Thinking about starting a business in Brunswick, Maine? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Brunswick.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you are ready to take on this challenge?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Brunswick. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- 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. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Brunswick, Maine Demographic Information
Brunswick has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Brunswick demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Brunswick.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
9240 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3990 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1995 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1533 |
| 50-99 Employees |
273 |
| 100-249 Employees |
315 |
| 250-499 Employees |
42 |
| 500-999 Employees |
21 |
| 1000+ Employees |
21 |
| All Brunswick Businesses |
17430 |
As a new Brunswick entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Brunswick 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 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
4 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
10 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Boat Building |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
5 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Breweries |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
2 |
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
11 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
6 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
3 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
9 |
| Credit Unions |
4 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
5 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
6 |
| Electronic Shopping |
3 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
2 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
13 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
3 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
5 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
29 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
4 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
10 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
11 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Libraries and Archives |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
16 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marinas |
3 |
| Masonry Contractors |
4 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
3 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nonwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
20 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
16 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
4 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
4 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
8 |
| Sawmills |
1 |
| Seafood Canning |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Shellfish Fishing |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
14 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Textile Bag Mills |
1 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
2 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
4 |
| Travel Agencies |
4 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
4 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around Brunswick, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Credit and Franchise Purchasing. 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 4 Pillars Consulting Group and Hunting Lease Network. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Environmental Testing Franchises and IT Franchises.
Note on Brunswick Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Brunswick.
Selecting a Name For Your Business
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.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Brunswick, it's critical that you ensure that no other Maine company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Maine.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Brunswick 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.
Take advantage of our many articles on finding startup capital, such as Bank Credit Lines.
For Brunswick entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of Maine Angel Investors and our List of Maine Venture Capital Firms.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Brunswick, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Brunswick and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Brunswick, Maine
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Brunswick.
- Resources for Brunswick, Maine Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Brunswick 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.
- Brunswick, Maine Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Brunswick, Maine newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Brunswick area.
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