Contemplating starting a business in Biddeford, Maine? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Biddeford.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Good Business Ideas.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting an Asphalt & Asphalt Products Business guide or our Opening an Unfurnished Apartments Rental Business guide.
Remember that starting a business in Biddeford has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Biddeford than others. Make sure you fully understand Biddeford demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Biddeford, Maine Demographic Information
Biddeford has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Biddeford demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Biddeford.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1132 |
| 5-9 Employees |
423 |
| 10-19 Employees |
270 |
| 20-49 Employees |
168 |
| 50-99 Employees |
72 |
| 100-249 Employees |
21 |
| 250-499 Employees |
6 |
| 500-999 Employees |
6 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Biddeford Businesses |
2101 |
As a new Biddeford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Biddeford 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 |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
8 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
6 |
| Boat Building |
3 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
10 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
3 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
3 |
| Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
4 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
4 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
17 |
| Electronic Capacitor Manufacturing |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
8 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
| Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
24 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
11 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
7 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
2 |
| Industrial Valve Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
8 |
| Internet Service Providers |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
10 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
9 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
18 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
3 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
9 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
15 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
7 |
| Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
1 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
15 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
5 |
| Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
2 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
| Textile Bag Mills |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tobacco Stores |
3 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Naming the Company
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.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Biddeford, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Maine business.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
Having a business plan is essential 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. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Mistakes. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Maine.
Building Up Your Sales
Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Biddeford business to do well.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Selling on the Phone 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.
Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
With your business being located in Biddeford, Maine, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Maine universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Biddeford entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Now It's Up To You
Most new Biddeford 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.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Biddeford and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Biddeford, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Biddeford, Maine
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Biddeford.
- Resources for Biddeford, Maine Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Biddeford 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.
- Biddeford, Maine Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Biddeford, Maine newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Biddeford area.
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