Massachusetts Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Watertown, Massachusetts

Need help starting a business in Watertown, Massachusetts? We've got the information you need to open a business in Watertown.

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Good Business Ideas.

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 Starting a Civil Enforcement Business guide or our How to Start a Closed Circuit Television Equipment & Security Systems Business guide.

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

Watertown, Massachusetts Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
12784
5-9 Employees
4920
10-19 Employees
3120
20-49 Employees
1992
50-99 Employees
984
100-249 Employees
576
250-499 Employees
192
500-999 Employees
24
1000+ Employees
24
All Watertown Businesses
24616

As a new Watertown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Watertown 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
Adhesive Manufacturing
2
Advertising Agencies
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
5
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
11
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Book Publishers
2
Book Stores
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
3
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
15
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Computer Training
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Convenience Stores
10
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Couriers
4
Credit Unions
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
11
Dental Laboratories
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
11
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
4
Engineering Services
9
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Family Clothing Stores
4
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
30
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
6
Furniture Stores
5
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
7
Heating Oil Dealers
6
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
13
Interior Design Services
2
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
7
Landscaping Services
15
Libraries and Archives
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
33
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Motion Picture and Video Distribution
2
Motion Picture and Video Production
18
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Museums
1
Nail Salons
3
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
5
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Dentists
20
Offices of Lawyers
15
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paging
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
9
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Political Organizations
2
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
3
Prepress Services
1
Professional Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Residential Remodelers
6
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Sales Financing
2
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Savings Institutions
11
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
7
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Software Publishers
5
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Storage Battery Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Taxi Service
2
Telecommunications Resellers
3
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Tour Operators
4
Travel Agencies
3
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
7
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
4

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

Visit the business district of Watertown and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Understanding Franchise Contracts. 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 Swisher Hygiene and La Paletera Franchise Systems, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Employment and Staffing Franchises and Auto Repair Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Watertown Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Watertown.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Watertown, it's very important that you make sure no other Massachusetts company is using the business name you want to use.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in Watertown, Massachusetts, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Massachusetts universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Watertown entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Watertown and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Watertown, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Watertown, Massachusetts

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

More Startup Articles for Massachusetts Cities

Starting a Business in Waltham
Starting a Business in Webster

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