Open a Business in Catskill, New York

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

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading 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 a Desktop Publishing Employment Agencies Business guide or our Starting a Telecommunications Equipment & Systems Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Catskill. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Catskill. Study Catskill demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Catskill, New York Demographic Information

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

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

As a new Catskill entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Catskill 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.

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Catskill, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. 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 Opportunities in International Franchising. 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 Gumball Gourmet and Gymboree Play & Music. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Home Furnishings Franchises and Automotive Services Franchises.

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

Choosing a Company Name

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 Company.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Catskill, it's imperative that you check now that no other New York company is using the business name you want to use.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Presentations. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in New York.

Letting the World Know You Exist

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

You can learn all about marketing on our site. Advertising in the Yellow Pages 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.

How to Sell

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Catskill business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling Products on eBay 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.

Now It's Up To You

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

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

We are here to help Catskill businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Catskill, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

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

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

• Resources for Catskill, New York Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Catskill entrepreneurs.
• New York Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in New York.
• New York Small Business Development Center - The New York State Small Business Development Center delivers high quality business counseling and training to New Yorkers who want to start a business or improve the performance of an existing business.
• Catskill, New York Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Catskill, New York newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Catskill area.