Maine Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Orono, Maine

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

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Orono. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. 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.

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? We recommend that you read Evaluating Your Idea.

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 a Retreat Facility guide or our Starting a Custom Embroidered Sportswear Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Orono. Some businesses will do better in Orono than others. A critical consideration is whether Orono demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Orono, Maine Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
474
5-9 Employees
120
10-19 Employees
114
20-49 Employees
54
50-99 Employees
30
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Orono Businesses
810

As a new Orono entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Orono 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Book Publishers
1
Business Associations
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Engineering Services
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Full-Service Restaurants
8
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
3
Logging
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
1
Professional Organizations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
2
Rooming and Boarding Houses
6
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Timber Tract Operations
1

Company Formation in Orono, Maine

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. 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 Maine, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Maine. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Corporate Formalities. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Orono, Maine, our information on Incorporating in Maine may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Maine.

Raising Funding for Your Business

Getting your Orono business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Borrowing Money from Friends and Family.

For Orono entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Maine Angel Investors and our List of Maine Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in Orono and advance your business, you need a great marketing plan.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Working with an Advertising Agency is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Bring in Revenues

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Orono business, you need to focus on sales.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Selling with Questions offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Never Give Up

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

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Orono, Maine

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

  • Resources for Orono, Maine Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Orono entrepreneurs.
  • Maine Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Maine.
  • Maine Small Business Development Center - Maine Small Business Development Centers and its technology-focused group, the Maine Small Business & Technology Development Centers, provide comprehensive business management assistance, training, resource and information services to Maine's entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Maine

Starting a Business in Old Town
Starting a Business in Portland

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

 

 

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