Starting a Business in Clifton, New Jersey

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Clifton. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Offset Reproductions & Printing Business guide or our Starting a Weaving Equipment & Supplies Retail Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Clifton. Some businesses will do better in Clifton than others. A critical consideration is whether Clifton demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Clifton, New Jersey Demographic Information

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

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

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

Examine a list of Clifton businesses and 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. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as How to Franchise a Business. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include OpenWorks and iSold It eBay Store. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Soccer Franchises and Bakery Franchises.

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

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Clifton business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Clifton entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of New Jersey Angel Investors and our List of New Jersey Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Clifton or are selling to customers throughout New Jersey, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Selling with Questions offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Some InterestingClifton Entrepreneurs

We're compiling a number of interviews with Clifton entrepreneurs. Enjoy!

• Interview with Creo Ludus Founder Dylan A. Tredrea

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Clifton. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Clifton and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Clifton, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Clifton, New Jersey

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

• Resources for Clifton, New Jersey Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Clifton entrepreneurs.
• New Jersey Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in New Jersey.
• New Jersey Small Business Development Center - The New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) network helps New Jersey small businesses expand operations, manage growth or launch new ventures. With offices in every county of the state, NJSBDC consultants help small business owners finance, market and manage their ventures.
• Clifton, New Jersey Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Clifton, New Jersey newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Clifton area.
• Clifton, New Jersey Payroll Services - This list includes Clifton, New Jersey payroll services, national payroll services for Clifton, and helpful information on choosing a Clifton payroll service.
• Clifton, New Jersey Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Clifton, New Jersey, such as business brokers in Clifton and other helpful information on how to buy a Clifton business.