Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Concord, Massachusetts

Thinking about starting a business in Concord, Massachusetts? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Concord.

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

Before quitting your day job, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Concord. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

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 Free Business Ideas.

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 your new startup will be located in Concord. Some businesses will do better in Concord than others. Make sure you fully understand Concord demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Concord, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
16140
5-9 Employees
5328
10-19 Employees
3744
20-49 Employees
1620
50-99 Employees
936
100-249 Employees
432
250-499 Employees
144
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
36
All Concord Businesses
28380

As a new Concord entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Concord 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Architectural Services
10
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automatic Vending Machine Manufacturing
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
8
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Breweries
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
2
Child and Youth Services
2
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
13
Convenience Stores
3
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
13
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Educational Support Services
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
14
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
6
Food Service Contractors
8
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
4
Hardware Stores
2
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
3
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Investment Advice
14
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
12
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
8
Limousine Service
2
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Museums
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
11
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
28
Offices of Lawyers
20
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Parking Lots and Garages
2
Payroll Services
3
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
9
Professional Organizations
2
Quick Printing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Property Managers
5
Retail Bakeries
1
Savings Institutions
4
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Software Publishers
5
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Tax Preparation Services
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Travel Agencies
2
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
5

Forming a Company in Concord, Massachusetts

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. 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 Massachusetts, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Massachusetts. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

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 Concord, Massachusetts, our information on Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Concord or are selling to customers throughout Massachusetts, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Closing Sales Techniques is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Concord, Massachusetts, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Concord networking organizations.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Concord. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

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

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

More Business Startup Guides for Massachusetts

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