New Hampshire Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Nashua, New Hampshire

Are you starting a business in Nashua, New Hampshire? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Nashua.

What Business to Start

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 Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 Industrial Control Instruments Business guide or our Starting a Rubber Reclaiming Business guide.

Remember that starting a business in Nashua has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Nashua. A critical consideration is whether Nashua demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Nashua, New Hampshire Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
18015
5-9 Employees
8055
10-19 Employees
6240
20-49 Employees
4320
50-99 Employees
1575
100-249 Employees
870
250-499 Employees
195
500-999 Employees
30
1000+ Employees
75
All Nashua Businesses
39375

As a new Nashua entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Nashua 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
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
2
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
14
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
43
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Building
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
9
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Burial Casket Manufacturing
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Caterers
4
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
18
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
6
Civic and Social Organizations
12
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
7
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
3
Community Food Services
5
Computer and Software Stores
11
Computer Facilities Management Services
4
Computer Systems Design Services
52
Confectionery and Nut Stores
4
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convenience Stores
13
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Credit Card Issuing
1
Credit Unions
6
Curtain and Drapery Mills
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
58
Dance Companies
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
3
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Discount Department Stores
4
Display Advertising
1
Drafting Services
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
9
Educational Support Services
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
22
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
2
Electronic Shopping
6
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
5
Engineering Services
22
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
16
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
7
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
14
Flight Training
3
Floor Covering Stores
6
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
6
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
13
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
16
General Automotive Repair
31
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
24
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
2
Greeting Card Publishers
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
1
Historical Sites
1
HMO Medical Centers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
9
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
3
Home Health Care Services
6
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
5
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
2
Industrial Launderers
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
30
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
4
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
9
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
22
Land Subdivision
5
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
33
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
8
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
70
Limousine Service
3
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Locksmiths
3
Machine Shops
19
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
11
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Metal Stamping
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
3
Narrow Fabric Mills
1
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
15
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
9
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
5
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
20
Offices of Dentists
60
Offices of Lawyers
68
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
10
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
3
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
11
Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing
1
Passenger Car Rental
3
Payroll Services
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
5
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
12
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
2
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
7
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
7
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
11
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Residential Remodelers
22
Retail Bakeries
4
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Sales Financing
3
Savings Institutions
10
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
18
Siding Contractors
4
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
26
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Collection
3
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
17
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Tax Preparation Services
5
Taxi Service
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Temporary Help Services
20
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
2
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
7
Tobacco Stores
1
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
3
Travel Agencies
8
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
9
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
5
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
27
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
17

Choosing a Company 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.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Nashua, it's very important that you make sure no other New Hampshire company is using the business name you want to use.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. 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. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in New Hampshire.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Nashua business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Business Incubators.

For Nashua entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of New Hampshire Angel Investors and our List of New Hampshire Venture Capital Firms.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To rise above the crowd in Nashua and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Advertising Campaigns is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Next Steps

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

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 Nashua and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Nashua, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Nashua, New Hampshire

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

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