New York Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Lawrence, New York

Need help starting a business in Lawrence, New York? We've got the information you need to open a business in Lawrence.

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

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

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Lawrence. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Jail Equipment Business guide or our How to Start an Ophthalmology Veterinarians Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Lawrence has some implications. Some businesses will do better in Lawrence than others. Make sure you fully understand Lawrence demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Lawrence, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5058
5-9 Employees
1152
10-19 Employees
648
20-49 Employees
630
50-99 Employees
216
100-249 Employees
54
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Lawrence Businesses
7794

As a new Lawrence entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lawrence 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
2
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Armored Car Services
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Boat Dealers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Caterers
4
Child Day Care Services
2
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Convenience Stores
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
4
Engineering Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
22
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
11
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Interior Design Services
4
Internet Service Providers
1
Janitorial Services
1
Landscaping Services
10
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Linen Supply
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Musical Groups and Artists
3
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
15
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
5
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Portfolio Management
1
Primary Aluminum Production
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
2
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tire Dealers
5
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Selecting a Name For Your Venture

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Lawrence, it's imperative that you check now that you will be the only New York company using the business name you have chosen.

Company Formation in Lawrence, New York

It's essential that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. 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 popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in New York, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New York. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Lawrence, New York, our information on Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Lawrence, New York, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New York universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into networking groups or organizations in which Lawrence entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

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

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

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in New York

Starting a Business in Latham
Starting a Business in Lewiston

Browse All Business Startup Guides for New York
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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