Starting a Business in Manchester, Connecticut

Thinking about starting a business in Manchester, Connecticut? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Manchester.

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Most new ventures do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you start your 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:

• Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Manchester. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
• Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
• Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

What Business to Start

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

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Manchester. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Manchester. Don't forget to review Manchester demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Manchester, Connecticut Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	36499
5-9 Employees	16524
10-19 Employees	12903
20-49 Employees	8160
50-99 Employees	3417
100-249 Employees	1938
250-499 Employees	306
500-999 Employees	51
1000+ Employees	51
All Manchester Businesses	79849

As a new Manchester entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Manchester 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
Adhesive Manufacturing	1
Advertising Agencies	2
Ambulance Services	1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	3
Apprenticeship Training	1
Architectural Services	1
Art Dealers	2
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	4
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	8
Automotive Transmission Repair	3
Baked Goods Stores	4
Barber Shops	1
Beauty Salons	24
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	12
Book Stores	4
Bowling Centers	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	4
Cable and Other Program Distribution	2
Cafeterias	2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores	2
Car Washes	3
Caterers	4
Cemeteries and Crematories	3
Child and Youth Services	3
Child Day Care Services	11
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	6
Civic and Social Organizations	6
Clothing Accessories Stores	4
Commercial Lithographic Printing	5
Commercial Screen Printing	3
Computer and Software Stores	5
Computer Systems Design Services	10
Confectionery and Nut Stores	3
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining	1
Consumer Lending	2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	7
Cosmetology and Barber Schools	1
Couriers	1
Credit Unions	6
Custom Computer Programming Services	5
Dental Laboratories	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers	1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers	4
Discount Department Stores	2
Display Advertising	1
Document Preparation Services	2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	6
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	5
Electrical Contractors	16
Elementary and Secondary Schools	4
Engineering Services	5
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	2
Facilities Support Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	11
Family Planning Centers	1
Fine Arts Schools	3
Finish Carpentry Contractors	6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	10
Floor Covering Stores	6
Flooring Contractors	3
Florists	6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	4
Food Service Contractors	5
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers	1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental	2
Framing Contractors	3
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	65
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers	5
Furniture Stores	16
General Automotive Repair	18
General Freight Trucking, Local	4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	3
General Warehousing and Storage	3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	14
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Grantmaking Foundations	2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing	2
Hardware Stores	5
Heating Oil Dealers	8
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	6
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	4
Homes for the Elderly	2
Household Appliance Stores	4
Industrial Launderers	1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing	4
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	30
Internet Service Providers	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	17
Jewelry Stores	13
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	16
Lead Pencil and Art Good Manufacturing	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	55
Locksmiths	1
Machine Shops	7
Mail-Order Houses	4
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	3
Meat Processed from Carcasses	2
Media Buying Agencies	1
Medical Laboratories	1
Men's Clothing Stores	4
Metal Heat Treating	1
Mobile Food Services	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	3
Motion Picture and Video Production	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	2
Motorcycle Dealers	2
Museums	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	3
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	11
New Housing Operative Builders	4
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	2
Nursing Care Facilities	3
Office Administrative Services	4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	8
Offices of Chiropractors	5
Offices of Dentists	35
Offices of Lawyers	34
Offices of Optometrists	7
Offices of Podiatrists	4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	2
Optical Goods Stores	7
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	9
Payroll Services	2
Periodical Publishers	2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	5
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	9
Photography Studios, Portrait	6
Political Organizations	1
Portfolio Management	1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing	1
Printing Ink Manufacturing	1
Private Mail Centers	2
Professional Organizations	1
Quick Printing	4
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Remediation Services	3
Residential Property Managers	4
Residential Remodelers	8
Retail Bakeries	2
Roofing Contractors	3
Savings Institutions	14
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	3
Septic Tank and Related Services	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	12
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	13
Solid Waste Collection	1
Special Needs Transportation	1
Sporting Goods Stores	11
Sports and Recreation Instruction	3
Tax Preparation Services	6
Telephone Answering Services	1
Temporary Help Services	3
Testing Laboratories	3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	1
Tire Dealers	2
Tobacco Stores	2
Translation and Interpretation Services	1
Travel Agencies	4
Used Car Dealers	8
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	3
Used Merchandise Stores	4
Vending Machine Operators	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	4
Voluntary Health Organizations	2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	9
Window Treatment Stores	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	17

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Manchester, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

Our advice is to look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

Note on Manchester Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Manchester.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Manchester Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Connecticut. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Manchester.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Selecting a Name For Your Venture

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

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.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Manchester, it's imperative that you check now that no other Connecticut company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Manchester, Connecticut

A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. 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. Just because you are starting a business in Connecticut, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Connecticut. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Incorporating Online. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Manchester, Connecticut, our information on Incorporating in Connecticut may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Connecticut.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Presentations. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Connecticut.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Manchester business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. 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 raising capital, such as Borrowing Money from Friends and Family.

For Manchester entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, we have assembled a List of Connecticut Angel Investors and our List of Connecticut Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Company

To grow your Manchester business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. 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 a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Building Up Your Sales

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Manchester business to do well.

Not knowing how to sell can result in lost customers and minimal market share. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling Stuff on the Web offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

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

With your business being located in Manchester, Connecticut, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Connecticut universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Manchester entrepreneurs.

Never Give Up

Most new Manchester businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Manchester businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Manchester 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 Manchester, Connecticut

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

• Resources for Manchester, Connecticut Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Manchester 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.
• Manchester, Connecticut Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Manchester, Connecticut newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Manchester area.

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