Virginia Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Lynchburg, Virginia

Thinking about starting a business in Lynchburg, Virginia? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Lynchburg.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at 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 Opening an Auto Tune Ups Business guide or our Starting a Sheet Music Business guide.

Always keep in mind that Lynchburg is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Lynchburg than others. A critical consideration is whether Lynchburg demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Lynchburg, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
20465
5-9 Employees
8535
10-19 Employees
6675
20-49 Employees
4455
50-99 Employees
1245
100-249 Employees
915
250-499 Employees
240
500-999 Employees
135
1000+ Employees
90
All Lynchburg Businesses
42755

As a new Lynchburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lynchburg 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
8
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
9
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
11
Automotive Transmission Repair
5
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
36
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
4
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Boat Dealers
2
Book Publishers
2
Book Stores
8
Bowling Centers
2
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
4
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
9
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
5
Caterers
4
Cemeteries and Crematories
4
Child and Youth Services
6
Child Day Care Services
23
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Civic and Social Organizations
21
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
8
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
5
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
6
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convenience Stores
7
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
6
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
8
Dental Laboratories
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
5
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
5
Direct Mail Advertising
4
Discount Department Stores
3
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
9
Educational Support Services
5
Electrical Contractors
27
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
7
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
4
Engineering Services
26
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Family Clothing Stores
12
Family Planning Centers
2
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
6
Finish Carpentry Contractors
12
Fish and Seafood Markets
2
Floor Covering Stores
8
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
7
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
11
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
6
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
80
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
7
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
General Automotive Repair
34
General Freight Trucking, Local
10
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
5
General Warehousing and Storage
6
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
20
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
7
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
5
Heating Oil Dealers
5
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
8
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
6
Household Appliance Stores
6
Human Rights Organizations
1
Hydroelectric Power Generation
3
Industrial Design Services
2
Industrial Launderers
2
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
64
Interior Design Services
5
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
2
Investment Advice
7
Iron Foundries
2
Janitorial Services
41
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
13
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
27
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
86
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Logging
1
Machine Shops
12
Mail-Order Houses
4
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
4
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
7
Masonry Contractors
12
Media Representatives
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
6
Metal Heat Treating
1
Metal Stamping
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Home Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
3
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
2
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
16
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
8
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Machinery Manufacturing
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
17
Offices of Chiropractors
11
Offices of Dentists
49
Offices of Lawyers
55
Offices of Podiatrists
5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
12
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Optical Goods Stores
11
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
34
Paperboard Mills
1
Parking Lots and Garages
2
Passenger Car Rental
5
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
11
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Political Organizations
2
Portfolio Management
7
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Printing Ink Manufacturing
1
Professional Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
5
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
14
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Repossession Services
2
Residential Property Managers
10
Residential Remodelers
25
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
5
Roofing Contractors
7
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Securities Brokerage
14
Security Guards and Patrol Services
4
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
15
Siding Contractors
10
Sign Manufacturing
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Collection
2
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
10
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Taxi Service
2
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
2
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
8
Testing Laboratories
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
3
Tire Dealers
5
Tire Retreading
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
4
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
8
Used Car Dealers
17
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
13
Vending Machine Operators
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
15
Women's Clothing Stores
21

What About Buying an Existing Lynchburg Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Virginia. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Lynchburg.

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

Choosing a Company Name

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Lynchburg, it's very important that you make sure no other Virginia company is using the business name you want to use.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Lynchburg business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Attracting Investors.

For Lynchburg entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Lynchburg or are selling to customers throughout Virginia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Lynchburg. 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 Lynchburg 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 Lynchburg, Virginia

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

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