North Carolina Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Need help starting a business in Rocky Mount, North Carolina? We've got the information you need to open a business in Rocky Mount.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

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

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Rocky Mount. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Rocky Mount, North Carolina Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5490
5-9 Employees
2326
10-19 Employees
1716
20-49 Employees
1284
50-99 Employees
588
100-249 Employees
198
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
24
All Rocky Mount Businesses
11674

As a new Rocky Mount entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Rocky Mount 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
3
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
4
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
13
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
17
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
2
Book Stores
4
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
3
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
35
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
6
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Consumer Lending
10
Convenience Stores
13
Copper Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding
1
Couriers
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
6
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
2
Discount Department Stores
3
Display Advertising
2
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Electrical Contractors
30
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
7
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
6
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
12
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
5
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Floor Covering Stores
4
Florists
6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
7
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
Furniture Stores
17
General Automotive Repair
23
General Freight Trucking, Local
8
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
5
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
19
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
7
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
2
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Service Providers
1
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investment Advice
4
Janitorial Services
15
Jewelry Stores
13
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
14
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
56
Linen Supply
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
3
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
10
Marine Cargo Handling
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
4
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
11
New Housing Operative Builders
4
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
5
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
13
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
31
Offices of Lawyers
41
Offices of Other Holding Companies
4
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
5
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
15
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
4
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Radio Stations
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
5
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Remediation Services
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
18
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
5
Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills
1
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
5
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
16
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Support Activities for Forestry
2
Tax Preparation Services
11
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
7
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
11
Women's Clothing Stores
15
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
3
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1

Forming a Company in Rocky Mount, North Carolina

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in North Carolina, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in North Carolina. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, our information on Incorporating in North Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in North Carolina.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, 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 Find Sample Business Plans Online. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Rocky Mount and grow your business, you need a solid marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Music on Hold is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby North Carolina universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into Rocky Mount networking organizations.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Rocky Mount. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Rocky Mount and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Rocky Mount, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Rocky Mount, North Carolina

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

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

Starting a Business in Rockingham
Starting a Business in Roxboro

Browse All Business Startup Guides for North Carolina
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