Rhode Island Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Bristol, Rhode Island

Are you starting a business in Bristol, Rhode Island? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Bristol.

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Most new ventures fail, in part because the business owner did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Bristol. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

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? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Radiation Physics Services Business guide or our Starting a Forgings Business guide.

Don't forget that your new business will be in Bristol. Some businesses will do better in Bristol than others. Make sure you fully understand Bristol demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Bristol, Rhode Island Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
9430
5-9 Employees
2910
10-19 Employees
2160
20-49 Employees
1110
50-99 Employees
420
100-249 Employees
150
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
30
All Bristol Businesses
16210

As a new Bristol entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bristol 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
Ambulance Services
1
Architectural Services
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
6
Boat Building
9
Boat Dealers
2
Book Stores
4
Business Associations
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Carpet and Rug Mills
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Computer Training
1
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Roll Forming
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Engineering Services
6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finfish Fishing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fish and Seafood Markets
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
4
Food Service Contractors
4
Framing Contractors
2
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
24
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
9
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Manufacturing
1
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscaping Services
21
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
14
Marinas
3
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Metal Stamping
2
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Optical Goods Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
6
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
2
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
13
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
2
Sawmills
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Tax Preparation Services
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Yarn Spinning Mills
1

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Bristol, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Law. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include Park Plaza Hotels and Resorts and Crestcom International, Ltd.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Employment and Staffing Franchises and Auto Repair Franchises.

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

Startup Financing Basics

Obtaining startup financing for your Bristol business is not an easy task. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as How Much Venture Capital Is There?.

For Bristol entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, you'll want to take a look at our List of Rhode Island Angel Investors and our List of Rhode Island Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

To grow your Bristol business, you need a excellent marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Comparing Advertising to PR discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Bristol, Rhode Island, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local Rhode Island educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Bristol entrepreneurs.

Now It's Up To You

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

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

We are here to help Bristol businesses to be successful. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bristol, Rhode Island

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

More Business Startup Guides for Rhode Island

Starting a Business in Block Island
Starting a Business in Coventry

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Rhode Island
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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