
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
5
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child Day Care Services
29
Civic and Social Organizations
13
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
7
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Computer and Software Stores
5
Computer Facilities Management Services
5
Computer Systems Design Services
26
Computer Training
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
18
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
9
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Discount Department Stores
3
Document Preparation Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
9
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
32
Electronic Resistor Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Engineering Services
34
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
4
Facilities Support Services
7
Family Clothing Stores
11
Family Planning Centers
2
Finfish Fishing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
22
Fish and Seafood Markets
2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
17
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
8
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
7
Food Service Contractors
4
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
3
Framing Contractors
12
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing
2
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
5
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
11
General Automotive Repair
25
General Freight Trucking, Local
10
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
3
General Rental Centers
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
17
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
3
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
38
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
3
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
44
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
26
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
6
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
96
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Logging
1
Machine Shops
13
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
14
Men's Clothing Stores
12
Metal Heat Treating
1
Metal Stamping
1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
6
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
6
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
7
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing
1
Nonferrous Forging
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
5
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
49
Offices of Lawyers
50
Offices of Podiatrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
7
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
8
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
3
Payroll Services
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
7
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Remodelers
30
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
7
Sales Financing
2
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Sawmills
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shellfish Fishing
1
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
18
Siding Contractors
7
Sign Manufacturing
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
10
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sound Recording Studios
2
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
11
Sports Teams and Clubs
2
Steel Investment Foundries
1
Tax Preparation Services
11
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
3
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Help Services
3
Testing Laboratories
6
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire Dealers
8
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
5
Travel Agencies
3
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
7
Video Tape and Disc Rental
11
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Web Search Portals
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
8
Women's Clothing Stores
16

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Hampton Business?

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

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Hampton, it's critical that you ensure that no other Virginia company is using the business name you want to use.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. 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. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Virginia.

The Art of Selling

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Hampton 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.

Good Sales Strategies is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

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

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

More Business Startup Guides for Virginia

Starting a Business in Grundy
Starting a Business in Harrisonburg

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

 

 

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