Vermont Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Stowe, Vermont

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

Stowe, Vermont Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1342
5-9 Employees
492
10-19 Employees
258
20-49 Employees
174
50-99 Employees
24
100-249 Employees
18
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Stowe Businesses
2320

As a new Stowe entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Stowe 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
7
Art Dealers
5
Beauty Salons
5
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Electrical Contractors
6
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
3
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
27
Furniture Stores
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
7
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Internet Service Providers
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
10
Limited-Service Restaurants
7
Machine Shops
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Media Buying Agencies
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
New Car Dealers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Lawyers
10
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
4
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Skiing Facilities
2
Sporting Goods Stores
9
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Taxi Service
1
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Help Services
1
Textile Bag Mills
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Examine a list of Stowe businesses and you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?

We highly recommend you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Opportunities in International Franchising. 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.

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

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

Naming the Business

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

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

Forming a Company in Stowe, Vermont

It's essential that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. 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 Vermont, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Vermont. 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 Offshore Company Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Stowe, Vermont, our information on Incorporating in Vermont may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Vermont.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Stowe business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Stowe entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, browse our List of Vermont Angel Investors and our List of Vermont Venture Capital Firms.

How to Sell

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Stowe business, you need to focus on sales.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Writing Great Proposals is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Stowe businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Stowe entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Stowe, Vermont

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Vermont

Starting a Business in Springfield
Starting a Business in Waitsfield

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

 

 

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