New York Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Gowanda, New York

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

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Gowanda. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • 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. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Gowanda, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
213
5-9 Employees
87
10-19 Employees
27
20-49 Employees
36
50-99 Employees
15
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Gowanda Businesses
384

As a new Gowanda entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Gowanda 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
3
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Credit Unions
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Family Planning Centers
1
Florists
1
Full-Service Restaurants
5
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Home Centers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Landscaping Services
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
4
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
New Car Dealers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Lawyers
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Shoe Stores
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Steel Wire Drawing
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tobacco Stores
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Gowanda, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Evaluating Franchise Opportunities. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Truly Nolen of America and Cartridge World. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Consulting Franchises and Franchises that Serve Liquor.

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

Forming a Company in Gowanda, New York

A critical step is ensuring that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in New York, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in New York. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Subchapter S Corporations. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Gowanda, New York, our information on Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.

Startup Financing Basics

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Gowanda business will be harder than you might expect. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Angel Investors.

For Gowanda entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, you'll want to take a look at our List of New York Angel Investors and our List of New York Venture Capital Firms.

Selling Tips

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Gowanda or are selling to customers throughout New York, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Sales Prospecting is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Gowanda. 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Gowanda and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Gowanda, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Gowanda, New York

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

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