Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Orleans, Massachusetts

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

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? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.

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 How to Start an Art Shop guide or our Opening a Skateboards Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Orleans. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Orleans. Study Orleans demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Orleans, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3445
5-9 Employees
1305
10-19 Employees
705
20-49 Employees
405
50-99 Employees
45
100-249 Employees
60
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Orleans Businesses
5965

As a new Orleans entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Orleans 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
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
9
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Boat Dealers
2
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
2
Caterers
2
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Convenience Stores
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Electrical Contractors
5
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
5
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
18
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
4
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
5
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
2
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
8
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
9
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
10
Savings Institutions
6
Securities Brokerage
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shellfish Fishing
2
Shoe Stores
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
8
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
1
Tire Dealers
1
Travel Agencies
2
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
3

What About Buying an Existing Orleans Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Orleans.

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

Forming a Company in Orleans, Massachusetts

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

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. If you are starting a business in Massachusetts, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Massachusetts. As it turns out, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Getting an EIN. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Orleans, Massachusetts, our web page covering Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Having a business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim The Art of the Executive Summary. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Massachusetts.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Successful business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Orleans, Massachusetts, you should investigate some of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any Orleans networking organizations.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Orleans, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

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

We are here to help Orleans businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Orleans, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Orleans, Massachusetts

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

More Business Startup Guides for Massachusetts

Starting a Business in Norwood
Starting a Business in Palmer

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Massachusetts
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