North Carolina Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Winston Salem, North Carolina
Need help starting a business in Winston Salem, North Carolina? We've got the information you need to open a business in Winston Salem.
Winston Salem, North Carolina Demographic Information
Winston Salem has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Winston Salem demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Winston Salem.
Businesses
As a new Winston Salem entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Winston Salem 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
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
Visit the business district of Winston Salem and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Staffing a Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.
Note on Winston Salem Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Winston Salem, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Winston Salem Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in North Carolina. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Winston Salem.
If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.
Forming a Company in Winston Salem, North Carolina
It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.
The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. 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, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in North Carolina. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Offshore Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Winston Salem, North Carolina, our information on Incorporating in North Carolina may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in North Carolina.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Winston Salem business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.
For Winston Salem entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of North Carolina Angel Investors and our List of North Carolina Venture Capital Firms.
The Art of Selling
Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Winston Salem or are selling to customers throughout North Carolina, 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? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Tips on Customer Referrals is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Winston Salem. 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 Winston Salem and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Winston Salem 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 Winston Salem, North Carolina
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Winston Salem.
- Resources for Winston Salem, North Carolina Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Winston Salem entrepreneurs.
- North Carolina Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in North Carolina.
- North Carolina SBA - With offices in Charlotte, Wilmington, Raleigh and Asheville, the SBA organizes many events and provides useful resources for new entrepreneurs and growing businesses throughout North Carolina.
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