Start Big:
Small Businesses in
Northern Virginia

Small businesses get a big start here.

Fairfax County knows that, and the approach here is different. For Fairfax entrepreneurs, new businesses, and small businesses looking to blossom, finding the right base of operations means looking at the long-game. It’s simple. Start big and launch your business in Fairfax County. 

More than 90 percent of local businesses in Northern Virginia are small ones, though they tap into the same resource-rich region that Google, Amazon and Airbus have also chosen to call home. 

From attractive tax rates and incentives to a diverse and qualified talent pool, Fairfax County has it all. Close proximity to Alexandria and Washington, D.C. helps attract people who want to innovate and build a better tomorrow in a place where businesses come to succeed and workers move to thrive. 

It’s a bold move. But it’s a strategic one. The Fairfax County Economic Development Authority is here to help business owners realize that and begin the journey toward calling NOVA home. Explore our guide to starting a business in Fairfax County—in just six steps, you can be well on your way to making your own bold move. 

How can the FCEDA help small businesses?

The FCEDA also offers its Entrepreneurship 101 workshop and connects you with free SCORE counseling, both powerful first steps towards achieving your goals. Our capital attraction manager is ready to help explore and secure funding options for innovative, forward-thinking businesses. Our real estate experts can help find the right set-up for you, and our business partners and local organizations are eager to meet. 

We have a resource for each of your needs – whether you’re looking for full-time employees for a new hair salon, or opening a non-profit organization in Tysons Corner. 

Reap the benefits of Small Business Saturday in Vienna, Lorton, or Herndon. Help people shop small in Reston or McLean. You can also take advantage of the robust holiday shopping in Falls Church.

Fairfax County is not just a place to start your business, it’s a place to put down roots, blossom and continue thriving year after year. Get in touch to learn more about bringing your small business venture to this corner of Northern Virginia and take advantage of all that Fairfax County has to offer.