Start a Business in Belfast, Maine

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good Business Ideas.

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 an Identification Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our Opening an Electric Motor Dealers Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Belfast. Some businesses will do better in Belfast than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Belfast demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Belfast, Maine Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1302
5-9 Employees	498
10-19 Employees	306
20-49 Employees	138
50-99 Employees	54
100-249 Employees	36
250-499 Employees	6
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	6
All Belfast Businesses	2346

As a new Belfast entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Belfast 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
Art Dealers	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	4
Beauty Salons	5
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	2
Boat Building	1
Book Stores	2
Breweries	1
Business Associations	1
Canvas and Related Product Mills	2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	8
Civic and Social Organizations	5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Collection Agencies	1
Computer and Software Stores	2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	2
Credit Unions	1
Dental Laboratories	1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	3
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	3
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finfish Fishing	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Flight Training	1
Florists	2
Food Service Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	8
Glass and Glazing Contractors	2
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Stores	2
Heating Oil Dealers	6
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	2
Home Health Care Services	2
Homes for the Elderly	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	6
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	3
Jewelry Stores	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	3
Limited-Service Restaurants	12
Mail-Order Houses	3
Marinas	1
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Musical Groups and Artists	1
Navigational Services to Shipping	4
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	2
Offices of Chiropractors	4
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	9
Offices of Optometrists	1
Optical Goods Stores	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Private Mail Centers	1
Quick Printing	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	1
Retail Bakeries	2
Savings Institutions	1
Sawmills	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Special Needs Transportation	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Telephone Answering Services	1
Used Car Dealers	2
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing	1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Examine a list of Belfast businesses and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Growth Trends in Franchising. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Sample franchise opportunities include Proforma and The Homesteader. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Fast Food Franchises and Pizza Franchises.

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

Startup Financing Basics

Obtaining startup financing for your Belfast business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as SBIR Funding.

For Belfast entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, browse our List of Maine Angel Investors and our List of Maine Venture Capital Firms.

Ramping Up Sales

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

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Cold Call Selling is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Belfast, Maine, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Maine universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your entrepreneurial education is to investigate networking groups or organizations in which Belfast entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Never Give Up

Most new Belfast 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 Belfast 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 Belfast, Maine

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

• Resources for Belfast, Maine Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Belfast entrepreneurs.
• Maine Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Maine.
• Maine Small Business Development Center - Maine Small Business Development Centers and its technology-focused group, the Maine Small Business & Technology Development Centers, provide comprehensive business management assistance, training, resource and information services to Maine's entrepreneurs and small business owners.
• Belfast, Maine Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Belfast, Maine newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Belfast area.

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