Connecticut Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Westport, Connecticut
Thinking about starting a business in Westport, Connecticut? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Westport.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 Children's & Infants' Clothing Retail Business guide or our Opening a Human Resource Management Business guide.
Don't forget that your new business will be in Westport. Some businesses will do better in Westport than others. Make sure you fully understand Westport demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Westport, Connecticut Demographic Information
Westport has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Westport demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Westport.
Businesses
As a new Westport entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Westport 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.
Businesses
Picking a Company Name
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.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Westport, it's critical that you ensure that no other Connecticut company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Connecticut.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Westport customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Examples of Marketing Strategies is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
The Art of Selling
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Westport business, you need to focus on sales.
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.
Sales Prospecting is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Some Interesting Westport Entrepreneurs
Here, we'll keep a running list of interviews we've had with Westport entrepreneurs.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Westport, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Westport businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Westport, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Westport, Connecticut
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Westport.
- Resources for Westport, Connecticut Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Westport entrepreneurs.
- Connecticut Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Connecticut.
- Connecticut Small Business Development Center - Central Connecticut State University's Institute of Technology and Business Development (ITBD) supports Connecticut businesses and business-related organizations with training, technology assistance, conferencing services, procurement services and business incubation.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Connecticut
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Starting a Business in Willimantic
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