Virginia Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Smithfield, Virginia
Contemplating starting a business in Smithfield, Virginia? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Smithfield.
Smithfield, Virginia Demographic Information
Smithfield has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Smithfield demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Smithfield.
Businesses
As a new Smithfield entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Smithfield 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.
Businesses
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Smithfield Business?
We've created a useful 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 Smithfield.
If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Raising Capital for Your Venture
Obtaining startup financing for your Smithfield business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Bank Credit Lines.
For Smithfield entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Virginia Angel Investors and our List of Virginia Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Smithfield customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Direct Mail Costs is a good read to get your marketing creativity flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Ramping Up Sales
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Smithfield or are selling to customers throughout Virginia, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Sales Forecasting is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
With your business being located in Smithfield, Virginia, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Virginia universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Smithfield entrepreneurs.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Smithfield. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Smithfield businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Smithfield 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 Smithfield, Virginia
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Smithfield.
- Resources for Smithfield, Virginia Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Smithfield entrepreneurs.
- Virginia Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Virginia.
- Virginia Small Business Development Center - Virginia Small Business Development Centers offer professional business counseling, training and information resources to help grow and strengthen Virginia businesses.
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