Kentucky Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Pikeville, Kentucky

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

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Running your own business is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Pikeville. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • 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. 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 Type of Business Should You 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 Good Business Ideas.

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 How to Start an Industrial & Commercial Sandblasting Business guide or our Starting a Weaving Equipment & Supplies Retail Business guide.

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

Pikeville, Kentucky Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3909
5-9 Employees
1638
10-19 Employees
1071
20-49 Employees
630
50-99 Employees
225
100-249 Employees
99
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
9
All Pikeville Businesses
7608

As a new Pikeville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Pikeville 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
Amusement Arcades
2
Anthracite Mining
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
11
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Barber Shops
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Bituminous Coal Underground Mining
14
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
2
Business Associations
3
Car Washes
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child Day Care Services
6
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Claims Adjusting
1
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Display Advertising
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
3
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
5
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
7
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
18
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
General Automotive Repair
8
General Freight Trucking, Local
7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
15
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Janitorial Services
4
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
3
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
22
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Logging
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
8
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
15
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
19
Offices of Lawyers
42
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Petrochemical Manufacturing
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Radio Stations
2
Real Estate Credit
2
Retail Bakeries
1
Savings Institutions
2
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
6
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Shoe Stores
4
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
8
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Support Activities for Coal Mining
6
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Testing Laboratories
5
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
3
Used Car Dealers
8
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
6

Should You Franchise?

Visit the business district of Pikeville and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Credit and Franchise Purchasing. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Representative franchise opportunities include Papa John's International and Positive Proof. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Tanning Franchises and Marketing, Sales and Advertising Franchises.

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

Naming the Company

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

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

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Pikeville, it's critical that you ensure that no Kentucky company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Marketing Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in Pikeville and accelerate your business, you need a great marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. When to Get a Toll Free Number is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

As an entrepreneur in Pikeville, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Pikeville 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 Pikeville, Kentucky

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

  • Resources for Pikeville, Kentucky Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Pikeville 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.

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