Vermont Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Burlington, Vermont

Need help starting a business in Burlington, Vermont? We've got the information you need to open a business in Burlington.

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most new businesses do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, 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 Burlington. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Burlington, Vermont Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
39042
5-9 Employees
17010
10-19 Employees
12798
20-49 Employees
7614
50-99 Employees
2700
100-249 Employees
1674
250-499 Employees
540
500-999 Employees
162
1000+ Employees
54
All Burlington Businesses
81594

As a new Burlington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Burlington 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
8
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
12
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
20
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Book Stores
8
Breweries
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
9
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Caterers
4
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
6
Child Day Care Services
9
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Photography
3
Community Food Services
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Computer Training
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
15
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Credit Unions
6
Custom Computer Programming Services
15
Deep Sea Passenger Transportation
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
6
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
15
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
10
Environmental Consulting Services
5
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
12
Family Planning Centers
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Floor Covering Stores
2
Florists
6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
6
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
52
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
12
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
20
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Heating Oil Dealers
4
Historical Sites
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Human Rights Organizations
3
Inland Water Passenger Transportation
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investment Advice
5
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Janitorial Services
10
Jewelry Stores
10
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
11
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
42
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
7
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Markets
1
Media Buying Agencies
1
Mobile Food Services
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Production
7
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Museums
3
Musical Groups and Artists
4
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
4
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
2
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
6
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
9
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
21
Offices of Lawyers
84
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
One-Hour Photofinishing
3
Optical Goods Stores
3
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Parking Lots and Garages
4
Passenger Car Rental
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
4
Portfolio Management
8
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
2
Real Estate Credit
4
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Remediation Services
1
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Residential Property Managers
7
Residential Remodelers
15
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
6
Rooming and Boarding Houses
4
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
11
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Small Arms Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
3
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
3
Television Broadcasting
2
Temporary Shelters
5
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
3
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
2
Tour Operators
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
11
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
25
Wood Preservation
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Burlington Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Vermont. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Burlington.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Raising Funding for Your Business

Getting your Burlington business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Business Incubators.

For Burlington entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, browse our List of Vermont Angel Investors and our List of Vermont Venture Capital Firms.

Ramping Up Sales

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Burlington business to do well.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Anticipating Prospect Responses is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Burlington, 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 networking organizations for Burlington entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Burlington and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Burlington, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Burlington, Vermont

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

More Business Startup Guides for Vermont

Starting a Business in Bristol
Starting a Business in Charlotte

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

 

 

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