New York Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Astoria, New York

Contemplating starting a business in Astoria, New York? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Astoria.

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Most new companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Astoria. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Astoria, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
29644
5-9 Employees
6156
10-19 Employees
3264
20-49 Employees
2676
50-99 Employees
504
100-249 Employees
252
250-499 Employees
60
500-999 Employees
96
1000+ Employees
36
All Astoria Businesses
42688

As a new Astoria entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Astoria 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
Advertising Agencies
5
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Automobile Driving Schools
6
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
10
Barber Shops
10
Beauty Salons
54
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
1
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
4
Caterers
5
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
11
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
4
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Clothing Accessories Stores
5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
60
Commercial Bakeries
7
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Photography
2
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
3
Computer Systems Design Services
13
Confectionery and Nut Stores
5
Convenience Stores
14
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
11
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Dental Laboratories
13
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
45
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
17
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
14
Emergency and Other Relief Services
2
Employment Placement Agencies
5
Engineering Services
7
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Family Clothing Stores
5
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
6
Finish Carpentry Contractors
37
Fish and Seafood Markets
4
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
2
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
6
Florists
19
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
7
Food Service Contractors
10
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
3
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
8
Freight Transportation Arrangement
8
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
14
Full-Service Restaurants
141
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
10
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
3
Furniture Stores
15
General Automotive Repair
58
General Freight Trucking, Local
10
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
9
Graphic Design Services
7
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
5
Hardware Stores
5
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Heating Oil Dealers
4
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
5
Home Health Care Services
3
Household Appliance Stores
3
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
3
Interior Design Services
6
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
14
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
17
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
111
Limousine Service
21
Linen Supply
1
Locksmiths
3
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
2
Machine Shops
3
Mail-Order Houses
4
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
12
Meat Markets
18
Media Buying Agencies
2
Media Representatives
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
13
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
8
Motion Picture and Video Production
8
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
2
Nail Salons
21
Natural Gas Liquid Extraction
1
New Car Dealers
2
News Dealers and Newsstands
7
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
7
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
10
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
73
Offices of Lawyers
48
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
10
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
12
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
84
Parking Lots and Garages
3
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Periodical Publishers
3
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
33
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
3
Real Estate Credit
5
Remediation Services
4
Residential Property Managers
30
Retail Bakeries
21
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
5
Roofing Contractors
7
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
17
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
7
Shoe Stores
16
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
4
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
6
Sound Recording Studios
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Tax Preparation Services
16
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
15
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
5
Travel Agencies
28
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
5
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
7
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
12
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Handbag and Purse Manufacturing
1
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Astoria, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Five Franchise Opportunities To Watch. 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.

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

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

Startup Financing Basics

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Astoria business is not an easy task. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

For Astoria entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, you'll want to take a look at our List of New York Angel Investors and our List of New York Venture Capital Firms.

How to Sell

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Astoria business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team 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 don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Astoria, New York, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local New York educational institutions. We also recommend you look into Astoria networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Astoria businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Astoria businesses to be successful. 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 Astoria, New York

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

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