Kentucky Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Middlesboro, Kentucky

Are you starting a business in Middlesboro, Kentucky? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Middlesboro.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Most new ventures fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Middlesboro. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Middlesboro. Some businesses will do better in Middlesboro than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Middlesboro demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Middlesboro, Kentucky Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
645
5-9 Employees
270
10-19 Employees
123
20-49 Employees
132
50-99 Employees
30
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Middlesboro Businesses
1227

As a new Middlesboro entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Middlesboro 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
Ambulance Services
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
10
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
6
Bituminous Coal Underground Mining
10
Boat Dealers
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
3
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
8
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
8
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
4
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
6
Internet Service Providers
1
Iron Foundries
1
Jewelry Stores
4
Land Subdivision
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
22
Logging
3
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Narrow Fabric Mills
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
6
Offices of Lawyers
9
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
5
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Support Activities for Coal Mining
3
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
4
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Middlesboro, it's imperative that you check now that no other Kentucky company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Kentucky.

Ramping Up Sales

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Middlesboro business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Hiring Good Sales People is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Now It's Up To You

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

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

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

  • Resources for Middlesboro, Kentucky Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Middlesboro entrepreneurs.
  • Kentucky Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Kentucky.
  • Kentucky Small Business Development Center - The Kentucky Small Business Development Center (KSBDC) has been assisting Kentucky small business community for more than 25 years. KSBDC is co-sponsored by the U.S. Small Business Administration and is administered by the University of Kentucky in partnership with regional universities, community and private colleges, and the private sector.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Kentucky

Starting a Business in McKee
Starting a Business in Monticello

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

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary