Starting a Business in Forest Hills, New York

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Forest Hills. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
• 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. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Free Business Ideas.

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 Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Remember that you are opening your new business in Forest Hills. Some businesses will do better in Forest Hills than others. A critical consideration is whether Forest Hills demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Forest Hills, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	22050
5-9 Employees	4515
10-19 Employees	2430
20-49 Employees	1095
50-99 Employees	495
100-249 Employees	165
250-499 Employees	15
500-999 Employees	30
1000+ Employees	30
All Forest Hills Businesses	30825

As a new Forest Hills entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Forest Hills 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
Advertising Agencies	5
Apprenticeship Training	1
Architectural Services	4
Automobile Driving Schools	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	1
Baked Goods Stores	2
Barber Shops	5
Beauty Salons	37
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	6
Boat Dealers	1
Book Stores	2
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills	1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	2
Child and Youth Services	2
Child Day Care Services	5
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Clothing Accessories Stores	4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	6
Collection Agencies	2
Commercial Bakeries	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Photography	1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage	1
Commodity Contracts Dealing	2
Community Food Services	2
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Facilities Management Services	2
Computer Systems Design Services	31
Computer Training	2
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Convenience Stores	6
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	2
Couriers	1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services	2
Credit Bureaus	1
Credit Unions	2
Curtain and Drapery Mills	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	23
Dental Laboratories	4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	6
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers	2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Document Preparation Services	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	7
Educational Support Services	3
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	6
Electronic Shopping	2
Elementary and Secondary Schools	7
Employment Placement Agencies	6
Engineering Services	5
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring	2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	8
Fine Arts Schools	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	7
Fish and Seafood Markets	3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	9
Floor Covering Stores	3
Flooring Contractors	2
Florists	6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	5
Food Service Contractors	3
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair	1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental	1
Framing Contractors	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	6
Full-Service Restaurants	65
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	5
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers	2
Furniture Stores	3
General Automotive Repair	3
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	2
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	8
Grantmaking Foundations	1
Graphic Design Services	2
Hardware Stores	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	2
Home Health Care Services	7
Household Appliance Stores	6
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	15
Interior Design Services	1
International Trade Financing	1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting	1
Investigation Services	2
Investment Advice	2
Janitorial Services	2
Jewelry Stores	7
Junior Colleges	2
Land Subdivision	1
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	3
Limited-Service Restaurants	56
Limousine Service	6
Locksmiths	1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores	3
Mail-Order Houses	1
Marketing Consulting Services	6
Meat Markets	4
Medical Laboratories	1
Men's Clothing Stores	4
Miscellaneous Intermediation	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
Motion Picture and Video Production	4
Museums	1
Musical Groups and Artists	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	3
Nail Salons	17
Narrow Fabric Mills	1
New Car Dealers	2
New Housing Operative Builders	1
News Dealers and Newsstands	9
News Syndicates	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	9
Nursing Care Facilities	3
Office Administrative Services	10
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	12
Offices of Chiropractors	9
Offices of Dentists	103
Offices of Lawyers	101
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Other Holding Companies	2
Offices of Podiatrists	9
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Optical Goods Stores	9
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	7
Parking Lots and Garages	13
Passenger Car Rental	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	28
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Political Organizations	1
Portfolio Management	2
Private Mail Centers	2
Professional Employer Organizations	1
Professional Organizations	2
Public Relations Agencies	3
Quick Printing	2
Real Estate Credit	5
Real Estate Investment Trusts	1
Remediation Services	1
Repossession Services	1
Residential Property Managers	21
Residential Remodelers	16
Retail Bakeries	7
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	2
Roofing Contractors	1
Savings Institutions	10
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	6
Security Guards and Patrol Services	1
Shoe Stores	9
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	19
Software Publishers	3
Special Needs Transportation	5
Sporting Goods Stores	6
Sports and Recreation Instruction	3
Tax Preparation Services	6
Taxi Service	28
Telecommunications Resellers	2
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Telephone Answering Services	2
Temporary Help Services	3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	2
Tour Operators	3
Translation and Interpretation Services	1
Travel Agencies	9
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	3
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	2
Web Search Portals	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	13
Window Treatment Stores	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	5
Women's Clothing Stores	18

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Forest Hills, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Tradeshows. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

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

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Forest Hills Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in New York. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Forest Hills.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Naming the Company

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.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Forest Hills, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another New York business.

Forming a Company in Forest Hills, New York

It's very important 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.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating 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. If you are starting a business in New York, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New York. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Forest Hills, New York, our web page covering Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in New York.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Raising money to fund your new Forest Hills business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Find Start-Up Capital.

For Forest Hills entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of New York Angel Investors and our List of New York Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Forest Hills customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Pros and Cons of Advertising is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Bring in Revenues

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

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales Techniques 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.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Forest Hills, New York, you should check out some of the learning programs at local New York educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Forest Hills entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Forest Hills businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Forest Hills, New York

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

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

More Startup Articles for New York Cities
Starting a Business in Flushing
Starting a Business in Fort Drum

Browse All Business Startup Guides for New York