Are you starting a business in Groton, Connecticut? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Groton.
Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?
Most new businesses do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Groton. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 How to Start a Lamp Shades Retailer guide or our How to Start an Industrial & Commercial Sandblasting Business guide.
Remember that starting a business in Groton has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Groton. Don't forget to review Groton demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Groton, Connecticut Demographic Information
Groton has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Groton demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Groton.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3784 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1536 |
| 10-19 Employees |
972 |
| 20-49 Employees |
792 |
| 50-99 Employees |
300 |
| 100-249 Employees |
108 |
| 250-499 Employees |
36 |
| 500-999 Employees |
12 |
| 1000+ Employees |
12 |
| All Groton Businesses |
7552 |
As a new Groton entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Groton 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 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
|
Beauty Salons |
10 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
8 |
| Boat Dealers |
3 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
2 |
|
Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
11 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
|
Computer Facilities Management Services |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
7 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Credit Unions |
8 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
6 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
|
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
6 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
9 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
|
Facilities Support Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Flight Training |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
2 |
|
Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
3 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
7 |
|
General Rental Centers |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
|
Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Industrial Pattern Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
8 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
|
Landscaping Services |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
28 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
2 |
| Marinas |
5 |
|
Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Navigational Services to Shipping |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
|
Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
16 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
13 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
|
Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
5 |
|
Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
3 |
| Residential Remodelers |
2 |
|
Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
5 |
| Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Ship Building and Repairing |
3 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
|
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
8 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Steel Investment Foundries |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
5 |
|
Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
4 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
4 |
|
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
Is Franchising a Better Option?
Examine a list of Groton businesses and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including The Disadvantages of Franchise Ownership. 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 ComputerTots/Computer Explorers and Leadership Management. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Wine Franchises and Framing Store Franchises.
Note on Groton Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Groton.
Marketing Your New Startup
To grow your Groton business, you need a excellent marketing plan.
You can learn a ton about marketing on our site. Advertising on Buses discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Successful business owners recognize that they don't know everything.
With your business being located in Groton, Connecticut, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Connecticut universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Groton entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
Most new Groton 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 Groton and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Groton, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Groton, Connecticut
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Groton.
- Resources for Groton, Connecticut Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Groton 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.
- Groton, Connecticut Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Groton, Connecticut newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Groton area.
- Groton, Connecticut Payroll Services - This list includes Groton, Connecticut payroll services, national payroll services for Groton, and helpful information on choosing a Groton payroll service.
- Groton, Connecticut Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Groton, Connecticut, such as business brokers in Groton and other helpful information on how to buy a Groton business.
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