New York Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Amherst, New York
Contemplating starting a business in Amherst, New York? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Amherst.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
Most new ventures do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Amherst. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.
Don't forget that you are starting a business in Amherst. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Amherst. Make sure you fully understand Amherst demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Forming a Company in Amherst, New York
It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.
When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as 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 New York, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in New York. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 LLC Advantages. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Amherst, New York, our web page covering Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.
Startup Financing Basics
Raising money to fund your new Amherst business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Choosing VC Firms.
For Amherst entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, we have assembled a List of New York Angel Investors and our List of New York Venture Capital Firms.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Business
To rise above the crowd in Amherst and build your business, you need a excellent marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Writing Contributed Articles discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Never Give Up
Most new Amherst businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Amherst and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Amherst 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 Amherst, New York
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Amherst.
- Resources for Amherst, New York Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Amherst entrepreneurs.
- New York Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in New York.
- New York Small Business Development Center - The New York State Small Business Development Center delivers high quality business counseling and training to New Yorkers who want to start a business or improve the performance of an existing business.
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