Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Wakefield, Massachusetts

Contemplating starting a business in Wakefield, Massachusetts? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Wakefield.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Data Storage Equipment & Systems Business guide or our How to Start a Steak & Seafood Restaurant guide.

Don't forget that Wakefield is the place where you are starting a business. If Wakefield already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Wakefield demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Wakefield, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
8574
5-9 Employees
3510
10-19 Employees
2394
20-49 Employees
1404
50-99 Employees
612
100-249 Employees
378
250-499 Employees
90
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
0
All Wakefield Businesses
16980

As a new Wakefield entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Wakefield 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
3
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
18
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
3
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
4
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
10
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Claims Adjusting
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Bakeries
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
10
Computer Training
1
Convenience Stores
6
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
3
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
1
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
5
Document Preparation Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Electrical Contractors
21
Electronic Shopping
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
2
Engineering Services
10
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Florists
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
4
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
13
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
21
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
7
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
17
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
17
Locksmiths
2
Machine Shops
3
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Masonry Contractors
6
Metal Heat Treating
2
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
7
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
3
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
19
Offices of Lawyers
29
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
4
Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing
1
Professional Organizations
2
Quick Printing
1
Real Estate Credit
6
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
8
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
4
Savings Institutions
8
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Temporary Help Services
9
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
5
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Web Search Portals
1
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
8
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Wakefield Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Wakefield.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is essential 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. Starting a business without 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 Massachusetts.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Wakefield business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Attracting Investors.

For Wakefield entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Wakefield and build your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Wakefield businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Wakefield, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Wakefield, Massachusetts

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

More Startup Articles for Massachusetts Cities

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Starting a Business in Walpole

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