Rhode Island Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Westerly, Rhode Island

Need help starting a business in Westerly, Rhode Island? We've got the information you need to open a business in Westerly.

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free 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 Opening a Snow Removal Equipment Business guide or our Starting a Wildlife Rescue & Rehabilitation Business guide.

Don't forget that Westerly is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Westerly than others. Don't forget to review Westerly demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Westerly, Rhode Island Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1301
5-9 Employees
420
10-19 Employees
309
20-49 Employees
183
50-99 Employees
33
100-249 Employees
30
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Westerly Businesses
2285

As a new Westerly entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Westerly 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
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement and Theme Parks
2
Amusement Arcades
2
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
13
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
2
Bottled Water Manufacturing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Photography
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Convenience Stores
4
Credit Unions
3
Custom Roll Forming
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
5
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Family Clothing Stores
4
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
8
Floor Covering Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
36
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
12
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
7
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
4
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Heating Oil Dealers
4
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Interior Design Services
2
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
4
Jewelry Stores
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
17
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
25
Linen Supply
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marinas
8
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
3
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
9
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
13
Offices of Lawyers
26
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
1
Parking Lots and Garages
3
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Primary Battery Manufacturing
1
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
16
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
2
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
4
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Steel Investment Foundries
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
5

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Westerly Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Rhode Island. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Westerly.

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

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Westerly 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.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Westerly entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, you'll want to take a look at our List of Rhode Island Angel Investors and our List of Rhode Island Venture Capital Firms.

Ramping Up Sales

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

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

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

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Westerly, Rhode Island, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Rhode Island educational institutions. It's also beneficial to see if there are any Westerly networking organizations.

Never Give Up

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Westerly and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Westerly, Rhode Island

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Rhode Island

Starting a Business in West Warwick
Starting a Business in Woonsocket

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Rhode Island
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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