Massachusetts Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Worcester, Massachusetts
Thinking about starting a business in Worcester, Massachusetts? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Worcester.
Worcester, Massachusetts Demographic Information
Worcester has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Worcester demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Worcester.
Businesses
As a new Worcester entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Worcester 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 Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Worcester, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Why Franchises Fail. 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 Port City Java and PersoNet - The Personnel Network. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Golf Franchises and Landscaping Franchises.
Note on Worcester Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Worcester.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Worcester Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Massachusetts. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Worcester.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy 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.
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: Branding Advice.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Worcester, it's critical that you ensure that no other Massachusetts company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Worcester, Massachusetts
A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will separate 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.
Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Massachusetts, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Massachusetts. In fact, you are allowed to 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 Getting an EIN. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Worcester, Massachusetts, our information on Incorporating in Massachusetts may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Massachusetts.
Letting the World Know You Exist
To rise above the crowd in Worcester and advance your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Pricing and Positioning is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Worcester Entrepreneur Interviews
We're compiling a number of interviews with Worcester entrepreneurs. Enjoy!
What's Next?
As an entrepreneur in Worcester, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Worcester and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Worcester, Massachusetts
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Worcester.
- Resources for Worcester, Massachusetts Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Worcester 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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