New York Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Niagara Falls, New York

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Finding Your Niche in Life.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Entertainment Consultants Business guide or our How to Start a Fence Materials Business guide.

Don't forget that your new business will be in Niagara Falls. Some businesses will do better in Niagara Falls than others. A critical consideration is whether Niagara Falls demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Niagara Falls, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2384
5-9 Employees
1086
10-19 Employees
695
20-49 Employees
423
50-99 Employees
165
100-249 Employees
96
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
6
All Niagara Falls Businesses
4867

As a new Niagara Falls entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Niagara Falls 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
Abrasive Product Manufacturing
4
Advertising Agencies
1
Alkalies and Chlorine Manufacturing
2
Aluminum Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Art Dealers
2
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
13
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
3
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Book Stores
4
Bowling Centers
3
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
2
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
6
Civic and Social Organizations
9
Claims Adjusting
1
Clay Refractory Manufacturing
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
4
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
1
Convenience Stores
16
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
16
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
28
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electronic Resistor Manufacturing
2
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
2
Engineering Services
7
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
17
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
6
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Full-Service Restaurants
62
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
27
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
4
General Warehousing and Storage
5
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
18
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
3
Hardware Stores
4
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
6
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
4
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
20
Internet Service Providers
2
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
12
Jewelry Stores
11
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
62
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
2
Machine Shops
8
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Markets
1
Men's Clothing Stores
5
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
3
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
8
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Dentists
31
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
8
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
3
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Paperboard Mills
1
Passenger Car Rental
2
Payroll Services
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
13
Plastics Plumbing Fixture Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Remediation Services
5
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
10
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Rolled Steel Shape Manufacturing
2
Savings Institutions
2
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
20
Siding Contractors
4
Silverware and Hollowware Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
12
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Soft Drink Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Surface-Coated Paperboard Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Taxi Service
3
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
6
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
8
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
3
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
18
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Forming a Company in Niagara Falls, New York

A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in New York, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New York. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

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 Avoiding Personal Liability in Business. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Niagara Falls, New York, our information on Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.

Promoting Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Niagara Falls and accelerate your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

You can learn a ton about marketing on our site. Direct Mail Costs discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Ramping Up Sales

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Niagara Falls business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads 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

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Niagara Falls, New York, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local New York educational institutions. It's also smart to see if there are any networking organizations for Niagara Falls entrepreneurs.

Now It's Up To You

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Niagara Falls businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Niagara Falls 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 Niagara Falls, New York

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

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