Starting a Business in Corona, New York

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Most new businesses fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

Talk to other entrepreneurs in Corona. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

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 Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Remember that you are opening your new business in Corona. Some businesses will do better in Corona than others. Study Corona demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Corona, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	8013
5-9 Employees	1239
10-19 Employees	684
20-49 Employees	594
50-99 Employees	189
100-249 Employees	90
250-499 Employees	45
500-999 Employees	9
1000+ Employees	0
All Corona Businesses	10863

As a new Corona entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Corona 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
Architectural Services	1
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	6
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	5
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	16
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Baked Goods Stores	2
Barber Shops	2
Beauty Salons	17
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	11
Blind and Shade Manufacturing	1
Cafeterias	1
Canvas and Related Product Mills	2
Car Washes	4
Caterers	2
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	8
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	3
Civic and Social Organizations	2
Clothing Accessories Stores	6
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	30
Commercial Bakeries	5
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Training	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	6
Couriers	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	3
Dental Laboratories	1
Direct Mail Advertising	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drafting Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Educational Support Services	1
Electrical Contractors	8
Elementary and Secondary Schools	3
Emergency and Other Relief Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	4
Finish Carpentry Contractors	7
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	3
Florists	3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Food Service Contractors	28
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers	2
Framing Contractors	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	4
Full-Service Restaurants	49
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	4
Furniture Stores	5
General Automotive Repair	41
General Freight Trucking, Local	12
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	7
Glass and Glazing Contractors	2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	3
Hardware Stores	5
Hazardous Waste Collection	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Household Appliance Stores	3
Human Rights Organizations	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	13
International Trade Financing	1
Internet Service Providers	2
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation	1
Janitorial Services	7
Jewelry Stores	10
Land Subdivision	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	38
Limousine Service	7
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	1
Locksmiths	1
Machine Shops	1
Mail-Order Houses	1
Masonry Contractors	4
Meat Markets	6
Meat Processed from Carcasses	1
Men's Clothing Stores	4
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing	2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
Motor Vehicle Towing	5
Museums	2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
Nail Salons	3
New Car Dealers	2
New Housing Operative Builders	2
News Dealers and Newsstands	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	15
Offices of Lawyers	5
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Podiatrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
One-Hour Photofinishing	3
Optical Goods Stores	2
Packing and Crating	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	9
Parking Lots and Garages	2
Payroll Services	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	17
Private Mail Centers	1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Remediation Services	1
Residential Property Managers	7
Residential Remodelers	14
Retail Bakeries	3
Savings Institutions	4
Sawmills	1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	2
Security Guards and Patrol Services	2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	11
Sign Manufacturing	3
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	10
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Sports Teams and Clubs	1
Tax Preparation Services	4
Taxi Service	5
Telecommunications Resellers	1
Temporary Shelters	3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Tire Dealers	4
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing	1
Travel Agencies	14
Used Car Dealers	7
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Voluntary Health Organizations	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Window Treatment Stores	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	12
Women's Clothing Stores	18
Zoos and Botanical Gardens	1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Corona, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

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

Should You Buy an Existing Corona Business?

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

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

Choosing a Company Name

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.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.

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

Company Formation in Corona, New York

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

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. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in New York, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New York. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Incorporating Online. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Corona, New York, our information on Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

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

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Getting your Corona 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.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Credit Evaluation.

For Corona entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of New York Angel Investors and our List of New York Venture Capital Firms.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Business

To grow your Corona business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Marketing Versus Sales discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Bring in Revenues

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads 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.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Corona, New York, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local New York educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any networking organizations for Corona entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

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

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 Corona and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Corona, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

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

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

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

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