New Hampshire Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Peterborough, New Hampshire

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

Peterborough, New Hampshire Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
500
5-9 Employees
237
10-19 Employees
123
20-49 Employees
75
50-99 Employees
15
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Peterborough Businesses
971

As a new Peterborough entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Peterborough 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
2
Architectural Services
2
Art Dealers
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing
1
Beauty Salons
6
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Digital Printing
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Food Service Contractors
3
Full-Service Restaurants
9
General Automotive Repair
4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Internet Service Providers
2
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
7
Mail-Order Houses
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
New Car Dealers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
8
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
3
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Shoe Stores
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Software Reproducing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Peterborough, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Mistakes. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include SafetyNet4Kids and Davis Ink Jet & Toner. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Baby Franchises and Employment and Staffing Franchises.

Note on Peterborough Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Peterborough.

Forming a Company in Peterborough, New Hampshire

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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. If you are starting a business in New Hampshire, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New Hampshire. As it turns out, you can 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 Incorporating Online. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Peterborough, New Hampshire, our information on Incorporating in New Hampshire may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New Hampshire.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in New Hampshire.

Promoting Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract Peterborough customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a excellent marketing plan.

We have some useful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Dealing with Angry Customers discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Peterborough business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Cold Call Selling offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Never Give Up

Most new Peterborough businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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 Peterborough and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Peterborough, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Peterborough, New Hampshire

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

More Startup Articles for New Hampshire Cities

Starting a Business in North Sutton
Starting a Business in Pittsfield

Browse All Business Startup Guides for New Hampshire
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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