New Hampshire Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

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

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Running your own business is hard work, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you sure you want to go into business for yourself?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Portsmouth. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
10552
5-9 Employees
4776
10-19 Employees
3792
20-49 Employees
2556
50-99 Employees
852
100-249 Employees
660
250-499 Employees
108
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
24
All Portsmouth Businesses
23320

As a new Portsmouth entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Portsmouth 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
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
6
Art Dealers
3
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
27
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Boat Dealers
2
Book Stores
4
Breweries
2
Business Associations
5
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
8
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
5
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
7
Confectionery and Nut Stores
4
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
21
Dance Companies
1
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
4
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
15
Electronic Shopping
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Employment Placement Agencies
6
Engineering Services
26
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
11
Family Planning Centers
1
Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finfish Fishing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
8
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
8
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
5
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
3
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
81
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
14
General Automotive Repair
8
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
21
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
10
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
5
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
8
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
5
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
22
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
16
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
4
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
11
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
58
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
9
Meat Markets
3
Medical Laboratories
6
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
3
Natural Gas Distribution
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
3
New Car Dealers
13
New Housing Operative Builders
1
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
8
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
5
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
12
Offices of Dentists
33
Offices of Lawyers
62
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
8
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
5
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Portfolio Management
10
Private Mail Centers
1
Public Relations Agencies
3
Quick Printing
3
Radio Stations
7
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Remediation Services
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
9
Retail Bakeries
2
Sales Financing
3
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Seafood Canning
1
Securities Brokerage
20
Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
12
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
16
Software Publishers
7
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
9
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
3
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Temporary Help Services
13
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
3
Textile Bag Mills
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
6
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
2
Travel Agencies
8
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
7
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
19
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4

What About Buying an Existing Portsmouth Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in New Hampshire. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Portsmouth.

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

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Portsmouth, it's critical that you ensure that no other New Hampshire company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Portsmouth, New Hampshire

It's essential 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 corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating 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. If you are starting a business in New Hampshire, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in New Hampshire. As it turns out, you are allowed to 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 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 Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, our information on Incorporating in New Hampshire may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New Hampshire.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To rise above the crowd in Portsmouth and grow your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Promoting an Online Business is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Portsmouth, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

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

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

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

More Business Startup Guides for New Hampshire

Starting a Business in Plymouth
Starting a Business in Rochester

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

 

 

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