Want to Start a Business in New Jersey?

Capitol building in New Jersey.

This page is dedicated to the best resources for starting a business in New Jersey.

Learn more about how to start a business in New Jersey.

Or simply use a professional service and start your business today:

four point five out of five stars ZenBusiness

Business Resources in New Jersey

Find the best resources to help create your informal business structure (sole proprietorship or partnership), corporation (S corp or C corp), limited liability company (single-member LLC or multi-member LLC), or how to file a DBA in New Jersey.

Use the following business resources in New Jersey to learn how to choose the best LLC services, file the Certificate of Formation, obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN), and decide whether you should be your own registered agent or if you should hire a third-party registered agent service.

Becoming an Entrepreneur in New Jersey

Just Starting Out

Every New Jersey business starts out with a great idea. To get inspiration, you can try our business idea generator that can suggest businesses for you based on your interests and lifestyle.

Once you've found the perfect idea, it's time to create a game plan for your business. This step helps lay a solid foundation for the future of your company. You can move on to planning out your business with our business plan generator or simply browse our selection of startup ideas. We also have several helpful guides for planning out your business:

Coming Up With a Name

One of the most important decisions you will make for your business is coming up with a name and then seeing if it is available in New Jersey. We have several naming tools and guides to help you get started with finding the perfect name for your New Jersey startup, small business, nonprofit or corporation.

Different Types of Business Formation

A business structure refers to how a business is legally organized. The type of business structure you choose to form your business with can affect how your company is regulated, taxed, and more. Because of this, choosing the best structure for your business is an important decision to make. Below are guides on the different business structures you can choose to form your company so you can learn how to form a business that works best for you.

Forming Your New Jersey Business

Now that you’ve created a business plan, found a name and chose your New Jersey business structure, it's time to form your business. This process might seem complicated, but it doesn't have to be. And if you want to save time and have someone else handle the paperwork, you can use one of our recommended services, like ZenBusiness, which will help to form your company for you or you can form it yourself using our helpful guides and tools.

LLC Checklist

This New Jersey Checklist for Starting an LLC covers the necessary steps you need to take when you create your LLC.

Formation Necessities

Highly Recommended Services for Your Business

Depending on the type of business structure your choose and how large your business is, you may also want to consider using the following services for your New Jersey startup:

Registered Agent

A New Jersey registered agent is a person or business that sends and receives legal papers on behalf of your company. These documents include official correspondence like legal summons and state filing notices.

New Jersey requires every business to nominate a registered agent when forming a small business. Your registered agent must be a New Jersey resident or a corporation authorized to conduct business in that New Jersey.

We also recommend hiring a professional registered agent service to provide you with peace of mind and help you stay compliant with the law.

DBA

Filing a “doing business as” (DBA) name, also known as an alternate name or trade name, is an easy process that is achieved by registering a DBA with the State of New Jersey.

Branding

You can probably think of a dozen different companies in New Jersey whose brands play an important role in your daily or professional life. Maybe you only buy certain brands or prefer to buy your groceries at one supermarket chain over another. Your dedication to these companies is primarily a result of one thing: their branding. Our branding guides and tools will go over the importance of branding your small business and provide some tips for getting started.

Financing Your New Jersey Business

Small business finance is the raising and managing of funds to finance and operate a new small business. This includes banking, small business accounting, building business credit, and raising funds for your business.

When planning your New Jersey business, you should determine what types of business funding options your company will need and when. Whether you are starting a low-cost business or starting a high-growth startup, knowing when to get funding and what kind of funding you need is important.

Setting Up a Bank Account

Opening a business checking account is one of the first things you will need to do as a new business. Business banking is a fundamental asset protection requirement for every business and, depending on your needs, may include checking accounts, savings accounts, credit cards, and merchant accounts.

Every new and small business needs a business bank account to pay their business insurance, take care of payroll, collect money, and enroll with a merchant account to accept credit card payments.

Check out our guide on the Best Banks for Small Business for help finding a banking account for your business.

Getting a Business Credit Card

Small business credit cards are designed for professional use and provide a line of credit to small businesses while helping to maintain personal asset protection. It is crucial for small businesses to have a small business credit card.

Our guides will help you understand the importance of having a small business credit card and provide the steps for finding and applying for the best credit card for your business.

Finding Small Business Loans

Getting a small business loan is done by applying with a business lender, typically your bank or another lending institution, with the right documentation and your business plan.

A business loan can help to resolve cash flow problems, leverage growth opportunities, and even increase the value of a business. Making sure to plan for a loan ahead of time is extremely important, as is knowing the documentation needed by your lender when you do apply.

Small Business Financing for Female Entrepreneurs

Grants, loans, government contracts, investors, scholarships, advisors, tutorials — there are plenty of financial resources for female entrepreneurs and women leaders, and we’ll help you discover the best ones for you and your business.

Maintaining Your Small Business

Congratulations! Fewer than 14% of Americans have realized the dream of business ownership. To keep your New Jersey business running, make sure you keep up with required government filings and maintain a clear record of all earnings and expenses.

Make Sure Your Business is Compliant

When you start a small business, you’ll need to determine if your business needs any licenses or permits to stay compliant.

Set Up Accounting and Bookkeeping

Having a business accountant will help you take advantage of tax benefits and potentially save you and your New Jersey business a lot of money in taxes each year.

Finding a business accountant as soon as you start your business will ensure that you have the best advice from the very beginning.

Recommended: Hiring an accountant can save your company thousands of dollars in taxes each year. Get a free tax consultation with 1-800Accountant.

Set Up a Business Phone

Getting a business phone number is important for many businesses. Having a phone number for your customers to contact you with can go a long way in ensuring that your business is viewed as professional, trustworthy, and legitimate. 

There are also different business phone services and answering services that can ensure that you are able to answer more than one call simultaneously and that all of your customers feel heard. Check out our different phone tools and guides to help your New Jersey business set up phone services.

Build a Business Website

With growing technology, more and more businesses are going online. We believe all companies need a website regardless of their industry or size to keep up with the times. 

So, how do you build a website? Luckily, technology has recently caught up with the massive demand for tools to simplify website creation. It’s never been easier to build your own website without the need for any web designer experience.

Our tools and guides provide an overview of the steps to build a website for your New Jersey business as well as suggestions for which tools to use based on your business type and knowledge level.

Business Resources for Women

Starting your own business is no small feat; thankfully, there are many valuable resources dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs start and succeed. From woman-owned business certification to grants for female entrepreneurs, we’ll help you discover the women's business resources that will help you get the most out of your entrepreneurial journey.

New Jersey Business Resources

New Jersey SBDC

The New Jersey Small Business Development Center effectively provides comprehensive assistance to New Jersey startup entrepreneurs. At every facet of starting, operating, and running your New Jersey small business, the NJSBDC offers expert business consultations, training and seminars, disaster preparedness, and access to tons of small business resources.

New Jersey Chamber of Commerce

The New Jersey Chamber of Commerce advocates for the regulation and legislation of initiatives that foster economic growth and business opportunities. The NJ Chamber of Commerce also advocates entrepreneurs’ business interests helping you through various networking opportunities and timely information. Also, business-to-business discounts are also offered by the NJ Chamber of Commerce.

Somers Point Business Association

The Somers Point Business Association pushes for the promotion and protection of a strong business environment in Somers Point and the surrounding areas. In line with this, Somers Point Business Association provides a list of important business resources beneficial to startup entrepreneurs who are looking to build a business in Somers Point.

Morris County Economic Development Corporation

The Morris County Economic Development Corporation provides Morris County startup entrepreneurs with assistance in every step of building a business. The Expert Services Task Force is ready to help you with business needs, be it finding a suitable business location or acquiring the necessary business financing or filing the necessary paperwork.

SCORE

SCORE is a Non-Profit organization that is dedicated to assisting small businesses start off on the right foot when starting, growing, and achieving business goals via the education and mentorship they provide. SCORE has thousands of member volunteer mentors across the country ready to provide you with one-on-one mentorship.

These volunteer mentors are expert professionals who are well equipped with the knowledge and skills to help you become successful. Aside from all these, SCORE also gives access to thousands of guides, tools, and templates for small business startups.

SBA

The US Small Business Association is a government initiative that aims at comprehensive support, assistance and resources to small businesses in the country. From the get-go, the US SBA has provided various forms of support and assistance to small businesses, from business formation to loans, grants, and guarantees, to online courses and guides and even business events and workshops. All these services are provided to small business entrepreneurs through the numerous district offices of SBA scattered across the state.

SBDC

The Small Business Development Center is the country’s comprehensive business support network for small businesses and enterprises. It is the main mission of the SBDC to provide comprehensive business assistance and services to all startup entrepreneurs across the different states.

Aside from the usual tools and resources that SBDC provides at no cost, they also offer individual mentoring and counseling offered at a very low cost or most of the time no cost at all. Training and workshops to foster development and networking opportunities are also periodically scheduled by the SBDC via the local SBDC centers in each state.

New Jersey Economic Development Authority

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority has a small business fund provided as an assistance to creditworthy businesses in the state of New Jersey that has been operating for at least one year for minority-owned businesses or women-owned and a full three years for Non-Profit organizations. With expedited approvals for this small business fund at a fixed interest rate, entrepreneurs can seek for this assistance provided that criteria are met.

EDC

The New Jersey Institute of Technology provides total startup support to New Jersey businesses geared towards innovation. From the development, launching, and commercialization of a business idea, the Enterprise Development Center will help you. EDC’s services include access to a host of resources, mentoring, and networking opportunities. EDC also offers office spaces and laboratories with cost-effective rates and flexible rental agreements.

TigerLabs Accelerator

TigerLabs Accelerator offers a 6-month program investing specifically in early-stage software companies. For startups participating in the said program, they are able to get access to a variety of resources and assistance including $25,000 upfront capital, targeted mentorship courtesy of the TigerLabs Team, shared office space, a host of perks from different TigerLabs partners and more.

Mission 50 Workspaces

In Northern New Jersey, Mission 50 Workspaces is the primary co-working space for both small businesses and freelancers. Mission 50 Workspaces fosters a productive and proactive environment where entrepreneurs can build their business successfully with the help of innovative services and products.

The (co)working space

The (co)working space is a professional co-working space that provides a flexible time-sharing environment where you can interact and network with other competitive entrepreneurs and professionals. Aside from the workspace for the day, you also gain access to conference rooms and the printer, complimentary coffee, and water and snacks.

C3 Workplace

From part-time to full-time office rentals, business lounges, conference rooms, event spaces, counseling rooms, and desk rentals, you can find everything in C3 Workplace. Aside from these office spaces, C3 Workplace also provides regular educational and networking events. In addition, there are a host of business support and services available for business assistance.

New Jersey Business Incubation Network

The New Jersey Business Incubation Network is a statewide incubator community that is dedicated to empowering the success of startups and early-stage companies by providing critical support and services in a flexible coworking space. The NJBIN also provides a network of best practices to help you succeed as a startup.

Explore More Business Resources

Tools

Guides