Connecticut Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Greenwich, Connecticut

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Greenwich. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you 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.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Greenwich. Some businesses will do better in Greenwich than others. Study Greenwich demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Greenwich, Connecticut Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
11256
5-9 Employees
3426
10-19 Employees
2322
20-49 Employees
1530
50-99 Employees
540
100-249 Employees
243
250-499 Employees
54
500-999 Employees
27
1000+ Employees
18
All Greenwich Businesses
19416

As a new Greenwich entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Greenwich 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
6
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Art Dealers
5
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
26
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
10
Boat Dealers
1
Book Publishers
2
Book Stores
3
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Car Washes
3
Caterers
6
Child Day Care Services
6
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
7
Civic and Social Organizations
13
Clothing Accessories Stores
5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
3
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
10
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Card Issuing
1
Credit Unions
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
16
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Dry Pasta Manufacturing
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
16
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
15
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
7
Engineering Services
8
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
6
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
4
Fine Arts Schools
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
7
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
17
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
17
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
8
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
11
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
54
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
6
Grantmaking Foundations
11
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
3
Hat, Cap, and Millinery Manufacturing
1
Heating Oil Dealers
4
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
3
Industrial Design Services
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
31
Interior Design Services
28
International Trade Financing
3
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
2
Investigation Services
2
Janitorial Services
9
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
2
Jewelry Stores
9
Land Subdivision
5
Landscape Architectural Services
4
Landscaping Services
43
Language Schools
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
16
Limousine Service
4
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
2
Machine Shops
1
Marinas
4
Marketing Consulting Services
17
Masonry Contractors
3
Media Buying Agencies
1
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Distribution
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
12
New Housing Operative Builders
2
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
13
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
18
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
24
Offices of Lawyers
53
Offices of Other Holding Companies
15
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Open-End Investment Funds
2
Optical Goods Stores
4
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
4
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
5
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
6
Quick Printing
1
Radio Networks
2
Radio Stations
3
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Reinsurance Carriers
3
Residential Property Managers
11
Residential Remodelers
26
Resilient Floor Covering Manufacturing
1
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
4
Sales Financing
8
Savings Institutions
6
Secondary Market Financing
2
Securities and Commodity Exchanges
1
Securities Brokerage
44
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
7
Silverware and Hollowware Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Solid Waste Collection
4
Sound Recording Studios
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Tax Preparation Services
3
Taxi Service
1
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
4
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
2
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Weft Knit Fabric Mills
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
15
Window Treatment Stores
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
23

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Greenwich and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you look into purchasing a franchise. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Buying an Existing Franchise. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

Note on Greenwich Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Greenwich, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Raising Money for Your Venture

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Greenwich business will be harder than you might expect. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Credit Evaluation.

For Greenwich entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Connecticut Angel Investors and our List of Connecticut Venture Capital Firms.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

The best entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Greenwich, Connecticut, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Connecticut universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking organizations for Greenwich entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Greenwich and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Greenwich, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Greenwich, Connecticut

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

More Startup Articles for Connecticut Cities

Starting a Business in Glastonbury
Starting a Business in Groton

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Connecticut
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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