North Carolina Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina

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

Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
866
5-9 Employees
528
10-19 Employees
273
20-49 Employees
177
50-99 Employees
48
100-249 Employees
33
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Roanoke Rapids Businesses
1937

As a new Roanoke Rapids entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Roanoke Rapids 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
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
7
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
8
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
3
Credit Unions
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electrical Contractors
6
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
19
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
8
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Centers
2
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
3
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investment Advice
1
Jewelry Stores
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
6
Limited-Service Restaurants
24
Linen Supply
1
Logging
5
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
5
Meat Markets
1
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Nail Salons
2
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonwoven Fabric Mills
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Lawyers
9
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Open-End Investment Funds
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Paperboard Mills
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Political Organizations
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
3
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Savings Institutions
4
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
5
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Support Activities for Forestry
3
Tax Preparation Services
5
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Help Services
3
Temporary Shelters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading)
1
Travel Agencies
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
7
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Roanoke Rapids Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in North Carolina. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Roanoke Rapids.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Roanoke Rapids, it's critical that you ensure that no other North Carolina company is using the business name you want to use.

The Role of the Business Plan

Creating 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. Failure to write a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Roanoke Rapids business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Incubators.

For Roanoke Rapids entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of North Carolina Angel Investors and our List of North Carolina Venture Capital Firms.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Roanoke Rapids entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Roanoke Rapids, 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 Roanoke Rapids businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Roanoke Rapids, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in North Carolina

Starting a Business in Reidsville
Starting a Business in Robbinsville

Browse All Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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