Start a Business in Bellingham, Massachusetts

Contemplating starting a business in Bellingham, Massachusetts? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Bellingham.

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 Free 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 a Mobile Medical Diagnostic Equipment Business guide or our Starting a Furniture Pads Business guide.

Don't forget that your new business will be in Bellingham. If Bellingham already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Bellingham demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Bellingham, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1905
5-9 Employees	576
10-19 Employees	432
20-49 Employees	366
50-99 Employees	117
100-249 Employees	45
250-499 Employees	18
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Bellingham Businesses	3459

As a new Bellingham entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bellingham 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	1
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Beauty Salons	8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	6
Book Stores	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	1
Car Washes	2
Caterers	1
Child Day Care Services	3
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Computer Training	1
Convenience Stores	4
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electrical Contractors	7
Electronic Shopping	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Floor Covering Stores	2
Florists	1
Food Service Contractors	1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation	1
Framing Contractors	2
Full-Service Restaurants	18
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	12
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Hardware Stores	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	2
Home Centers	2
Home Health Care Services	1
Household Appliance Stores	2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	5
Interior Design Services	1
Janitorial Services	2
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	6
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Lime Manufacturing	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	9
Limousine Service	1
Locksmiths	1
Machine Shops	6
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Meat Markets	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Nail Salons	2
New Housing Operative Builders	2
News Syndicates	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nonwoven Fabric Mills	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	1
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers	1
Repossession Services	1
Residential Remodelers	14
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	2
Roofing Contractors	2
Savings Institutions	2
Sawmills	1
Securities Brokerage	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	3
Siding Contractors	1
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	4
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	3
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Television Broadcasting	1
Testing Laboratories	1
Tire Dealers	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	7
Veterinary Services	3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Voluntary Health Organizations	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3

Picking a Business Name

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

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

Forming a Company in Bellingham, Massachusetts

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

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. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Incorporating Online. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Bellingham, 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 vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Mistakes. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Massachusetts.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Raising money to fund your new Bellingham business is not an easy task. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

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

For Bellingham entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Bellingham, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Bellingham and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Bellingham, Massachusetts

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

• Resources for Bellingham, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bellingham 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.
• Bellingham, Massachusetts Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Bellingham, Massachusetts newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Bellingham area.

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