Starting a Business in Barre, Vermont

Are you starting a business in Barre, Vermont? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Barre.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Evaluating Your Idea.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Mufflers & Exhaust Systems Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our How to Start a Home Finding Services Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Barre has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Barre. Study Barre demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Barre, Vermont Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1924
5-9 Employees	762
10-19 Employees	492
20-49 Employees	300
50-99 Employees	84
100-249 Employees	60
250-499 Employees	6
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Barre Businesses	3628

As a new Barre entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Barre 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	1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	6
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Book Stores	2
Bowling Centers	1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills	1
Business Associations	4
Cable and Other Program Distribution	2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores	1
Car Washes	2
Caterers	2
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	3
Civic and Social Organizations	9
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	2
Commercial Bakeries	1
Commercial Flexographic Printing	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	3
Commercial Photography	1
Community Food Services	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Convenience Stores	5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	1
Couriers	2
Credit Unions	4
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Dental Laboratories	1
Drafting Services	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	4
Dry Pasta Manufacturing	1
Educational Support Services	1
Electrical Contractors	5
Electronic Capacitor Manufacturing	1
Electronic Shopping	1
Engineering Services	3
Environmental Consulting Services	3
Family Planning Centers	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Flight Training	1
Flooring Contractors	2
Florists	2
Fluid Milk Manufacturing	1
Food Service Contractors	2
Framing Contractors	3
Full-Service Restaurants	15
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	4
General Automotive Repair	8
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Rental Centers	2
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Graphic Design Services	1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing	1
Hardware Stores	3
Heating Oil Dealers	2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	2
Home Health Care Services	1
Homes for the Elderly	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	12
Investment Advice	3
Iron and Steel Mills	1
Janitorial Services	2
Jewelry Stores	2
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Landscaping Services	3
Limited-Service Restaurants	16
Limousine Service	1
Machine Shops	2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Medical Laboratories	1
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Motion Picture and Video Distribution	1
Motion Picture and Video Production	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Museums	1
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	4
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	5
Offices of Chiropractors	3
Offices of Dentists	10
Offices of Lawyers	17
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	2
Paging	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	3
Parking Lots and Garages	1
Passenger Car Rental	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	5
Prepress Services	1
Professional Organizations	1
Radio Stations	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Residential Property Managers	2
Residential Remodelers	2
Roofing Contractors	2
Savings Institutions	2
Securities Brokerage	4
Shoe Stores	2
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Sporting Goods Stores	4
Tax Preparation Services	1
Telephone Answering Services	1
Temporary Shelters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire Dealers	3
Travel Agencies	2
Used Car Dealers	4
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Voluntary Health Organizations	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

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

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Why Franchises Fail. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and Just Fresh Franchise Systems, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as B2B Franchises and Hair Styling Franchises.

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

Picking a Company Name

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

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

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Barre, it's imperative that you check now that no other Vermont company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Vermont.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Barre business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

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

For Barre entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Vermont Angel Investors and our List of Vermont Venture Capital Firms.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

The best business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Barre, Vermont, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Vermont universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Barre networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Barre and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Barre entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Barre, Vermont

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

• Resources for Barre, Vermont Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Barre entrepreneurs.
• Vermont Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Vermont.
• Vermont Small Business Development Center - The missionof Vermont Small Business Development Centers is to strengthen existing business entities and assist start-ups with high-quality, no-cost counseling and affordable training programs.
• Barre, Vermont Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Barre, Vermont newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Barre area.
• Barre, Vermont Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Barre, Vermont area radio stations.

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