New York Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Pelham, New York

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

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Pelham. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. 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 Business Are You Starting?

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 Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 Auto Inspection Business guide or our Starting a Catholic Church guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Pelham. Some businesses will do better in Pelham than others. Make sure you fully understand Pelham demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Pelham, New York Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3237
5-9 Employees
486
10-19 Employees
387
20-49 Employees
225
50-99 Employees
81
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
27
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Pelham Businesses
4479

As a new Pelham entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Pelham 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
5
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
3
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
10
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Publishers
2
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Deep Sea Freight Transportation
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
7
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
1
Finfish Fishing
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
15
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
6
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Stores
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
9
Interior Design Services
2
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
3
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
8
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
9
Machine Shops
2
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Metal Stamping
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
5
Museums
1
Nail Salons
3
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Office Administrative Services
5
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
4
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
7
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Parking Lots and Garages
2
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
12
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
5
Software Publishers
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Taxi Service
1
Tire Dealers
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Vending Machine Operators
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
3

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Pelham, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising and Veterans. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.

Representative franchise opportunities include The Gutter Guys and East Coast Wings and Grill. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Blind Repair and Sales Franchises and Family Restaurant Franchises.

Note on Pelham Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Pelham.

Is Buying an Existing Pelham Business a Good Strategy?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in New York. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Pelham.

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

Letting the World Know You Exist

Whether your goal is to attract Pelham customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn all about marketing on our site. Business Cards is a good read to get your marketing thoughts flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Pelham. 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Pelham and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

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

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

More Startup Articles for New York Cities

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