New York Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Albany, New York
Contemplating starting a business in Albany, New York? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Albany.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before quitting your day job, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Albany. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Albany, New York Demographic Information
Albany has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Albany demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Albany.
Businesses
As a new Albany entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Albany 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
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
As you drive around Albany, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Five Franchise Opportunities To Watch. 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 Monster Mini Golf and Goin' Postal. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cartridge Recycling Franchises and Child Entertainment Franchises.
Note on Albany Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Albany, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Naming the Company
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.
Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Albany, it's very important that you make sure no other New York company is using the business name you want to use.
Building Up Your Sales
Being able to sell is a key enabler to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Albany or are selling to customers throughout New York, 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.
Writing Great Proposals 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.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Good business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.
Given that you are starting a business in Albany, New York, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New York universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Albany networking organizations.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Albany. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Albany and throughout the United States . 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 Albany, New York
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Albany.
- Resources for Albany, New York Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Albany entrepreneurs.
- New York Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in New York.
- New York Small Business Development Center - The New York State Small Business Development Center delivers high quality business counseling and training to New Yorkers who want to start a business or improve the performance of an existing business.
More Startup Articles for New York Cities
Starting a Business in Akron
Starting a Business in Alden
Browse All Business Startup Guides for New York
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs