Virginia Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Petersburg, Virginia

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

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Petersburg. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Petersburg, Virginia Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
16654
5-9 Employees
8052
10-19 Employees
5049
20-49 Employees
3201
50-99 Employees
1023
100-249 Employees
594
250-499 Employees
165
500-999 Employees
33
1000+ Employees
33
All Petersburg Businesses
34804

As a new Petersburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Petersburg 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
5
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing
1
Beauty Salons
13
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Stores
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Cigarette Manufacturing
1
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
2
Consumer Lending
3
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
10
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
12
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
3
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
28
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
General Automotive Repair
19
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
5
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
5
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Human Rights Organizations
1
Hydroelectric Power Generation
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
8
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
10
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
27
Limousine Service
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
5
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Metal Stamping
1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Museums
1
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
17
Offices of Lawyers
22
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pen and Mechanical Pencil Manufacturing
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Racetracks
1
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
12
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Sales Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Spice and Extract Manufacturing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
7
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Used Car Dealers
16
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
4

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Petersburg Business?

We've created a helpful 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 Petersburg.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

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.

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

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Petersburg, it's very important that you make sure you will be the only Virginia company using the business name you have chosen.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, 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 Outsourcing. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Virginia.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Petersburg, Virginia, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Virginia educational institutions. We also recommend you look into Petersburg networking organizations.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Petersburg. 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Petersburg and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Petersburg 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 Petersburg, Virginia

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

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