Are you starting a business in Belmont, Massachusetts? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Belmont.
Belmont, Massachusetts Demographic Information
Belmont has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Belmont demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Belmont.
| Business Size | # of Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
9531 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3294 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1593 |
| 20-49 Employees |
540 |
| 50-99 Employees |
189 |
| 100-249 Employees |
162 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
27 |
| All Belmont Businesses |
15336 |
As a new Belmont entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Belmont 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 |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
6 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
14 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
12 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
6 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Copper Ore and Nickel Ore Mining |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
12 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
3 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
4 |
| Electrical Contractors |
11 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
8 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
7 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
5 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
13 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
15 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
18 |
| Limousine Service |
2 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
5 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
3 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
22 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
12 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
6 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
9 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
10 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
5 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
6 |
| Software Publishers |
4 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
4 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Web Search Portals |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
6 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
Should You Franchise?
As you drive around Belmont, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Why Franchises Fail. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.
Representative franchise opportunities include Fantastic Sams and Mega Wraps. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Home Furnishings Franchises and Automotive Services Franchises.
Note on Belmont Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Belmont.
Company Formation in Belmont, Massachusetts
It's very important 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.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Massachusetts, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Massachusetts. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Belmont, Massachusetts, our information on Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.
Marketing Your New Venture
To rise above the crowd in Belmont and advance your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Radio Ads discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Bring in Revenues
Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Belmont business to do well.
The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Sales Forecasting 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
Successful business owners know that they don't know everything.
With your business being located in Belmont, Massachusetts, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any networking organizations for Belmont entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
Most new Belmont businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Belmont businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Belmont, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Belmont, Massachusetts
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Belmont.
- Resources for Belmont, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Belmont 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.
- Belmont, Massachusetts Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Belmont, Massachusetts newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Belmont area.
- Belmont, Massachusetts Payroll Services - This list includes Belmont, Massachusetts payroll services, national payroll services for Belmont, and helpful information on choosing a Belmont payroll service.
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