Connecticut Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Hartford, Connecticut

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

Hartford, Connecticut Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
54285
5-9 Employees
20768
10-19 Employees
15213
20-49 Employees
11616
50-99 Employees
3828
100-249 Employees
2673
250-499 Employees
792
500-999 Employees
363
1000+ Employees
495
All Hartford Businesses
110033

As a new Hartford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hartford 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
4
Ambulance Services
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
15
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
4
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
10
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
3
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing
1
Barber Shops
5
Beauty Salons
23
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
27
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
7
Bowling Centers
1
Breweries
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
15
Cafeterias
4
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
7
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
8
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
24
Child Day Care Services
33
Civic and Social Organizations
30
Claims Adjusting
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
6
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Photography
3
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
6
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Training
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Convenience Stores
16
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
2
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Credit Card Issuing
3
Credit Unions
16
Curtain and Drapery Mills
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
19
Dance Companies
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
32
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
2
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
47
Dry Pasta Manufacturing
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electrical Contractors
17
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Engineering Services
14
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
8
Family Planning Centers
3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fish and Seafood Markets
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
5
Florists
8
Food Service Contractors
40
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
105
Furniture Stores
10
General Automotive Repair
32
General Freight Trucking, Local
9
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
3
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
8
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
16
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
3
Heating Oil Dealers
5
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
5
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
3
Human Rights Organizations
9
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
28
Interior Design Services
4
International Trade Financing
2
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
4
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
2
Investigation Services
2
Janitorial Services
22
Jewelry Stores
10
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
8
Language Schools
3
Limousine Service
2
Linen Supply
3
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
4
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
17
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Meat Markets
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
4
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
5
Miscellaneous Intermediation
4
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Motion Picture and Video Production
4
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
6
Musical Groups and Artists
4
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
3
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
11
New Housing Operative Builders
2
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
News Syndicates
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
23
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
14
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
8
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
20
Offices of Dentists
37
Offices of Lawyers
246
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
7
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Parking Lots and Garages
63
Passenger Car Rental
4
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
17
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Political Organizations
4
Portfolio Management
20
Professional Organizations
9
Quick Printing
5
Radio Stations
10
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
6
Reinsurance Carriers
7
Remediation Services
4
Residential Property Managers
25
Retail Bakeries
10
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Rooming and Boarding Houses
2
Sales Financing
12
Savings Institutions
12
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
27
Security Guards and Patrol Services
5
Setup Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
4
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
4
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
25
Software Publishers
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Taxi Service
1
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
4
Temporary Help Services
28
Temporary Shelters
6
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
7
Tire Dealers
6
Tire Retreading
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stemming and Redrying
1
Tobacco Stores
3
Travel Agencies
6
Used Car Dealers
11
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
13
Voluntary Health Organizations
7
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
28
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Is Buying an Existing Hartford Business a Good Strategy?

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

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

Choosing a Company Name

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Hartford, it's very important that you make sure no other Connecticut company is using the business name you want to use.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Hartford business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. 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 How Much Venture Capital Is There?.

For Hartford entrepreneurs who need startup capital, browse our List of Connecticut Angel Investors and our List of Connecticut Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Startup

To grow your Hartford business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Avoiding Bad Product Launches is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful business owners know that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Hartford, Connecticut, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Connecticut universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Hartford networking organizations.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Hartford. 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 Hartford 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 Hartford, Connecticut

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Connecticut

Starting a Business in Guilford
Starting a Business in Kensington

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

 

 

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