Vermont Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Bristol, Vermont
Thinking about starting a business in Bristol, Vermont? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Bristol.
What Business Are You Starting?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. 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 Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.
Remember that Bristol is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Bristol than others. Don't forget to review Bristol demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Bristol, Vermont Demographic Information
Bristol has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Bristol demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Bristol.
Businesses
As a new Bristol entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bristol 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
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Bristol Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Vermont. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Bristol.
If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Company
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Bristol, it's critical that you ensure that no other Vermont company is using the business name you want to use.
The Role of the Business Plan
Creating a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Vermont.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Bristol business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Business Incubators.
For Bristol entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Vermont Angel Investors and our List of Vermont Venture Capital Firms.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Bristol, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Bristol businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Bristol, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bristol, Vermont
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Bristol.
- Resources for Bristol, Vermont Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bristol entrepreneurs.
- Vermont Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Vermont.
- Vermont Small Business Development Center - The mission of Vermont Small Business Development Centers is to strengthen existing business entities and assist start-ups with high-quality, no-cost counseling and affordable training programs.
More Business Startup Guides for Vermont
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Starting a Business in Burlington
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