Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in West Springfield, Massachusetts

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

West Springfield, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2548
5-9 Employees
1350
10-19 Employees
1086
20-49 Employees
678
50-99 Employees
288
100-249 Employees
120
250-499 Employees
24
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
6
All West Springfield Businesses
6100

As a new West Springfield entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in West Springfield 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
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
2
Armored Car Services
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
11
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Business Associations
1
Cafeterias
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Claims Adjusting
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
2
Creamery Butter Manufacturing
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
5
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
4
Electrical Contractors
13
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
4
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
3
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
3
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
36
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
17
General Automotive Repair
14
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
6
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Heating Oil Dealers
5
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
30
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
5
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
13
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
34
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Machine Shops
5
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
1
Men's Clothing Stores
5
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
3
New Car Dealers
13
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
10
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
16
Offices of Lawyers
15
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Optical Goods Stores
3
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Passenger Car Rental
4
Payroll Services
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Poultry Processing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Pulp Mills
1
Quick Printing
3
Radio Networks
1
Real Estate Credit
7
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
9
Roofing Contractors
3
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
7
Sawmills
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
3
Shoe Stores
4
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
1
Sporting Goods Stores
9
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Steel Investment Foundries
1
Temporary Help Services
12
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
5
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tour Operators
2
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
5
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Window Treatment Stores
2
Women's Clothing Stores
9

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around West Springfield, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including How to Franchise. 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 Netspace (R) and PortraitEFX. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Telecommunications Franchises and IT Training Franchises.

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

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.

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.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in West Springfield, it's very important that you make sure no other Massachusetts company is using the business name you want to use.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Massachusetts.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your West Springfield business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For West Springfield entrepreneurs who need startup capital, browse our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.

How to Sell

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in West Springfield or are selling to customers throughout Massachusetts, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

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.

Landing Big Customers is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in West Springfield. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help West Springfield 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 West Springfield, Massachusetts

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

More Business Startup Guides for Massachusetts

Starting a Business in West Newbury
Starting a Business in Westborough

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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