Connecticut Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Darien, Connecticut

Need help starting a business in Darien, Connecticut? We've got the information you need to open a business in Darien.

Darien, Connecticut Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5124
5-9 Employees
1332
10-19 Employees
840
20-49 Employees
720
50-99 Employees
228
100-249 Employees
108
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Darien Businesses
8364

As a new Darien entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Darien 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
3
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Book Publishers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
1
Car Washes
2
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
9
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Photography
2
Computer Systems Design Services
8
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electrical Contractors
7
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
21
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
5
General Automotive Repair
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
5
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Industrial Design Services
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
11
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Investment Advice
15
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscaping Services
26
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
12
Limousine Service
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marinas
2
Marketing Consulting Services
8
Meat Markets
1
Media Representatives
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Museums
1
Music Publishers
1
Nail Salons
4
New Car Dealers
4
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
5
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
15
Offices of Lawyers
10
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Periodical Publishers
6
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
18
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
10
Roofing Contractors
1
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
5
Securities Brokerage
6
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
6
Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Temporary Help Services
2
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
7
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Women's Clothing Stores
5

What About Buying an Existing Darien Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Connecticut. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Darien.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Company Formation in Darien, Connecticut

A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

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. Just because you are starting a business in Connecticut, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Connecticut. As it turns out, 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's a lot to know about 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 should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Darien, Connecticut, our information on Incorporating in Connecticut may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Connecticut.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. 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 is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Connecticut.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Darien business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as 504 Loans.

For Darien entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Connecticut Angel Investors and our List of Connecticut Venture Capital Firms.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Darien, Connecticut, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Connecticut educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any Darien networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

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

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

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