Starting a Business in Brighton, Massachusetts

Thinking about starting a business in Brighton, Massachusetts? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Brighton.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Before you get too far along in the process, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Brighton. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
• Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Brighton. Some businesses will do better in Brighton than others. Don't forget to review Brighton demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Brighton, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	8078
5-9 Employees	2919
10-19 Employees	1554
20-49 Employees	1155
50-99 Employees	651
100-249 Employees	420
250-499 Employees	84
500-999 Employees	126
1000+ Employees	42
All Brighton Businesses	15029

As a new Brighton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Brighton 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	1
Architectural Services	3
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	2
Beauty Salons	8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	6
Business Associations	1
Cafeterias	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	3
Charter Bus Industry	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	5
Civic and Social Organizations	4
Claims Adjusting	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	3
Commercial Photography	1
Computer and Software Stores	2
Computer Systems Design Services	6
Computer Training	3
Consumer Lending	1
Convenience Stores	8
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	1
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing	1
Couriers	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	11
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	3
Discount Department Stores	1
Display Advertising	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	10
Educational Support Services	1
Electrical Contractors	5
Elementary and Secondary Schools	7
Engineering Services	5
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Fine Arts Schools	3
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	6
Flooring Contractors	2
Florists	4
Food Service Contractors	2
Formal Wear and Costume Rental	1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	24
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
General Automotive Repair	7
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	2
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Hardware Stores	2
Home Centers	1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	1
Home Health Care Services	3
Homes for the Elderly	2
Human Rights Organizations	1
Industrial Launderers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	12
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	12
Jewelry Stores	1
Landscaping Services	7
Language Schools	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	35
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	2
Locksmiths	1
Mail-Order Houses	2
Marketing Consulting Services	4
Medical Laboratories	4
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing	1
Nail Salons	2
New Car Dealers	2
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	8
Nursing Care Facilities	5
Office Administrative Services	4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	8
Offices of Chiropractors	3
Offices of Dentists	14
Offices of Lawyers	11
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	2
Paging	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	6
Periodical Publishers	3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	7
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	2
Professional Organizations	1
Public Relations Agencies	1
Repossession Services	1
Residential Property Managers	7
Residential Remodelers	8
Retail Bakeries	1
Roofing Contractors	2
Savings Institutions	4
Schiffli Machine Embroidery	1
Shoe Stores	3
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	10
Software Publishers	2
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Taxi Service	4
Television Broadcasting	1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Translation and Interpretation Services	1
Travel Agencies	4
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	4
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Voluntary Health Organizations	4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing	1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Brighton, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Due Diligence. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

Note on Brighton Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Brighton.

Should You Buy an Existing Brighton Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Brighton.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

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.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Brighton, it's very important that you make sure no other Massachusetts company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Brighton, 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. If you are starting a business in Massachusetts, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Massachusetts. As it turns out, 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 Offshore Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Brighton, Massachusetts, our information on Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Massachusetts.

Raising Funding for Your Venture

Getting your Brighton business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

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

For Brighton entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Brighton customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Music on Hold is a good read to get your marketing thoughts flowing. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Brighton or are selling to customers throughout Massachusetts, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Effective Sales Presentations offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Brighton, Massachusetts, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Brighton entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Brighton. 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.

We are here to help Brighton businesses to be successful. 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 Brighton, Massachusetts

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

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

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