New York Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Canton, New York

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

Which Business to Choose?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 an Industrial Gas Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our Starting a Metal Cutting Coolants & Systems Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Canton. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Canton. Make sure you fully understand Canton demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Canton, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
6270
5-9 Employees
2520
10-19 Employees
1575
20-49 Employees
855
50-99 Employees
270
100-249 Employees
135
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
45
1000+ Employees
45
All Canton Businesses
11715

As a new Canton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Canton 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
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
4
Claims Adjusting
1
Convenience Stores
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Family Planning Centers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Full-Service Restaurants
13
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
5
General Rental Centers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
7
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
1
Landscaping Services
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
5
Locksmiths
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
New Car Dealers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Lawyers
10
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Professional Organizations
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
1
Shoe Stores
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
5
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Canton Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in New York. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Canton.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Company Formation in Canton, New York

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. Just because you are starting a business in New York, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New York. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Piercing the Corporate Veil. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Canton, New York, our information on Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Presentations. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in New York.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To rise above the crowd in Canton and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Examples of Marketing Strategies discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Next Steps

Most new Canton businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Canton and throughout the United States . 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 Canton, New York

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

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