New businesses opening up in the local community can often serve as a source of information for small companies. This may be something that requires you to keep an eye out for your potential competitors – however, what more often than not happens is that new businesses mean new customers for your print shop, office supply store, legal services … In other words, whatever you do in your business. If you’re interested in finding out about new businesses opening in your area, you can turn to several sources.
You might be able to get assistance from the Chamber of Commerce
In addition to joining the local Chamber of Commerce, the newest businesses in town often become members themselves. You can find the list of new members from the Hive Local, Chamber of Commerce on the Chamber’s website. Other organizations may be able to provide you with lists by sending you an email or calling you.
Tip
It may be worth considering becoming a member of the Chamber of Commerce if you are not already. These types of lists may only be available to fellow Chamber members. A Chamber of Commerce can also provide additional services to assist you with networking, marketing your business, keeping up-to-date on regulatory matters, and exploring new business opportunities.
Contact your Secretary of State
The Corporations Division of your state’s Secretary of State’s office is responsible for registering all businesses except the smallest (usually one person). Several states have online directories of corporations registered in their states. Many states allow you to see a list of each registered company sorted by the date of registration, so you can see the most recent registrations.
Many states do not have the capability of sorting dates. You may also contact the Corporations Division for a list if the option is not available online. This service may cost a small fee.
There are no indications of the size of the new business that you’ll receive with your information, although in some cases the name will give you a hint as to whether or not you’re dealing with a large corporation or a small family-run business.
Take a look at your local media
The local newspapers do a great job of reporting on newly open or about-to-open businesses in their communities. It is a good idea to keep up with new ventures by checking the newspaper regularly. Local news outlets often provide coverage similar to that of neighborhood-by-neighborhood in large cities as well.
Find Your Area Online
If you want to search for new businesses in your area, use Google, Bing or another search engine. You can also specify a geographic term (like a city or town name) and new business together. Experiment with different search terms to gather results from other sources. In your search, you can use the term “soft opening” (in quotation marks) to find businesses that have opened but are not yet marketing themselves. To try other terms, type: “just opened,” “plans to open,” “has just opened.”
Tip
If you want to generate more results, you can also search social media sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.
Make sure you check your local library
A great number of libraries (both university and public) offer access to business databases online, and some of those databases include an alphabetical listing of newly opened businesses. There are also commercial services you can use that are not usually found in libraries. However, there is usually a fee associated with these types of services.
