Tennessee Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in La Follette, Tennessee

Need help starting a business in La Follette, Tennessee? We've got the information you need to open a business in La Follette.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

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

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in La Follette. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

La Follette, Tennessee Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
530
5-9 Employees
222
10-19 Employees
132
20-49 Employees
81
50-99 Employees
12
100-249 Employees
3
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All La Follette Businesses
983

As a new La Follette entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in La Follette 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
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Beauty Salons
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Building
1
Business Associations
1
Car Washes
2
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
1
Credit Unions
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Hardware Stores
2
Home Centers
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
13
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
3
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
New Car Dealers
4
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Port and Harbor Operations
1
Portfolio Management
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
3
Residential Property Managers
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Sawmills
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Siding Contractors
3
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Tire Dealers
3
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around La Follette, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Scams. 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.

Representative franchise opportunities include UCC TotalHome and Leadership Management. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Apparel Franchises and Interior Environment Franchises.

Note on La Follette Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in La Follette, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow 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 Free Business Plan Templates. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Tennessee.

Raising Money for Your Company

Obtaining startup financing for your La Follette business is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For La Follette entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Tennessee Angel Investors and our List of Tennessee Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in La Follette or are selling to customers throughout Tennessee, 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. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Hiring Good Sales People offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in La Follette and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in La Follette, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in La Follette, Tennessee

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Tennessee

Starting a Business in Knoxville
Starting a Business in Lafayette

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Tennessee
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

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