New York Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Grand Island, New York

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

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

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

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Grand Island. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Grand Island, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1328
5-9 Employees
366
10-19 Employees
210
20-49 Employees
156
50-99 Employees
66
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Grand Island Businesses
2174

As a new Grand Island entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Grand Island 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
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Boat Building
1
Boat Dealers
4
Bowling Centers
1
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
4
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Commercial Photography
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Convenience Stores
1
Couriers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
4
Engineering Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
10
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
6
Internet Service Providers
1
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Janitorial Services
5
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
13
Machine Shops
2
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Media Representatives
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
5
Optical Goods Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Phosphatic Fertilizer Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Residential Remodelers
13
Savings Institutions
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Veterinary Services
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Grand Island and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is franchising maybe a better way for you to start your business?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising My Business. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more 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 Grand Island Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Grand Island.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Raising money to fund your new Grand Island business 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.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Grand Island entrepreneurs who need startup capital, 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 Company

Whether your goal is to attract Grand Island customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. PR Versus Advertising is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Building Up Your Sales

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

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

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

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Grand Island. 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 Grand Island businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Grand Island, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Grand Island, New York

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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