New York Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Binghamton, New York

Contemplating starting a business in Binghamton, New York? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Binghamton.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

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:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Binghamton. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • You should read Starting a Company. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Binghamton, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2454
5-9 Employees
1191
10-19 Employees
810
20-49 Employees
576
50-99 Employees
177
100-249 Employees
108
250-499 Employees
30
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
6
All Binghamton Businesses
5358

As a new Binghamton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Binghamton 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
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Apprenticeship Training
2
Architectural Services
8
Armored Car Services
1
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
4
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
19
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
23
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
4
Book Stores
2
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
4
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
2
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child and Youth Services
5
Child Day Care Services
12
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
14
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
9
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
4
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
5
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
47
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
16
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Engineering Services
12
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
3
Family Planning Centers
2
Fine Arts Schools
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
8
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
7
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
13
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
58
Furniture Stores
10
General Automotive Repair
22
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
3
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
7
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
3
Historical Sites
1
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
1
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
28
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
2
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
9
Jewelry Stores
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
11
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
63
Limousine Service
3
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
2
Logging
3
Machine Shops
7
Mail-Order Houses
2
Masonry Contractors
3
Materials Recovery Facilities
2
Mobile Food Services
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
5
Museums
3
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Nail Salons
2
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
4
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
6
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Dentists
31
Offices of Lawyers
61
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
7
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Outerwear Knitting Mills
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
7
Parking Lots and Garages
10
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
2
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
12
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Political Organizations
2
Portfolio Management
1
Prepress Services
3
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
4
Public Relations Agencies
1
Radio Stations
2
Railroad Rolling Stock Manufacturing
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Remediation Services
1
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
13
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
3
Savings Institutions
4
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
2
School and Employee Bus Transportation
3
Securities Brokerage
13
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Solid Waste Collection
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
10
Taxi Service
3
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
14
Temporary Shelters
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
10
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
2
Travel Agencies
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Vending Machine Operators
3
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
5
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
8
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Yarn Spinning Mills
1
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

Visit the business district of Binghamton and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

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.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include City Wok and Minuteman Press International, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Bath Remodeling Franchises and Environmental Testing Franchises.

Note on Binghamton Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Binghamton, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Choosing a Company Name

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 should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Binghamton, it's very important that you make sure no other New York company is using the business name you want to use.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Having a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, 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.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in New York.

Marketing Your New Company

To grow your Binghamton business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Advertising on the Web 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.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Successful entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

With your business being located in Binghamton, New York, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New York universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Binghamton entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Binghamton. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

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 Binghamton and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Binghamton entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Binghamton, New York

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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