Vermont Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Barre, Vermont
Thinking about starting a business in Barre, Vermont? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Barre.
What Business Are You Starting?
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Evaluating Your Idea.
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 How to Start a Home Finding Services Business guide or our Opening a Mufflers & Exhaust Systems Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Don't forget that starting a business in Barre has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Barre. Study Barre demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Barre, Vermont Demographic Information
Barre has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Barre demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Barre.
Businesses
As a new Barre entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Barre 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.
Businesses
Is Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around Barre, 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 consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Why Franchises Fail. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include 1-800-GOT-JUNK? and Just Fresh Franchise Systems, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as B2B Franchises and Hair Styling Franchises.
Note on Barre Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Barre.
Picking a Company Name
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.
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.
On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Barre, it's imperative that you check now that no other Vermont company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan
A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, 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. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Vermont.
Startup Financing Basics
Getting your Barre business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.
For Barre entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Vermont Angel Investors and our List of Vermont Venture Capital Firms.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
The best business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Barre, Vermont, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Vermont universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any Barre networking organizations.
Next Steps
Most new Barre businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Barre and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Barre 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 Barre, Vermont
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Barre.
- Resources for Barre, Vermont Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Barre entrepreneurs.
- Vermont Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Vermont.
- Vermont Small Business Development Center - The mission of Vermont Small Business Development Centers is to strengthen existing business entities and assist start-ups with high-quality, no-cost counseling and affordable training programs.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Vermont
Starting a Business in Barton
Browse All Business Startup Guides for Vermont
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs