How to start a business in Boston.

Start with an idea

The 10 hottest business ideas to start in Boston right now.

Registration comes later. First, the fun part: the idea. These ten are tuned to Boston's real economy. Tap any one to explore it and find more like it inside the platform.

1. 1
   Tutoring, test prep, and admissions consulting

   In America's college capital, families invest heavily in academic performance and university admissions.

2. 2
   Lab and life sciences support services

   The biotech cluster buys equipment maintenance, specialized cleaning, staffing, and logistics from local vendors.

3. 3
   Student moving and storage services

   Tens of thousands of students turn over apartments every year on nearly the same day, creating legendary demand for movers.

4. 4
   Healthcare support businesses

   World-class hospitals anchor demand for billing, transport, staffing, and in-home care across the metro.

5. 5
   Historic walking tours and visitor experiences

   The Freedom Trail, the harbor, and four centuries of history draw visitors who pay for a great storyteller.

6. 6
   Snow removal and winter property services

   Real winters make reliable plowing, shoveling, and ice management a recurring seasonal business.

7. 7
   Catering for universities and conferences

   A packed academic and medical events calendar needs dependable food service year-round.

8. 8
   Tech and data consulting

   Startups spinning out of the universities and established firms alike buy specialized technical help.

9. 9
   Renovation of triple-deckers and older homes

   The region's historic housing stock keeps skilled contractors and restoration trades busy.

10. 10
    Bookkeeping and services for student-founded startups

    A constant stream of new ventures needs affordable back-office help from someone who gets it.

Why Boston is a great place to build.

Boston runs on brainpower: Harvard and MIT sit just across the river, dozens more colleges fill the metro with students, and the life sciences cluster around Kendall Square is among the strongest in the world. World-famous hospitals and a deep finance sector round out an economy that hires relentlessly and pays well. Every September the city refills with students, and every industry here feeds on the talent they become.

Local help for Boston founders.

You have real, free help within reach. The platform's free Checklist walks the setup in order, the Goal Engine turns your ambition into trackable goals, and Massachusetts's official resources cover formation and licensing. Start with the Massachusetts state guide for the statewide filing details.

Boston, specifically.

Boston is old brick and new science: a city that argued its way through the Revolution and now argues about the T, the Sox, and whose lab published first. It is demanding, loyal, and completely unimpressed by flash. Do good work here, show up in the snow, and Bostonians will treat your business like a neighborhood institution.

Business districts and neighborhoods worth knowing: Back Bay, the Seaport, the South End, Jamaica Plain, Dorchester, Allston-Brighton.

The steps to make it official

1. 1

   Pick your business structure

   Most first businesses in Boston choose an LLC for the liability separation between the business and your personal life. Sole proprietorships are simpler but offer no separation; corporations fit businesses raising investment.

2. 2

   Check that your business name is free

   Search the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's business registry to confirm nobody in Massachusetts already holds the name, and check the matching web domain at the same time.

3. 3

   File your formation documents with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

   An LLC or corporation forms at the state level, not the city level. File directly with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth and pay only the state's filing fee. You will need a registered agent with a physical address in Massachusetts; if you live here, you can usually be your own.

4. 4

   Get your EIN free from the IRS

   The Employer Identification Number is the business's tax ID. The IRS issues it directly at irs.gov in about five minutes, at no charge. Never pay anyone for an EIN alone.

5. 5

   Register with the city and check licenses

   Most businesses operating in Boston need a city business tax registration and possibly zoning or health permits. Check the city's finance office and your local city hall for what applies to your specific business and location.

6. 6

   Open the business bank account and connect payments

   Keep business money separate from day one: it protects the legal separation your LLC exists for and keeps taxes clean. Bring your EIN and formation documents to the bank.