Rhode Island Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Jamestown, Rhode Island

Need help starting a business in Jamestown, Rhode Island? We've got the information you need to open a business in Jamestown.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Finding Your Niche in Life.

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

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Jamestown has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Jamestown than others. Don't forget to review Jamestown demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Jamestown, Rhode Island Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5840
5-9 Employees
912
10-19 Employees
864
20-49 Employees
384
50-99 Employees
96
100-249 Employees
48
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Jamestown Businesses
8144

As a new Jamestown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Jamestown 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
Art Dealers
1
Beauty Salons
1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
5
Electronic Shopping
1
Engineering Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Florists
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
4
General Automotive Repair
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Interior Design Services
1
Janitorial Services
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
4
Marinas
4
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Museums
1
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Residential Remodelers
10
Savings Institutions
1
Shellfish Fishing
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1

Should You Buy an Existing Jamestown Business?

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

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Jamestown, Rhode Island

It's essential 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.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Rhode Island, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Rhode Island. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in any state you would like to. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

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 Pre-Incorporation Agreements. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Jamestown, Rhode Island, our web page covering Incorporating in Rhode Island may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Rhode Island.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Having a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

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

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

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

Given that you are starting a business in Jamestown, Rhode Island, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Rhode Island universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for Jamestown entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Jamestown and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Jamestown, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Jamestown, Rhode Island

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

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