Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides
Open a Business in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Need help starting a business in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania? We've got the information you need to open a business in Bethlehem.
What Business to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Evaluating Your Idea.
If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start an Avionics Sales & Service Business guide or our How to Start a Fishing Bait & Tackle Business guide.
Remember that you are starting a business in Bethlehem. Some businesses will do better in Bethlehem than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Bethlehem demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Demographic Information
Bethlehem has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Bethlehem demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Bethlehem.
Businesses
As a new Bethlehem entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bethlehem 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
Choosing a Company Name
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Bethlehem, it's very important that you make sure no other Pennsylvania company is using the business name you want to use.
Company Formation in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Doing so will shield 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.
Incorporating 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. Just because you are starting a business in Pennsylvania, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Pennsylvania. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Pre-Incorporation Agreements. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, our information on Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.
Marketing Your New Venture
To rise above the crowd in Bethlehem and grow your business, you need a solid marketing plan.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Yellow Pages Advertising Advice is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Bring in Revenues
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Bethlehem or are selling to customers throughout Pennsylvania, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Anticipating Prospect Responses offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
The best entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.
Given that you are starting a business in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any networking organizations for Bethlehem entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Bethlehem. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Bethlehem and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Bethlehem entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Bethlehem.
- Resources for Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bethlehem entrepreneurs.
- Pennsylvania Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Pennsylvania.
- Pennsylvania Small Business Development Center - Pennsylvania SBDCs help aspiring entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses, help small firms expand, and provide the information every business person needs to make critical decisions. There is no charge for their assistance and their free help can make the difference between business success and failure.
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