New Hampshire Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Rochester, New Hampshire

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

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Finding Your Niche in Life.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Garbage Containers Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our Opening a Bridges Contractors Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new startup will be located in Rochester. Some businesses will do better in Rochester than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Rochester demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Rochester, New Hampshire Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
11652
5-9 Employees
5616
10-19 Employees
3384
20-49 Employees
2232
50-99 Employees
828
100-249 Employees
396
250-499 Employees
108
500-999 Employees
36
1000+ Employees
0
All Rochester Businesses
24252

As a new Rochester entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Rochester 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
1
Advertising Agencies
1
Ambulance Services
1
Automobile Driving Schools
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
9
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Stores
1
Books Printing
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
8
Credit Unions
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
13
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Flooring Contractors
6
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
3
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
4
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
5
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
4
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Household Appliance Stores
4
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
12
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Libraries and Archives
1
Limousine Service
1
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Mobile Food Services
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Musical Groups and Artists
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
6
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Machinery Manufacturing
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
6
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
10
Offices of Lawyers
11
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
6
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
2
Quick Printing
2
Real Estate Credit
2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
1
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
3
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
2
Shoe Stores
4
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Small Arms Manufacturing
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Tax Preparation Services
3
Taxi Service
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Temporary Shelters
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Car Dealers
4
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Forming a Company in Rochester, New Hampshire

A critical step is ensuring 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 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 New Hampshire, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New Hampshire. As it turns out, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 How to Incorporate. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Rochester, New Hampshire, our information on Incorporating in New Hampshire may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New Hampshire.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Getting your Rochester business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

For Rochester entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of New Hampshire Angel Investors and our List of New Hampshire Venture Capital Firms.

Building Up Your Sales

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Rochester or are selling to customers throughout New Hampshire, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Tips on Customer Referrals 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.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Rochester, New Hampshire, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New Hampshire universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Rochester entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Rochester. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Rochester and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Rochester, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Rochester, New Hampshire

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

More Startup Articles for New Hampshire Cities

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Starting a Business in Warren

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

 

 

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