Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Waltham, Massachusetts

Need help starting a business in Waltham, Massachusetts? We've got the information you need to open a business in Waltham.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Good Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Bowling Lane Refinishing & Repair Business guide or our Opening a Mirrors Commercial & Industrial Business guide.

Always keep in mind that Waltham is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Waltham than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Waltham demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Waltham, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
6944
5-9 Employees
2730
10-19 Employees
1818
20-49 Employees
1452
50-99 Employees
648
100-249 Employees
486
250-499 Employees
156
500-999 Employees
36
1000+ Employees
36
All Waltham Businesses
14306

As a new Waltham entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Waltham 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
4
Ambulance Services
2
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
5
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
5
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
27
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
13
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Boat Building
1
Book Publishers
1
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Business Associations
8
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
2
Cement Manufacturing
1
Child and Youth Services
7
Child Day Care Services
12
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Collection Agencies
3
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
12
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
5
Computer Facilities Management Services
4
Computer Systems Design Services
32
Computer Terminal Manufacturing
1
Computer Training
1
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
17
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Couriers
1
Credit Card Issuing
2
Credit Unions
6
Custom Computer Programming Services
55
Dental Laboratories
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Educational Support Services
7
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
29
Elementary and Secondary Schools
8
Employment Placement Agencies
6
Engineering Services
24
Environmental Consulting Services
6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
9
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
13
Floor Covering Stores
6
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
4
Food Service Contractors
46
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Framing Contractors
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
3
Full-Service Restaurants
72
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
5
General Automotive Repair
24
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
4
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Heating Oil Dealers
13
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
50
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
16
Janitorial Services
21
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
7
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
25
Language Schools
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
78
Limousine Service
4
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Locksmiths
2
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marketing Consulting Services
25
Masonry Contractors
8
Media Representatives
1
Medical Laboratories
3
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Metal Stamping
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Distribution
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Museums
4
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
3
Natural Gas Distribution
5
New Car Dealers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
7
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
12
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
13
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Dentists
28
Offices of Lawyers
44
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
5
Optical Goods Stores
4
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Outerwear Knitting Mills
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Packing and Crating
2
Paging
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
9
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
5
Periodical Publishers
7
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
6
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
4
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
6
Public Relations Agencies
5
Radio Stations
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
10
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Residential Property Managers
14
Residential Remodelers
20
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
4
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
7
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
10
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
4
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
4
Site Preparation Contractors
12
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
17
Software Publishers
38
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
6
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
5
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
3
Temporary Help Services
23
Temporary Shelters
7
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
5
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
7
Truck Trailer Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Vending Machine Operators
3
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
10
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
31
Women's Clothing Stores
5
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Waltham Business?

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

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

Selecting a Name For Your Business

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

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

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Waltham, it's imperative that you check now that no Massachusetts company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Company Formation in Waltham, Massachusetts

It's very important that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

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 common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Massachusetts, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Massachusetts. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Waltham, Massachusetts, our web page covering Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Waltham 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.

Selling on the Phone is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Waltham Entrepreneur Interviews

We're compiling a number of interviews with Waltham entrepreneurs. Enjoy!

Never Give Up

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

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

We are here to help Waltham businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Waltham, Massachusetts

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

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