Rhode Island Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in West Warwick, Rhode Island

Thinking about starting a business in West Warwick, Rhode Island? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in West Warwick.

West Warwick, Rhode Island Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1006
5-9 Employees
330
10-19 Employees
228
20-49 Employees
132
50-99 Employees
48
100-249 Employees
30
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All West Warwick Businesses
1789

As a new West Warwick entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in West Warwick 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
10
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Bowling Centers
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
1
Caterers
2
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Credit Unions
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electrical Contractors
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
3
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
4
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
3
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
11
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
4
Landscaping Services
13
Language Schools
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
22
Limousine Service
1
Machine Shops
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
6
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
New Car Dealers
7
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
11
Offices of Lawyers
7
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Prepress Services
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
11
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
2
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
4
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Taxi Service
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Used Car Dealers
4
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Examine a list of West Warwick businesses and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Growth Trends in Franchising. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Bee Tee and airEnalasys. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as B2B Franchises and Hair Styling Franchises.

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

Picking a Company Name

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in West Warwick, it's imperative that you check now that no other Rhode Island company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in West Warwick, Rhode Island

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

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. 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 Rhode Island, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Rhode Island. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 Subchapter S Corporations. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in West Warwick, Rhode Island, our information on Incorporating in Rhode Island may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Rhode Island.

Raising Money for Your Venture

Getting your West Warwick 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.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Attracting Investors.

For West Warwick entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Rhode Island Angel Investors and our List of Rhode Island Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in West Warwick and advance your business, you need a excellent marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Competitive Analysis 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.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in West Warwick, Rhode Island, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Rhode Island educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any West Warwick networking organizations.

Moving Forward

Most new West Warwick 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 West Warwick businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in West Warwick, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in West Warwick, Rhode Island

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

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