Starting a Business in Amherst, Massachusetts

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Amherst. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Amherst. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Amherst. A critical consideration is whether Amherst demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Amherst, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	5315
5-9 Employees	2040
10-19 Employees	1170
20-49 Employees	600
50-99 Employees	195
100-249 Employees	75
250-499 Employees	15
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	30
All Amherst Businesses	9440

As a new Amherst entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Amherst 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
Architectural Services	6
Art Dealers	2
Automobile Driving Schools	2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Barber Shops	1
Beauty Salons	10
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	8
Book Publishers	4
Book Stores	7
Bowling Centers	2
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing	1
Business and Secretarial Schools	1
Business Associations	3
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	15
Civic and Social Organizations	6
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	2
Commercial Lithographic Printing	2
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Computer Training	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Convenience Stores	4
Credit Unions	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	8
Dental Laboratories	1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Document Preparation Services	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	9
Educational Support Services	5
Electrical Contractors	2
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	3
Employment Placement Agencies	2
Engineering Services	6
Environmental Consulting Services	6
Exam Preparation and Tutoring	3
Family Planning Centers	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fine Arts Schools	5
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	2
Food Service Contractors	4
Full-Service Restaurants	28
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	4
Graphic Design Services	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	2
Household Appliance Stores	1
Human Rights Organizations	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	9
Interior Design Services	1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting	1
Internet Service Providers	1
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation	1
Investment Advice	2
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	2
Landscaping Services	9
Language Schools	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	22
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	1
Mail-Order Houses	1
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Motion Picture and Video Production	2
Museums	2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	3
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	1
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	4
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	15
Optical Goods Stores	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	4
Periodical Publishers	3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	3
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Portfolio Management	3
Private Mail Centers	2
Professional Organizations	2
Residential Property Managers	2
Residential Remodelers	6
Retail Bakeries	1
Roofing Contractors	1
Rooming and Boarding Houses	4
Savings Institutions	5
Sawmills	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Shoe Stores	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	5
Software Publishers	3
Sound Recording Studios	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	2
Tax Preparation Services	1
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Temporary Shelters	1
Tire Dealers	1
Tradebinding and Related Work	1
Translation and Interpretation Services	1
Travel Agencies	4
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	2
Veterinary Services	5
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Web Search Portals	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

Visit the business district of Amherst and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We highly recommend you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

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

What About Buying an Existing Amherst Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Amherst.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

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.

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.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Amherst, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Massachusetts business.

Forming a Company in Amherst, Massachusetts

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Massachusetts, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Massachusetts. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as LLC Advantages. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Amherst, Massachusetts, our web page covering Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Having a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read The Art of the Executive Summary. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Massachusetts.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Raising money to fund your new Amherst business is a difficult chore. 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 How Much Venture Capital Is There?.

For Amherst entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Amherst customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Planning an Event is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Amherst business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Sales Prospecting offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Amherst, Massachusetts, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Amherst entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Amherst, 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Amherst 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 Amherst, Massachusetts

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

• Resources for Amherst, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Amherst entrepreneurs.
• Massachusetts Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts Small Business Development Center - The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network provides one-to-one free comprehensive and confidential services focusing on, business growth and strategies, financing and loan assistance as well as strategic, marketing and operational analysis.
• Amherst, Massachusetts Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Amherst, Massachusetts newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Amherst area.

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