Start a Business in Chatham, Massachusetts

Are you starting a business in Chatham, Massachusetts? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Chatham.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Being an entrepreneur is demanding, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

• Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Chatham. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
• Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
• Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Which Business to Choose?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Finding Your Niche in Life.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Milk & Milk Products Wholesale Business guide or our How to Start a Pharmacists' Temporary Help Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Chatham has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Chatham than others. A critical consideration is whether Chatham demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Chatham, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	3794
5-9 Employees	1008
10-19 Employees	441
20-49 Employees	189
50-99 Employees	84
100-249 Employees	21
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Chatham Businesses	5537

As a new Chatham entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Chatham 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
Architectural Services	2
Art Dealers	3
Baked Goods Stores	1
Beauty Salons	2
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Book Stores	3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	1
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Civic and Social Organizations	3
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage	1
Community Food Services	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	1
Copper Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Electronic Shopping	1
Engineering Services	1
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	2
Fine Arts Schools	2
Finfish Fishing	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	2
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing	1
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing	1
Full-Service Restaurants	11
General Automotive Repair	2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	10
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Hardware Stores	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	3
Interior Design Services	1
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	3
Land Subdivision	2
Landscaping Services	11
Libraries and Archives	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	8
Marinas	3
Masonry Contractors	1
Medical Laboratories	1
Museums	1
New Car Dealers	1
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	4
Offices of Lawyers	5
Offices of Optometrists	2
Optical Goods Stores	1
Payroll Services	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	6
Savings Institutions	2
Securities Brokerage	1
Shellfish Fishing	5
Shoe Stores	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	6
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Window Treatment Stores	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	6

Should You Buy an Existing Chatham Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Chatham.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Business

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Chatham, it's critical that you ensure that no Massachusetts company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Obtaining startup financing for your Chatham business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

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

For Chatham entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, browse our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in Chatham, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

We are here to help Chatham businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Chatham entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Chatham, Massachusetts

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

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

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