New Jersey Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Jersey City, New Jersey

Are you starting a business in Jersey City, New Jersey? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Jersey City.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

An entrepreneurial life is demanding, much harder 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:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Jersey City. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Jersey City, New Jersey Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
8272
5-9 Employees
2147
10-19 Employees
1350
20-49 Employees
1077
50-99 Employees
465
100-249 Employees
273
250-499 Employees
90
500-999 Employees
39
1000+ Employees
27
All Jersey City Businesses
13740

As a new Jersey City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Jersey City 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
3
Ambulance Services
3
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
10
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
18
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
5
Barber Shops
5
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
73
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
5
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
2
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
4
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Caterers
8
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Charter Bus Industry
3
Child and Youth Services
3
Child Day Care Services
88
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
9
Claims Adjusting
7
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
33
Collection Agencies
3
Commercial Lithographic Printing
10
Commercial Photography
4
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
2
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
12
Computer Facilities Management Services
10
Computer Systems Design Services
46
Computer Training
2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
3
Consumer Lending
3
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
49
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Couriers
4
Credit Card Issuing
1
Credit Unions
8
Custom Computer Programming Services
84
Dance Companies
1
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Deep Sea Passenger Transportation
1
Dental Laboratories
4
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Digital Printing
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
4
Direct Mail Advertising
4
Discount Department Stores
2
Document Preparation Services
1
Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
54
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Educational Support Services
3
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
36
Elementary and Secondary Schools
22
Employment Placement Agencies
6
Envelope Manufacturing
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
12
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
12
Fish and Seafood Markets
7
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
19
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
9
Food Service Contractors
26
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
3
Framing Contractors
5
Freight Transportation Arrangement
32
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
9
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
13
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
22
General Automotive Repair
49
General Freight Trucking, Local
47
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
4
General Warehousing and Storage
15
Glass and Glazing Contractors
4
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
10
Gum and Wood Chemical Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
9
Heating Oil Dealers
3
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
11
Home Health Care Services
9
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Inland Water Passenger Transportation
2
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
34
Interior Design Services
6
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
5
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
28
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
26
Kidney Dialysis Centers
3
Land Subdivision
6
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
167
Limousine Service
8
Linen Supply
2
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
5
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
2
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marinas
4
Marine Cargo Handling
2
Marketing Consulting Services
12
Masonry Contractors
7
Materials Recovery Facilities
2
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
2
Media Representatives
2
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
17
Miscellaneous Intermediation
4
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Museums
3
Musical Groups and Artists
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
33
Navigational Services to Shipping
1
New Car Dealers
10
New Housing Operative Builders
2
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
14
Nursing Care Facilities
7
Office Administrative Services
16
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
6
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
14
Offices of Chiropractors
14
Offices of Dentists
77
Offices of Lawyers
109
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Other Holding Companies
7
Offices of Podiatrists
9
One-Hour Photofinishing
3
Open-End Investment Funds
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Optical Goods Stores
13
Outerwear Knitting Mills
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packing and Crating
3
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
11
Parking Lots and Garages
46
Passenger Car Rental
4
Payroll Services
5
Periodical Publishers
5
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
6
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
50
Photography Studios, Portrait
6
Political Organizations
2
Port and Harbor Operations
1
Portfolio Management
19
Private Mail Centers
3
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
2
Quick Printing
5
Radio Stations
5
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
9
Record Production
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
2
Residential Remodelers
23
Retail Bakeries
10
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
3
Rooming and Boarding Houses
2
Sales Financing
6
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Schiffli Machine Embroidery
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
8
Securities and Commodity Exchanges
1
Securities Brokerage
79
Security Guards and Patrol Services
8
Shoe Stores
36
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
40
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
3
Solid Waste Collection
6
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Tax Preparation Services
18
Taxi Service
3
Telecommunications Resellers
5
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
20
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
2
Tire Dealers
3
Tire Retreading
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
3
Tradebinding and Related Work
2
Travel Agencies
23
Used Car Dealers
14
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
16
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
6
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
16
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
21
Women's Clothing Stores
30

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Jersey City, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another New Jersey business.

Forming a Company in Jersey City, New Jersey

It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

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

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 New Jersey, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New Jersey. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Company Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Jersey City, New Jersey, our web page covering Incorporating in New Jersey may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New Jersey.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Raising money to fund your new Jersey City business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Jersey City entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of New Jersey Angel Investors and our List of New Jersey Venture Capital Firms.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

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

As an entrepreneur who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local New Jersey educational institutions. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Jersey City entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Jersey City, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Jersey City and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Jersey City, New Jersey

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in New Jersey

Starting a Business in Hopewell
Starting a Business in Kearny

Browse All Business Startup Guides for New Jersey
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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