Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts

Thinking about starting a business in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in East Longmeadow.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new businesses fail, in part because the founder did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in East Longmeadow. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

East Longmeadow, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
743
5-9 Employees
264
10-19 Employees
201
20-49 Employees
156
50-99 Employees
36
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
3
All East Longmeadow Businesses
1439

As a new East Longmeadow entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in East Longmeadow 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
Adhesive Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
9
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Car Washes
1
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Claims Adjusting
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Convenience Stores
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Electrical Contractors
9
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
7
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
14
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
14
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
13
Machine Shops
3
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
2
Meat Markets
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Lawyers
5
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Plastics Bottle Manufacturing
1
Quick Printing
4
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
6
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
6
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
4
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Testing Laboratories
3
Tire Dealers
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Veterinary Services
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write 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 Massachusetts.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your East Longmeadow business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Choosing VC Firms.

For East Longmeadow entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in East Longmeadow and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Exhibiting at Tradeshows 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.

Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Skills

The best business owners know that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any East Longmeadow networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

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 East Longmeadow and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in East Longmeadow, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts

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

More Startup Articles for Massachusetts Cities

Starting a Business in Duxbury
Starting a Business in Easthampton

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

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary