Are you starting a business in Lawrence, Massachusetts? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Lawrence.
Which Business to Choose?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Evaluating Your Idea.
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 Music Producers Business guide or our How to Start a Paper Shredding Services Business guide.
Remember that starting a business in Lawrence has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Lawrence than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Lawrence demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Lawrence, Massachusetts Demographic Information
Lawrence has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Lawrence demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Lawrence.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
10356 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3834 |
| 10-19 Employees |
2394 |
| 20-49 Employees |
2142 |
| 50-99 Employees |
774 |
| 100-249 Employees |
450 |
| 250-499 Employees |
126 |
| 500-999 Employees |
18 |
| 1000+ Employees |
18 |
| All Lawrence Businesses |
20112 |
As a new Lawrence entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lawrence 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 |
| Abrasive Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Adhesive Manufacturing |
3 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Armored Car Services |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
3 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
9 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
6 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
21 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
9 |
| Carpet and Rug Mills |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
11 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
15 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
| Collection Agencies |
3 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
3 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
4 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
3 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
| Computer Training |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
13 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
6 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
6 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
12 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
6 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
5 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
5 |
| Engineering Services |
8 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
2 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
5 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Florists |
5 |
| Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
6 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
31 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
6 |
| General Automotive Repair |
20 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
1 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
5 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
4 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Hydroelectric Power Generation |
1 |
| Ice Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
18 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
11 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
6 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
36 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Luggage Manufacturing |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
3 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Metal Can Manufacturing |
1 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
4 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
1 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
7 |
| Offices of Dentists |
19 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
45 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
4 |
| Paper (except Newsprint) Mills |
1 |
| Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing |
2 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
8 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Payroll Services |
3 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
10 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Plastics Bag Manufacturing |
1 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Prepress Services |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
8 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
6 |
| Retail Bakeries |
4 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
5 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
6 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
2 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
4 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
4 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing |
1 |
| Software Reproducing |
1 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
2 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Surface Active Agent Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Taxi Service |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
10 |
| Temporary Shelters |
3 |
| Testing Laboratories |
4 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Tire Dealers |
5 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Used Car Dealers |
6 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
4 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
6 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Wineries |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Lawrence and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Sharkey’s Cuts for Kids and Cafe Fondue Franchise Systems Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Travel and Leisure Franchises and Bath Remodeling Franchises.
Note on Lawrence Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Lawrence.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
Writing a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Massachusetts.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Company
To rise above the crowd in Lawrence and build your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Dealing with Angry Customers 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.
The Art of Selling
Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Lawrence business to do well.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
The Art of Customer Referrals is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Now It's Up To You
Most new Lawrence businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
We are here to help Lawrence businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Lawrence entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Lawrence, Massachusetts
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Lawrence.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Massachusetts
Starting a Business in Jefferson
Starting a Business in Leominster
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Massachusetts
