South Carolina Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Need help starting a business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina? We've got the information you need to open a business in Myrtle Beach.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free Business Ideas.

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 How to Start a Boat & Yacht Customizing Business guide or our Opening a Church of the Brethren Church guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Myrtle Beach. Some businesses will do better in Myrtle Beach than others. Don't forget to review Myrtle Beach demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
7393
5-9 Employees
2774
10-19 Employees
1959
20-49 Employees
1443
50-99 Employees
420
100-249 Employees
210
250-499 Employees
27
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
6
All Myrtle Beach Businesses
14235

As a new Myrtle Beach entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Myrtle Beach 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
2
Amusement and Theme Parks
5
Amusement Arcades
7
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
8
Architectural Services
15
Armored Car Services
1
Art Dealers
5
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
7
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
16
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
4
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
55
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
3
Boat Dealers
3
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
9
Bowling Centers
4
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
7
Cafeterias
11
Canvas and Related Product Mills
3
Car Washes
9
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
11
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
4
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
14
Civic and Social Organizations
8
Claims Adjusting
5
Clothing Accessories Stores
25
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
14
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
6
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
3
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
3
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
6
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
6
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
2
Display Advertising
5
Document Preparation Services
3
Drafting Services
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
54
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
13
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
46
Electronic Capacitor Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
3
Employment Placement Agencies
5
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
15
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
66
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
6
Fish and Seafood Markets
2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
16
Floor Covering Stores
15
Flooring Contractors
9
Florists
12
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
7
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Framing Contractors
36
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
262
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
General Automotive Repair
28
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
68
Glass and Glazing Contractors
8
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
5
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
4
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
14
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
10
Human Rights Organizations
1
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Building Construction
3
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
58
Interior Design Services
14
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
6
Janitorial Services
46
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Land Subdivision
22
Landscaping Services
66
Language Schools
1
Leather and Hide Tanning and Finishing
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
9
Limited-Service Restaurants
158
Limousine Service
3
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
5
Logging
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
5
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
4
Marketing Consulting Services
18
Masonry Contractors
16
Meat Markets
1
Media Buying Agencies
1
Media Representatives
3
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
22
Mobile Food Services
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
16
Motion Picture and Video Production
7
Motor Vehicle Towing
6
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
5
Music Publishers
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
3
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
17
New Housing Operative Builders
17
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
4
Nonresidential Property Managers
9
Office Administrative Services
28
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
6
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
47
Offices of Chiropractors
15
Offices of Dentists
39
Offices of Lawyers
94
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
19
One-Hour Photofinishing
2
Open-End Investment Funds
1
Optical Goods Stores
11
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
4
Paging
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
44
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
14
Payroll Services
3
Periodical Publishers
9
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
16
Photography Studios, Portrait
16
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
4
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
5
Racetracks
1
Radio Networks
1
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
12
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Residential Property Managers
41
Residential Remodelers
36
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
9
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
8
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
5
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
18
Security Guards and Patrol Services
8
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
56
Sign Manufacturing
6
Site Preparation Contractors
9
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
38
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Spice and Extract Manufacturing
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
7
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
7
Taxi Service
3
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
5
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
8
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
7
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
7
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
5
Tour Operators
5
Travel Agencies
6
Used Car Dealers
18
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
6
Used Merchandise Stores
7
Vending Machine Operators
4
Veterinary Services
5
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
5
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Window Treatment Stores
8
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
14
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
2

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Myrtle Beach, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Credit and Franchise Purchasing. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Wetzel's Pretzels and Lantis Fireworks & Lasers. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Auto Rental Franchises and Modeling Franchises.

Note on Myrtle Beach Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Myrtle Beach.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, 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 Mistakes. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in South Carolina.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Raising money to fund your new Myrtle Beach business is a difficult chore. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled How Much Venture Capital Is There?.

For Myrtle Beach entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of South Carolina Angel Investors and our List of South Carolina Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Myrtle Beach business to do well.

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Cold Call Selling 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.

Next Steps

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

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

We are here to help Myrtle Beach businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Myrtle Beach, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

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

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