Starting a Business in Medford, New Jersey

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most startup businesses don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

Talk to other entrepreneurs in Medford. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
Have a candid conversation with friends and family. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, 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 Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

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

Medford, New Jersey Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	9018
5-9 Employees	3384
10-19 Employees	1890
20-49 Employees	1170
50-99 Employees	198
100-249 Employees	72
250-499 Employees	72
500-999 Employees	18
1000+ Employees	0
All Medford Businesses	15822

As a new Medford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Medford 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
Advertising Agencies	4
Ambulance Services	1
Amusement Arcades	1
Architectural Services	8
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	17
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	1
Canvas and Related Product Mills	1
Car Washes	3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	4
Caterers	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores	1
Civic and Social Organizations	4
Claims Adjusting	1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	4
Commercial Photography	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Computer Facilities Management Services	1
Computer Systems Design Services	9
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	4
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services	2
Custom Computer Programming Services	19
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers	1
Direct Mail Advertising	1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	1
Display Advertising	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drafting Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Educational Support Services	2
Electrical Contractors	15
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Employment Placement Agencies	1
Engineering Services	16
Environmental Consulting Services	4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring	1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fine Arts Schools	4
Finish Carpentry Contractors	6
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	13
Flight Training	2
Floor Covering Stores	2
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	2
Food Service Contractors	5
Framing Contractors	3
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	18
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
General Automotive Repair	6
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	8
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	3
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Heating Oil Dealers	2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Health Care Services	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Hunting and Trapping	1
Ice Manufacturing	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	19
Interior Design Services	2
Internet Service Providers	1
Investment Advice	3
Janitorial Services	7
Jewelry Stores	4
Land Subdivision	1
Landscape Architectural Services	5
Landscaping Services	19
Limited-Service Restaurants	27
Limousine Service	1
Machine Shops	3
Mail-Order Houses	2
Marketing Consulting Services	2
Masonry Contractors	5
Meat Markets	1
Media Representatives	1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing	1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	4
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Musical Groups and Artists	1
Nail Salons	4
New Car Dealers	1
New Housing Operative Builders	4
Newspaper Publishers	2
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	8
Offices of Chiropractors	8
Offices of Dentists	23
Offices of Lawyers	22
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Podiatrists	5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers	2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Packaging and Labeling Services	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	5
Payroll Services	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores	2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	6
Photography Studios, Portrait	2
Private Mail Centers	2
Professional Organizations	3
Public Relations Agencies	1
Real Estate Credit	4
Remediation Services	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	16
Retail Bakeries	1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Roofing Contractors	2
Sales Financing	1
Savings Institutions	3
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	3
Shoe Stores	1
Siding Contractors	1
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	4
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	4
Tax Preparation Services	1
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Testing Laboratories	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	3
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	7
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	13
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	3
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Should You Franchise?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Medford and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Franchise Marketing Support. 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.

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

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Medford Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in New Jersey. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Medford.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.

Choosing a Business Name

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.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

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

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Medford, it's imperative that you check now that no other New Jersey company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Medford, New Jersey

It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. 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. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in New Jersey, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New Jersey. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Medford, New Jersey, our information on Incorporating in New Jersey may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New Jersey.

The Role of the Business Plan

Writing a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in New Jersey.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Medford business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Medford entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of New Jersey Angel Investors and our List of New Jersey Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

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

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Marketing Versus Sales 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.

Bring in Revenues

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

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Effective Sales Presentations 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

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

As an entrepreneur who lives in Medford, New Jersey, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New Jersey universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Medford entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Medford and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Medford 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 Medford, New Jersey

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

Resources for Medford, New Jersey Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Medford entrepreneurs.
New Jersey Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in New Jersey.
New Jersey Small Business Development Center - The New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) network helps New Jersey small businesses expand operations, manage growth or launch new ventures. With offices in every county of the state, NJSBDC consultants help small business owners finance, market and manage their ventures.
Medford, New Jersey Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Medford, New Jersey newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Medford area.

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