Massachusetts Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Salem, Massachusetts
Need help starting a business in Salem, Massachusetts? We've got the information you need to open a business in Salem.
What Business to 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 Evaluating Your Idea.
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 a Cedar & Cedar Products Business guide or our Starting a Snowmobiles Repair & Maintenance Business guide.
Always keep in mind that Salem is the place where you are starting a business. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Salem. Don't forget to review Salem demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Salem, Massachusetts Demographic Information
Salem has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Salem demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Salem.
Businesses
As a new Salem entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Salem 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.
Businesses
What About Buying an Existing Salem Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you can assess several good businesses for sale in Salem.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Company
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Salem, it's imperative that you check now that no other Massachusetts company is using the business name you want to use.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Salem business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Line of Credit.
For Salem entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, browse our List of Massachusetts Angel Investors and our List of Massachusetts Venture Capital Firms.
Promoting Your New Venture
To grow your Salem business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Transit Advertising 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.
Never Give Up
Most new Salem businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Salem and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Salem, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Salem, Massachusetts
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Salem.
- Resources for Salem, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Salem entrepreneurs.
- Massachusetts Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Massachusetts.
- Massachusetts Small Business Development Center - The Massachusetts Small Business Development Center (MSBDC) Network provides one-to-one free comprehensive and confidential services focusing on, business growth and strategies, financing and loan assistance as well as strategic, marketing and operational analysis.
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