Massachusetts Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in New Bedford, Massachusetts
Thinking about starting a business in New Bedford, Massachusetts? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in New Bedford.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Being an entrepreneur is difficult, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in New Bedford. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- 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. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
New Bedford, Massachusetts Demographic Information
New Bedford has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for New Bedford demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in New Bedford.
Businesses
As a new New Bedford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in New Bedford 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
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
As you drive around New Bedford, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchisees Versus Licensees. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Candy Bouquet and Fun Bus. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cleaning and Maintenance Franchises and Personal Services Franchises.
Note on New Bedford Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in New Bedford.
Forming a Company in New Bedford, Massachusetts
It's very important 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 select one of many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Massachusetts, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Massachusetts. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. 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 LLC Advantages. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in New Bedford, Massachusetts, our web page covering Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.
Marketing Your New Startup
To grow your New Bedford business, you need a great marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Dealing with Angry Customers is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
With your business being located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your entrepreneurial education is to investigate networking organizations for New Bedford entrepreneurs.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in New Bedford, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
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 New Bedford and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in New Bedford, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in New Bedford, Massachusetts
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in New Bedford.
- Resources for New Bedford, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist New Bedford 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.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Massachusetts
Starting a Business in Needham
Starting a Business in Newburyport
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Starting a Business Guides for Other States
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