Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Provincetown, Massachusetts

Contemplating starting a business in Provincetown, Massachusetts? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Provincetown.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Ventriloquists Business guide or our Starting a Rerefined Oils Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Provincetown. Some businesses will do better in Provincetown than others. A critical consideration is whether Provincetown demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Provincetown, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1092
5-9 Employees
140
10-19 Employees
63
20-49 Employees
33
50-99 Employees
3
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Provincetown Businesses
1331

As a new Provincetown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Provincetown 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Art Dealers
17
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
2
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
27
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Book Publishers
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Caterers
3
Child and Youth Services
1
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Community Food Services
2
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Convenience Stores
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
6
Electrical Contractors
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Family Clothing Stores
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Full-Service Restaurants
42
Furniture Stores
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
21
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
2
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Household Appliance Stores
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
2
Jewelry Stores
8
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
17
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Marinas
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
2
Offices of Lawyers
4
Optical Goods Stores
1
Parking Lots and Garages
3
Payroll Services
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
2
Retail Bakeries
2
Savings Institutions
2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shellfish Fishing
2
Shoe Stores
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Solid Waste Collection
2
Taxi Service
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Women's Clothing Stores
7

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

Visit the business district of Provincetown and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to look into purchasing a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Selling A Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Wheel Fun Rentals and Shape Up Sisters. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Candy and Chocolate Franchises and IT Training Franchises.

Note on Provincetown Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Provincetown, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Provincetown Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Provincetown.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Provincetown, Massachusetts

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will select one of many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Massachusetts, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Massachusetts. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Provincetown, Massachusetts, our web page covering Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.

Getting the Word Out About Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract Provincetown customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Avoiding Bad Product Launches discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Provincetown and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Provincetown, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Provincetown, Massachusetts

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

More Startup Articles for Massachusetts Cities

Starting a Business in Plymouth
Starting a Business in Quincy

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Massachusetts
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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