Thinking about starting a business in New Providence, New Jersey? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in New Providence.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 an Attic and Basement Finishing Business guide or our How to Start a Wholesaler or Manufacturer of Ladders guide.
Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in New Providence. Some businesses will do better in New Providence than others. Only by spending some time analyzing New Providence demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
New Providence, New Jersey Demographic Information
New Providence has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for New Providence demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in New Providence.
| Business Size | # of Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1324 |
| 5-9 Employees |
312 |
| 10-19 Employees |
312 |
| 20-49 Employees |
228 |
| 50-99 Employees |
54 |
| 100-249 Employees |
48 |
| 250-499 Employees |
24 |
| 500-999 Employees |
12 |
| 1000+ Employees |
6 |
| All New Providence Businesses |
2320 |
As a new New Providence entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in New Providence 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 |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
3 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
7 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
|
Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
5 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
|
Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Commodity Contracts Dealing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
10 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
6 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
13 |
|
Digital Printing |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
2 |
| Educational Support Services |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
7 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
7 |
|
Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
7 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
4 |
|
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
8 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
|
General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
7 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
1 |
|
Investment Advice |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
14 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
3 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
5 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
|
Meat Markets |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
|
Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
5 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
10 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
6 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
|
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
7 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
1 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
|
Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
7 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
3 |
| Software Publishers |
4 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
|
Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Naming the Company
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.
Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in New Providence, it's imperative that you check now that no other New Jersey company is using the business name you want to use.
The Role of the Business Plan
Having a business plan is essential to the health of your new business. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in New Jersey.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your New Providence 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 504 Loans.
For New Providence entrepreneurs who need startup capital, browse our List of New Jersey Angel Investors and our List of New Jersey Venture Capital Firms.
Learning More About Entrepreneurship
The best entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in New Providence, 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 beneficial to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which New Providence entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Never Give Up
Most new New Providence businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in New Providence and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new New Providence 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 New Providence, New Jersey
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in New Providence.
- Resources for New Providence, New Jersey Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist New Providence 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.
- New Providence, New Jersey Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for New Providence, New Jersey newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the New Providence area.
- New Providence, New Jersey Payroll Services - This list includes New Providence, New Jersey payroll services, national payroll services for New Providence, and helpful information on choosing a New Providence payroll service.
- New Providence, New Jersey Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in New Providence, New Jersey, such as business brokers in New Providence and other helpful information on how to buy a New Providence business.
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