Ohio Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Massillon, Ohio

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

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 Massillon. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • 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. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

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 an Auto Suspension Parts Business guide or our Starting a Health Resorts Business guide.

Don't forget that you are opening your new business in Massillon. Some businesses will do better in Massillon than others. Don't forget to review Massillon demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Massillon, Ohio Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1767
5-9 Employees
747
10-19 Employees
462
20-49 Employees
312
50-99 Employees
138
100-249 Employees
81
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Massillon Businesses
3531

As a new Massillon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Massillon 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
Aluminum Die-Casting Foundries
2
Ambulance Services
1
Armored Car Services
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Beauty Salons
22
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
4
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child Day Care Services
11
Civic and Social Organizations
16
Clay Refractory Manufacturing
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
5
Credit Unions
6
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Digital Printing
1
Dimension Stone Mining and Quarrying
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
18
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
3
Electrical Contractors
17
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Floor Covering Stores
4
Florists
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
27
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
17
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
4
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
5
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Launderers
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
16
Janitorial Services
15
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscaping Services
19
Limited-Service Restaurants
42
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
7
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Can Manufacturing
1
Metal Heat Treating
1
Mobile Food Services
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Museums
1
Nail Salons
3
New Car Dealers
7
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
6
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
16
Offices of Lawyers
21
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Prepress Services
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
4
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
8
Retail Bakeries
4
Roofing Contractors
6
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
5
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
3
Sign Manufacturing
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Tax Preparation Services
4
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Testing Laboratories
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
7
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Tour Operators
1
Used Car Dealers
9
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
8
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
2

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Massillon, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Benefits of Owning A Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include Scotts Lawn Service and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Travel and Leisure Franchises and Bath Remodeling Franchises.

Note on Massillon Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Massillon, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Picking a Business 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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Massillon, it's very important that you make sure no other Ohio company is using the business name you want to use.

Promoting Your New Startup

To grow your Massillon business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Advertising Campaigns is a good read to get your marketing creativity flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Building Up Your Sales

Being able to sell is essential to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Massillon or are selling to customers throughout Ohio, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Writing Great Proposals offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Massillon. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Massillon 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 Massillon, Ohio

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

  • Resources for Massillon, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Massillon entrepreneurs.
  • Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
  • Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.

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