Connecticut Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Are you starting a business in Bridgeport, Connecticut? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Bridgeport.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Bridgeport. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read 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 Opening a Commercial Wallpaper & Wallcoverings Installation Business guide or our How to Start a Moving Labor Services Business guide.
Don't forget that starting a business in Bridgeport has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Bridgeport. Only by spending some time analyzing Bridgeport demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Bridgeport, Connecticut Demographic Information
Bridgeport has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Bridgeport demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Bridgeport.
Businesses
As a new Bridgeport entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bridgeport 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
Naming the Business
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.
Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Bridgeport, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Connecticut business.
Ramping Up Sales
Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Bridgeport or are selling to customers throughout Connecticut, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Why Salespeople Fail 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.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
The best business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Bridgeport, Connecticut, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Connecticut universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Bridgeport entrepreneurs.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Bridgeport. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
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 Bridgeport and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bridgeport, Connecticut
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Bridgeport.
- Resources for Bridgeport, Connecticut Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bridgeport entrepreneurs.
- Connecticut Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Connecticut.
- Connecticut Small Business Development Center - Central Connecticut State University's Institute of Technology and Business Development (ITBD) supports Connecticut businesses and business-related organizations with training, technology assistance, conferencing services, procurement services and business incubation.
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