Are you starting a business in Montclair, New Jersey? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Montclair.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
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 Montclair. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Evaluating Your Idea.
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 Health Resorts Business guide or our Opening a Sports Information & Reports Business guide.
Remember that your new startup will be located in Montclair. If Montclair already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Make sure you fully understand Montclair demographics before you lock in on your business idea.
Montclair, New Jersey Demographic Information
Montclair has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Montclair demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Montclair.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
7965 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2007 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1044 |
| 20-49 Employees |
567 |
| 50-99 Employees |
207 |
| 100-249 Employees |
90 |
| 250-499 Employees |
18 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
9 |
| All Montclair Businesses |
11907 |
As a new Montclair entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Montclair 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 |
| Architectural Services |
13 |
| Art Dealers |
5 |
| Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
26 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
9 |
| Book Publishers |
2 |
| Book Stores |
4 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Caterers |
4 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
5 |
| Child Day Care Services |
15 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
8 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
4 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Photography |
5 |
| Commodity Contracts Dealing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
8 |
| Computer Training |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
8 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
3 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
21 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
3 |
| Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
5 |
| Electronic Shopping |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
8 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
6 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
5 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
6 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
4 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
6 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
53 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
3 |
| General Automotive Repair |
10 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
8 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
4 |
| Graphic Design Services |
12 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| HMO Medical Centers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Home Health Care Services |
7 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
3 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
10 |
| Interior Design Services |
10 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
2 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
9 |
| Janitorial Services |
8 |
| Jewelry Stores |
5 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
12 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
40 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
16 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
14 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
3 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
3 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
10 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
3 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Administrative Services |
6 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
8 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
8 |
| Offices of Dentists |
33 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
55 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
3 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
3 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paging |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
4 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
4 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
4 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
5 |
| Portfolio Management |
3 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
5 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
12 |
| Quick Printing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
6 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Record Production |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Repossession Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
9 |
| Retail Bakeries |
4 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Rope, Cordage, and Twine Mills |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
4 |
| Securities Brokerage |
5 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
9 |
| Software Publishers |
3 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
4 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
5 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
8 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
9 |
| Zoos and Botanical Gardens |
1 |
Should You Franchise?
As you drive around Montclair, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Franchise Due Diligence. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Atlantic City Sub Shops and Hooters of America, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Tanning Franchises and Healthcare Services Franchises.
Note on Montclair Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Montclair.
Should You Buy an Existing Montclair Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in New Jersey. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Montclair.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Montclair business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Credit Evaluation.
For Montclair entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of New Jersey Angel Investors and our List of New Jersey Venture Capital Firms.
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in Montclair. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Montclair and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Montclair 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 Montclair, New Jersey
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Montclair.
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