Massachusetts Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Andover, Massachusetts
Contemplating starting a business in Andover, Massachusetts? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Andover.
What Business Are You Starting?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free Business Ideas.
If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Gift Baskets & Packs Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our How to Start a Psychiatric Hospitals Business guide.
Always keep in mind that starting a business in Andover has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Andover. Only by spending some time analyzing Andover demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Andover, Massachusetts Demographic Information
Andover has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Andover demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Andover.
Businesses
As a new Andover entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Andover 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 Buying an Existing Andover Business a Good Strategy?
We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Andover.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Company
A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.
Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Andover, it's imperative that you check now that no other Massachusetts company is using the business name you want to use.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Massachusetts.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Getting your Andover business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. 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 504 Loans.
For Andover entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, you'll want to take a look at our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.
What's Next?
Most new Andover 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 Andover and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Andover 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 Andover, Massachusetts
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Andover.
- Resources for Andover, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Andover entrepreneurs.
- Massachusetts Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts Small Business Development Center - The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network provides one-to-one free comprehensive and confidential services focusing on, business growth and strategies, financing and loan assistance as well as strategic, marketing and operational analysis.
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