New York Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Amsterdam, New York

Contemplating starting a business in Amsterdam, New York? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Amsterdam.

Amsterdam, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3330
5-9 Employees
1197
10-19 Employees
792
20-49 Employees
576
50-99 Employees
198
100-249 Employees
108
250-499 Employees
27
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
9
All Amsterdam Businesses
6255

As a new Amsterdam entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Amsterdam 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
6
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Bowling Centers
1
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
1
Business Associations
1
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Car Washes
3
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
8
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
2
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
8
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
5
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
23
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
5
General Automotive Repair
12
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
2
Human Rights Organizations
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
2
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
24
Locksmiths
2
Logging
1
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marinas
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Media Representatives
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Mobile Food Services
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
1
New Car Dealers
6
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
13
Offices of Lawyers
17
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Bag Manufacturing
1
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
5
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
4
School and Employee Bus Transportation
4
Shoe Stores
5
Sign Manufacturing
2
Silverware and Hollowware Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

Visit the business district of Amsterdam and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Franchise a Business. 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 The Original Basket Boutique and Eatza Pizza, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Security Franchises and Asian Restaurant Franchises.

Note on Amsterdam Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Amsterdam.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Amsterdam Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in New York. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Amsterdam.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Forming a Company in Amsterdam, New York

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

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 New York, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New York. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

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 Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Amsterdam, New York, our information on Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.

The Role of the Business Plan

Having a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in New York.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

To grow your Amsterdam business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Amsterdam business, you need to focus on sales.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Amsterdam, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Amsterdam businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Amsterdam 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 Amsterdam, New York

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

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