Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Brookline, Massachusetts

Are you starting a business in Brookline, Massachusetts? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Brookline.

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Before quitting your day job, assess 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:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Brookline. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. 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.

Brookline, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4334
5-9 Employees
1260
10-19 Employees
912
20-49 Employees
516
50-99 Employees
108
100-249 Employees
102
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Brookline Businesses
7250

As a new Brookline entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Brookline 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
7
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
3
Beauty Salons
23
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Book Publishers
2
Book Stores
5
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
2
Caterers
5
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
27
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
15
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
7
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Credit Card Issuing
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
16
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Educational Support Services
3
Electrical Contractors
5
Electronic Shopping
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
8
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Fine Arts Schools
8
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
55
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Grantmaking Foundations
7
Graphic Design Services
6
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Industrial Launderers
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Interior Design Services
3
Internet Service Providers
2
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
4
Janitorial Services
6
Jewelry Stores
5
Junior Colleges
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
1
Language Schools
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
36
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
8
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Markets
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motion Picture and Video Production
6
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
3
New Housing Operative Builders
1
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
7
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
70
Offices of Lawyers
31
Offices of Optometrists
6
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
7
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
11
Portfolio Management
3
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
3
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
23
Residential Remodelers
4
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Rooming and Boarding Houses
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
5
Shoe Stores
5
Sign Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Software Publishers
2
Special Needs Transportation
3
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Taxi Service
1
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Temporary Help Services
2
Temporary Shelters
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Tobacco Stores
2
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
6
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
4

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Brookline Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Brookline.

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

Choosing a Company Name

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

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.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Brookline, it's very important that you make sure no other Massachusetts company is using the business name you want to use.

Marketing Your New Startup

Whether your goal is to attract Brookline customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Avoiding Bad Product Launches is a good read to get your marketing creativity flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Brookline, Massachusetts, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Brookline entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Brookline. 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Brookline and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Brookline 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 Brookline, Massachusetts

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

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