Starting a Business in Mansfield, Massachusetts

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Mansfield. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Choosing the Right Company to Start

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 Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Mansfield. If Mansfield already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Don't forget to review Mansfield demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Mansfield, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	8100
5-9 Employees	2268
10-19 Employees	1755
20-49 Employees	1350
50-99 Employees	621
100-249 Employees	432
250-499 Employees	81
500-999 Employees	27
1000+ Employees	0
All Mansfield Businesses	14634

As a new Mansfield entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mansfield 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
Ambulance Services	1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	3
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	9
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	5
Book Stores	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business and Secretarial Schools	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Caterers	1
Child Day Care Services	11
Civic and Social Organizations	1
Claims Adjusting	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	2
Commercial Bakeries	1
Commercial Photography	1
Computer and Software Stores	3
Computer Facilities Management Services	2
Computer Systems Design Services	10
Computer Training	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	3
Credit Unions	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	11
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	4
Electrical Contractors	6
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Employment Placement Agencies	1
Engineering Services	8
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	1
Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing	1
Fine Arts Schools	2
Finish Carpentry Contractors	7
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	6
Floor Covering Stores	2
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	1
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing	1
Food Service Contractors	6
Framing Contractors	3
Full-Service Restaurants	13
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	8
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
General Warehousing and Storage	7
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Manufacturing	1
Hardware Stores	1
Heating Oil Dealers	2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	3
Homes for the Elderly	1
Household Appliance Stores	2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	6
Interior Design Services	1
Investigation Services	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	4
Landscape Architectural Services	1
Landscaping Services	9
Limited-Service Restaurants	10
Limousine Service	1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	1
Machine Shops	3
Mail-Order Houses	1
Marketing Consulting Services	2
Masonry Contractors	2
Meat Markets	1
Medical Laboratories	1
Metal Stamping	1
Mobile Food Services	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	2
New Car Dealers	3
New Housing Operative Builders	2
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nonwoven Fabric Mills	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	4
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	9
Offices of Lawyers	11
Offices of Optometrists	1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Portfolio Management	1
Printing Ink Manufacturing	1
Public Relations Agencies	1
Radio Stations	1
Real Estate Credit	3
Remediation Services	1
Residential Property Managers	5
Residential Remodelers	8
Roofing Contractors	1
Savings Institutions	2
Securities Brokerage	4
Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	2
Siding Contractors	2
Site Preparation Contractors	5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	3
Software Publishers	2
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	4
Steel Wire Drawing	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Telephone Answering Services	1
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing	1
Temporary Help Services	4
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	2
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Mansfield, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including How to Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing 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 Mansfield Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Mansfield, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Mansfield Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Mansfield.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

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.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Mansfield, it's imperative that you check now that no other Massachusetts company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Mansfield, Massachusetts

A critical step is ensuring 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.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

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. If you are starting a business in Massachusetts, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Massachusetts. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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 How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Mansfield, Massachusetts, our information on Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Massachusetts.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Mansfield business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Mansfield entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Startup

Whether your goal is to attract Mansfield customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a excellent marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Yellow Pages Advertising Advice 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 a must if you want your new Mansfield business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Cold Call Selling is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Mansfield, Massachusetts, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Mansfield entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Mansfield, Massachusetts

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

• Resources for Mansfield, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Mansfield entrepreneurs.
• Massachusetts Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Massachusetts.
• Massachusetts Small Business Development Center - The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network provides one-to-one free comprehensive and confidential services focusing on, business growth and strategies, financing and loan assistance as well as strategic, marketing and operational analysis.
• Mansfield, Massachusetts Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Mansfield, Massachusetts newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Mansfield area.

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