Thinking about starting a business in Great Barrington, Massachusetts? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Great Barrington.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Running your own business is difficult, and can be orders of magnitude more strenuous than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Great Barrington. 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.
Great Barrington, Massachusetts Demographic Information
Great Barrington has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Great Barrington demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Great Barrington.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
767 |
| 5-9 Employees |
255 |
| 10-19 Employees |
156 |
| 20-49 Employees |
120 |
| 50-99 Employees |
30 |
| 100-249 Employees |
12 |
| 250-499 Employees |
6 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Great Barrington Businesses |
1346 |
As a new Great Barrington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Great Barrington 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 |
2 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
4 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Beauty Salons |
2 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
|
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
4 |
| Book Publishers |
5 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Carpet and Rug Mills |
1 |
|
Caterers |
3 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
|
Computer Training |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
8 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
|
Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
1 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
2 |
|
Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
|
Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
|
Heating Oil Dealers |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Hunting and Trapping |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
4 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
|
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
7 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
5 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
|
Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
3 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
|
Nonwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
7 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
15 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
|
Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
4 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
|
Shoe Stores |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Skiing Facilities |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
3 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
|
Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
7 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
|
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
4 |
Have You Considered Franchising?
Visit the business district of Great Barrington and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
Most business experts recommend that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Buying an Existing Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Tubby's Sub Shops and HOT Choice. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Embroidery Franchises and Meal Preparation Franchises.
Note on Great Barrington Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Great Barrington.
Naming the Business
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.
Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Great Barrington, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Massachusetts business.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Raising money to fund your new Great Barrington business is a difficult chore. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Microlending as a Small Business Funding Source.
For Great Barrington entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.
The Art of Selling
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Great Barrington business, you need to focus on sales.
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.
Anticipating Prospect Responses offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Moving Forward
As an entrepreneur in Great Barrington, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Great Barrington businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Great Barrington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Great Barrington, Massachusetts
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Great Barrington.
- Resources for Great Barrington, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Great Barrington entrepreneurs.
- Massachusetts Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts Small Business Development Center - The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network provides one-to-one free comprehensive and confidential services focusing on, business growth and strategies, financing and loan assistance as well as strategic, marketing and operational analysis.
- Great Barrington, Massachusetts Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Great Barrington, Massachusetts newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Great Barrington area.
- Great Barrington, Massachusetts Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Great Barrington, Massachusetts area radio stations.
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