Opening a Business in Ellsworth, Maine

Contemplating starting a business in Ellsworth, Maine? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Ellsworth.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Good Business Ideas.

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 Portable Sawmills Business guide or our How to Start a Water Well Abandonment Service Business guide.

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

Ellsworth, Maine Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	7704
5-9 Employees	2608
10-19 Employees	1704
20-49 Employees	1392
50-99 Employees	216
100-249 Employees	192
250-499 Employees	0
500-999 Employees	24
1000+ Employees	0
All Ellsworth Businesses	13840

As a new Ellsworth entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ellsworth 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	1
Art Dealers	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Beauty Salons	3
Boat Building	3
Boat Dealers	1
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Civic and Social Organizations	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Community Food Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Convenience Stores	4
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	1
Couriers	1
Credit Unions	1
Curtain and Drapery Mills	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electrical Contractors	6
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	2
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	6
Floor Covering Stores	2
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Framing Contractors	1
Fruit and Vegetable Canning	1
Full-Service Restaurants	22
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	8
General Automotive Repair	4
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	5
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Graphic Design Services	2
Heating Oil Dealers	3
Historical Sites	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	3
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Hydroelectric Power Generation	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	9
Interior Design Services	1
Internet Service Providers	1
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	2
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	9
Limited-Service Restaurants	11
Locksmiths	1
Logging	8
Machine Shops	1
Mail-Order Houses	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Men's Clothing Stores	1
Miscellaneous Intermediation	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	3
Motor Vehicle Towing	2
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
New Car Dealers	6
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nonferrous Forging	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	7
Offices of Chiropractors	3
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	22
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Podiatrists	2
Optical Goods Stores	2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Passenger Car Rental	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Plate Work Manufacturing	1
Political Organizations	1
Portfolio Management	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Professional Organizations	1
Quick Printing	1
Radio Stations	8
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Recreational Goods Rental	1
Remediation Services	1
Residential Remodelers	5
Retail Bakeries	1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Sales Financing	1
Savings Institutions	2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation	1
Shellfish Fishing	1
Ship Building and Repairing	2
Shoe Stores	3
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Solid Waste Collection	2
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	2
Tax Preparation Services	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Temporary Shelters	2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Tire Dealers	2
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	2
Used Car Dealers	7
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	4
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Voluntary Health Organizations	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	3
Women's Clothing Stores	2
Zoos and Botanical Gardens	1

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Ellsworth, 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. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Evaluating Franchise Opportunities. 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 Speedy Transmission Centers and HomeTask Handyman Services. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Wedding Franchises and Hardware Store Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Ellsworth Business?

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

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Company Formation in Ellsworth, Maine

It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation 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 Maine, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Maine. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

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 Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Ellsworth, Maine, our information on Incorporating in Maine may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Maine.

How to Sell

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Sales Prospecting 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.

What's Next?

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

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Ellsworth and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Ellsworth 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 Ellsworth, Maine

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

• Resources for Ellsworth, Maine Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ellsworth entrepreneurs.
• Maine Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Maine.
• Maine Small Business Development Center - Maine Small Business Development Centers and its technology-focused group, the Maine Small Business & Technology Development Centers, provide comprehensive business management assistance, training, resource and information services to Maine's entrepreneurs and small business owners.
• Ellsworth, Maine Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Ellsworth, Maine newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Ellsworth area.
• Ellsworth, Maine Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Ellsworth, Maine area radio stations.

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