Are you starting a business in Bennington, Vermont? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Bennington.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Bennington. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
Bennington, Vermont Demographic Information
Bennington has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Bennington demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Bennington.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3408 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1496 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1140 |
| 20-49 Employees |
576 |
| 50-99 Employees |
120 |
| 100-249 Employees |
144 |
| 250-499 Employees |
12 |
| 500-999 Employees |
36 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Bennington Businesses |
6932 |
As a new Bennington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bennington 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 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Beauty Salons |
4 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
3 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
7 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
6 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Doll and Stuffed Toy Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
4 |
| Electronic Capacitor Manufacturing |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Family Planning Centers |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
25 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
6 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
10 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
3 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
5 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
4 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
5 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
4 |
| Investment Advice |
3 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Landscaping Services |
7 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
15 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
3 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
7 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
12 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
13 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
5 |
| Periodical Publishers |
5 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
| Plastics Bag Manufacturing |
1 |
| Primary Battery Manufacturing |
2 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
5 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Tire Retreading |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Watch, Clock, and Part Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
What About Franchising Opportunities?
Visit the business district of Bennington and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
We highly recommend you investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Law. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Donatos Pizza, Inc. and Holiday Inn Worldwide. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Golf Franchises and Landscaping Franchises.
Note on Bennington Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Bennington.
Raising Money for Your Venture
Raising money to fund your new Bennington 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 Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Bennington entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Vermont Angel Investors and our List of Vermont Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Venture
To grow your Bennington business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Advertising Campaigns is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
The best entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Bennington, Vermont, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Vermont universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Bennington entrepreneurs.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Bennington. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Bennington and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Bennington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bennington, Vermont
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Bennington.
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