Starting a Business in Glastonbury, Connecticut

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

• Talk to other entrepreneurs in Glastonbury. Get their take on what it's really like to be 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Glastonbury. If Glastonbury already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. A critical consideration is whether Glastonbury demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Glastonbury, Connecticut Demographic Information

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

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

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

What About Franchising Opportunities?

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

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Five Franchise Opportunities To Watch. 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 Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Glastonbury Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Connecticut. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Glastonbury.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Naming the Company

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Glastonbury, it's very important that you make sure no other Connecticut company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Glastonbury, Connecticut

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be 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 Connecticut, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Connecticut. In fact, you are allowed to 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 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 Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Glastonbury, Connecticut, our information on Incorporating in Connecticut may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Connecticut.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Presentations. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Connecticut.

Raising Money for Your Business

Getting your Glastonbury business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. 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 Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Glastonbury entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Connecticut Angel Investors and our List of Connecticut Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Glastonbury customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.

We have some excellent resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Viral Marketing is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

The Art of Selling

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

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Cold Call Selling is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Glastonbury, Connecticut, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Connecticut universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Glastonbury networking organizations.

Moving Forward

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

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Glastonbury, Connecticut

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

• Resources for Glastonbury, Connecticut Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Glastonbury entrepreneurs.
• Connecticut Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Connecticut.
• Connecticut Small Business Development Center - Central Connecticut State University's Institute of Technology and Business Development (ITBD) supports Connecticut businesses and business-related organizations with training, technology assistance, conferencing services, procurement services and business incubation.
• Glastonbury, Connecticut Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Glastonbury, Connecticut newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Glastonbury area.