Are you starting a business in Ridgefield, Connecticut? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Ridgefield.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess 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.
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Ridgefield. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading 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 Starting a High School guide or our How to Start a Traffic Schools Business guide.
Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Ridgefield. Some businesses will do better in Ridgefield than others. Don't forget to review Ridgefield demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Ridgefield, Connecticut Demographic Information
Ridgefield has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Ridgefield demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Ridgefield.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
4761 |
| 5-9 Employees |
1383 |
| 10-19 Employees |
774 |
| 20-49 Employees |
414 |
| 50-99 Employees |
162 |
| 100-249 Employees |
36 |
| 250-499 Employees |
9 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
9 |
| All Ridgefield Businesses |
7548 |
As a new Ridgefield entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Ridgefield 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 |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
11 |
|
Art Dealers |
4 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
12 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
7 |
| Book Publishers |
1 |
|
Book Stores |
1 |
| Books Printing |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills |
1 |
| Broadwoven Fabric Mills |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
|
Caterers |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
11 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
5 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Commodity Contracts Dealing |
1 |
|
Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
10 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
14 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
|
Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
4 |
| Electrical Contractors |
9 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
|
Elementary and Secondary Schools |
3 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
5 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
3 |
| Facilities Support Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
|
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
10 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
3 |
| Food Service Contractors |
5 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
3 |
|
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
29 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
|
Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
5 |
| Graphic Design Services |
7 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
5 |
| Historical Sites |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
|
Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Design Services |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
10 |
| Interior Design Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
8 |
| Janitorial Services |
1 |
|
Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Land Subdivision |
3 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
27 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
9 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
4 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
21 |
|
Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
3 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
2 |
|
Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
7 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
3 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
|
Office Administrative Services |
4 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
8 |
| Offices of Dentists |
18 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
23 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
|
Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
3 |
|
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
5 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Portfolio Management |
6 |
| Power-Driven Handtool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
2 |
|
Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Record Production |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
4 |
| Residential Remodelers |
16 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
10 |
| Securities Brokerage |
7 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
|
Site Preparation Contractors |
5 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
11 |
| Software Publishers |
4 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
5 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
|
Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Web Search Portals |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
8 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
|
Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
5 |
Should You Franchise?
As you drive around Ridgefield, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Five Franchise Opportunities To Watch. 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 Griswold Special Care and AlphaGraphics Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cleaning and Maintenance Franchises and Personal Services Franchises.
Note on Ridgefield Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Ridgefield, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Naming the Company
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Ridgefield, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Connecticut business.
The Role of the Business Plan
A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Connecticut.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Ridgefield. 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.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Ridgefield and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Ridgefield, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Ridgefield, Connecticut
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Ridgefield.
- Resources for Ridgefield, Connecticut Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Ridgefield 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.
- Ridgefield, Connecticut Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Ridgefield, Connecticut newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Ridgefield area.
- Ridgefield, Connecticut Payroll Services - This list includes Ridgefield, Connecticut payroll services, national payroll services for Ridgefield, and helpful information on choosing a Ridgefield payroll service.
- Ridgefield, Connecticut Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Ridgefield, Connecticut, such as business brokers in Ridgefield and other helpful information on how to buy a Ridgefield business.
More Business Startup Guides for Connecticut
Starting a Business in Putnam
Starting a Business in Rocky Hill
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Connecticut
Starting a Business
Guides for Other States
