New York Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Schenectady, New York
Need help starting a business in Schenectady, New York? We've got the information you need to open a business in Schenectady.
Schenectady, New York Demographic Information
Schenectady has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Schenectady demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Schenectady.
Businesses
As a new Schenectady entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Schenectady 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
Have You Considered Franchising?
Browse the Yellow Pages for Schenectady and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
We highly recommend you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Credit and Franchise Purchasing. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Vintner's Cellar Franchising International Inc. and The Pool Doctors. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Convenience Store Franchises and Home Décor Franchises.
Note on Schenectady Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Schenectady.
Forming a Company in Schenectady, New York
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in New York, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New York. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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 are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Pre-Incorporation Agreements. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Schenectady, New York, our information on Incorporating in New York may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New York.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Business
Whether your goal is to attract Schenectady customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.
You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Creating a Web Presence is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
The Art of Selling
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Schenectady business, you need to focus on sales.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Good Sales Strategies offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Good business owners recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Schenectady, New York, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New York universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for Schenectady entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
As an entrepreneur in Schenectady, 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.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Schenectady and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Schenectady, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Schenectady, New York
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Schenectady.
- Resources for Schenectady, New York Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Schenectady entrepreneurs.
- New York Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in New York.
- New York Small Business Development Center - The New York State Small Business Development Center delivers high quality business counseling and training to New Yorkers who want to start a business or improve the performance of an existing business.
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