Are you starting a business in Lincoln, Maine? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Lincoln.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at How to Evaluate a Business Idea.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Court Reporting Schools Business guide or our Opening a Leaded Art Glass Business guide.
Don't forget that you are starting a business in Lincoln. Some businesses will do better in Lincoln than others. Make sure you fully understand Lincoln demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Lincoln, Maine Demographic Information
Lincoln has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Lincoln demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Lincoln.
| Business Size | # of Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
3672 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1656 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1008 |
| 20-49 Employees |
612 |
| 50-99 Employees |
216 |
| 100-249 Employees |
72 |
| 250-499 Employees |
36 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Lincoln Businesses |
7272 |
As a new Lincoln entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lincoln 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 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
2 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
5 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
1 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
3 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
4 |
| Logging |
15 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
4 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
5 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paper (except Newsprint) Mills |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
1 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Sawmills |
4 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
Have You Considered Franchising?
As you drive around Lincoln, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?
Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising 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 JerkQ'zine and Certigard (Petro Canada). Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Carpet Care Franchises and Deli Restaurant Franchises.
Note on Lincoln Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Lincoln, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
What About Buying an Existing Lincoln Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Maine. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Lincoln.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Choosing a Company Name
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.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Lincoln, it's imperative that you check now that no other Maine company is using the business name you want to use.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Company
To grow your Lincoln business, you need a excellent marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Never Give Up
Most new Lincoln 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 Lincoln businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Lincoln, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Lincoln, Maine
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Lincoln.
- Resources for Lincoln, Maine Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Lincoln entrepreneurs.
- Maine Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Maine.
- Maine Small Business Development Center - Maine Small Business Development Centers and its technology-focused group, the Maine Small Business & Technology Development Centers, provide comprehensive business management assistance, training, resource and information services to Maine's entrepreneurs and small business owners.
- Lincoln, Maine Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Lincoln, Maine newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Lincoln area.
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