Contemplating starting a business in Bristol, Connecticut? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Bristol.
Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Bristol. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- 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. 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.
Bristol, Connecticut Demographic Information
Bristol has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Bristol demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Bristol.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
16407 |
| 5-9 Employees |
6642 |
| 10-19 Employees |
4509 |
| 20-49 Employees |
2916 |
| 50-99 Employees |
1161 |
| 100-249 Employees |
702 |
| 250-499 Employees |
27 |
| 500-999 Employees |
27 |
| 1000+ Employees |
54 |
| All Bristol Businesses |
32445 |
As a new Bristol entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bristol 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 |
1 |
| Amusement and Theme Parks |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
8 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
3 |
| Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
22 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
8 |
| Books Printing |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
6 |
| Caterers |
4 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
6 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
7 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
4 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
3 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
8 |
| Copper Wire (except Mechanical) Drawing |
1 |
| Credit Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
4 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
4 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
7 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
12 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
9 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
5 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food Service Contractors |
6 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
5 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
36 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
5 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
17 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
8 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
3 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Pattern Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Valve Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
14 |
| Iron and Steel Forging |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
12 |
| Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
5 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
17 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
33 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
17 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Metal Stamping |
3 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
4 |
| Motor Vehicle Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
10 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
6 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
11 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
| Offices of Dentists |
23 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
21 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
4 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
3 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
12 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Pen and Mechanical Pencil Manufacturing |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
4 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
12 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
5 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
15 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
6 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Siding Contractors |
6 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
12 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
3 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Spring (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing |
2 |
| Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing |
12 |
| Steel Wire Drawing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
8 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
5 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
5 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
5 |
What About Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Bristol, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Franchising Pros and Cons. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Pepe's Mexican Restaurants and Dreamland BBQ Ribs. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Healthcare Franchises and Miscellaneous Franchises.
Note on Bristol Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Bristol.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Bristol Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Connecticut. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Bristol.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Forming a Company in Bristol, Connecticut
It's very important that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. The main advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.
The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.
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 Connecticut, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Connecticut. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
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 C Corp Versus S Corp. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Bristol, Connecticut, our information on Incorporating in Connecticut may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Connecticut.
The Art of Selling
Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Bristol or are selling to customers throughout Connecticut, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Closing Sales 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.
Never Give Up
You have a dream -- starting a business in Bristol. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Bristol 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 Bristol, Connecticut
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Bristol.
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