Massachusetts Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Gloucester, Massachusetts
Are you starting a business in Gloucester, Massachusetts? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Gloucester.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Gloucester. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Gloucester, Massachusetts Demographic Information
Gloucester has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Gloucester demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Gloucester.
Businesses
As a new Gloucester entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gloucester 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
What About Franchising Opportunities?
Visit the business district of Gloucester and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Get More Franchisees. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Curves and Great Clips, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cartridge Recycling Franchises and Handyman Services Franchises.
Note on Gloucester Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Gloucester.
Selecting a Name For Your Venture
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.
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.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Gloucester, it's very important that you make sure no Massachusetts company has already registered the company name you have selected.
Company Formation in Gloucester, Massachusetts
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Massachusetts, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Massachusetts. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Gloucester, Massachusetts, our web page covering Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.
Ramping Up Sales
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Gloucester or are selling to customers throughout Massachusetts, 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.
Sales Prospecting 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.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Gloucester. 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 Gloucester 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 Gloucester, Massachusetts
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Gloucester.
- Resources for Gloucester, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Gloucester entrepreneurs.
- Massachusetts Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts Small Business Development Center - The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network provides one-to-one free comprehensive and confidential services focusing on, business growth and strategies, financing and loan assistance as well as strategic, marketing and operational analysis.
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