Maryland Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Greenbelt, Maryland

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

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Bank Auditing & Consulting Firm guide or our How to Start a Residential Care Facilities Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Greenbelt. Some businesses will do better in Greenbelt than others. Make sure you fully understand Greenbelt demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Greenbelt, Maryland Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
996
5-9 Employees
480
10-19 Employees
294
20-49 Employees
273
50-99 Employees
93
100-249 Employees
96
250-499 Employees
24
500-999 Employees
15
1000+ Employees
6
All Greenbelt Businesses
2277

As a new Greenbelt entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Greenbelt 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
Amusement Arcades
2
Architectural Services
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
3
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Caterers
2
Child Day Care Services
6
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
5
Computer Systems Design Services
19
Convenience Stores
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
18
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
6
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
2
Discount Department Stores
3
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
3
Engineering Services
15
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
2
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
17
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
9
Investment Advice
2
Janitorial Services
7
Jewelry Stores
7
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
1
Language Schools
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
19
Locksmiths
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
12
New Car Dealers
1
Office Administrative Services
5
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
22
Offices of Lawyers
54
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
2
Real Estate Credit
18
Residential Property Managers
5
Residential Remodelers
9
Roofing Contractors
1
Sales Financing
3
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Software Publishers
1
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
11
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
11
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
13
Women's Clothing Stores
8

Should You Franchise?

Examine a list of Greenbelt businesses and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Evidently, there must be some significant advantages to purchasing a franchise.

Most business experts recommend that you look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Why Franchises Fail. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include COIT Drapery & Carpet Cleaners and Luxury Franchise Corporation. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Food and Drink Franchises and Insurance Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Greenbelt Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Maryland. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Greenbelt.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Company Formation in Greenbelt, Maryland

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in Maryland, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Maryland. In fact, 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's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Greenbelt, Maryland, our information on Incorporating in Maryland may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Maryland.

Marketing Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Greenbelt and build your business, you need a solid marketing plan.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Pros and Cons of Advertising is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Greenbelt. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

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

We are here to help Greenbelt businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Greenbelt 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 Greenbelt, Maryland

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

More Startup Articles for Maryland Cities

Starting a Business in Glen Burnie
Starting a Business in Hagerstown

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

 

 

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