New Jersey Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Somerville, New Jersey

Contemplating starting a business in Somerville, New Jersey? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Somerville.

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Most startup companies do not succeed, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Somerville. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Somerville, New Jersey Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
13076
5-9 Employees
4662
10-19 Employees
3402
20-49 Employees
2121
50-99 Employees
924
100-249 Employees
714
250-499 Employees
105
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
84
All Somerville Businesses
25088

As a new Somerville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Somerville 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
Architectural Services
3
Automatic Vending Machine Manufacturing
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
19
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
3
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
8
Claims Adjusting
2
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Facilities Management Services
3
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
10
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
15
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Mail Advertising
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
2
Document Preparation Services
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
12
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
14
Farm Product Warehousing and Storage
2
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
9
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
30
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
3
General Automotive Repair
11
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
3
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
4
Janitorial Services
8
Jewelry Stores
1
Junior Colleges
1
Landscaping Services
14
Limited-Service Restaurants
29
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
7
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
6
Masonry Contractors
6
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Metal Stamping
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
6
New Car Dealers
5
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
14
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Dentists
29
Offices of Lawyers
63
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
5
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
2
Optical Goods Stores
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
2
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
7
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
3
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
2
Quick Printing
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
6
Remediation Services
4
Residential Remodelers
13
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
6
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
1
Siding Contractors
4
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sound Recording Studios
2
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Tax Preparation Services
4
Taxi Service
2
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Temporary Help Services
5
Temporary Shelters
4
Testing Laboratories
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Cord and Tire Fabric Mills
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
9
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
2
Travel Agencies
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Vending Machine Operators
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
11
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
2

Should You Franchise?

Examine a list of Somerville businesses and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Scams. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include VoipStarter and Honest-1 Auto Care. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Wedding Franchises and Hardware Store Franchises.

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

Forming a Company in Somerville, New Jersey

It's very important 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 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 Jersey, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in New Jersey. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Piercing the Corporate Veil. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Somerville, New Jersey, our information on Incorporating in New Jersey may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in New Jersey.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in New Jersey.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Somerville business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

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

For Somerville entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, we have assembled a List of New Jersey Angel Investors and our List of New Jersey Venture Capital Firms.

Moving Forward

Most new Somerville businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Somerville, New Jersey

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

More Business Startup Guides for New Jersey

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

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