Contemplating starting a business in Meriden, Connecticut? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Meriden.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Evaluating Your Idea.
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 Opening a Mud Trap Service Business guide or our Starting a Pet Care Services Business guide.
Remember that you are starting a business in Meriden. Some businesses will do better in Meriden than others. Don't forget to review Meriden demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Meriden, Connecticut Demographic Information
Meriden has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Meriden demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Meriden.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
5286 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2376 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1629 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1017 |
| 50-99 Employees |
351 |
| 100-249 Employees |
360 |
| 250-499 Employees |
54 |
| 500-999 Employees |
36 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Meriden Businesses |
11109 |
As a new Meriden entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Meriden 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 |
5 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
2 |
| Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
|
Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
2 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
7 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
23 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
12 |
| Blind and Shade Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
3 |
|
Cemeteries and Crematories |
3 |
| Child and Youth Services |
4 |
| Child Day Care Services |
10 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
10 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
3 |
|
Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
6 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
2 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
|
Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
7 |
| Copper Rolling, Drawing, and Extruding |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
5 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
|
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
5 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
8 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
|
Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
15 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
10 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
|
Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
3 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
3 |
|
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
33 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
7 |
| General Automotive Repair |
16 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
|
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
7 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
1 |
|
Heating Oil Dealers |
9 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
3 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
2 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
|
Human Rights Organizations |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
17 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
7 |
| Jewelry Stores |
12 |
| Landscaping Services |
15 |
|
Limited-Service Restaurants |
46 |
| Limousine Service |
3 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
6 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
5 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
1 |
|
Meat Markets |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Metal Stamping |
4 |
| Mineral Wool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
4 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
|
New Car Dealers |
10 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
8 |
| Office Administrative Services |
4 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
|
Offices of Dentists |
25 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
23 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
6 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
|
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
5 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
6 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
3 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
|
Quick Printing |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
7 |
| Residential Remodelers |
12 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
|
Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
3 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
7 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
|
Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Silverware and Hollowware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
16 |
| Soft Drink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
9 |
|
Storage Battery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
5 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
11 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
|
Travel Agencies |
4 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
2 |
|
Watch, Clock, and Part Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
5 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
12 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
19 |
What About Buying an Existing Meriden Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Connecticut. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Meriden.
If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
Having a business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Connecticut.
Raising Money for Your Startup
Getting your Meriden business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as 504 Loans.
For Meriden entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of Connecticut Angel Investors and our List of Connecticut Venture Capital Firms.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Meriden, Connecticut, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Connecticut universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Meriden entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Moving Forward
Most new Meriden 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 Meriden and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Meriden, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Meriden, Connecticut
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Meriden.
- Resources for Meriden, Connecticut Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Meriden 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.
- Meriden, Connecticut Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Meriden, Connecticut newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Meriden area.
- Meriden, Connecticut Payroll Services - This list includes Meriden, Connecticut payroll services, national payroll services for Meriden, and helpful information on choosing a Meriden payroll service.
- Meriden, Connecticut Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Meriden, Connecticut, such as business brokers in Meriden and other helpful information on how to buy a Meriden business.
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