Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Thinking about starting a business in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Fort Washington.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Fort Washington. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free Business Ideas.
For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Disappearing Beds Business guide or our How to Start a Security Systems Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Fort Washington. Some businesses will do better in Fort Washington than others. A critical consideration is whether Fort Washington demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Fort Washington, Pennsylvania Demographic Information
Fort Washington has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Fort Washington demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Fort Washington.
Businesses
As a new Fort Washington entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Fort Washington 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
Have You Considered Franchising?
As you drive around Fort Washington, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Buying an Existing Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.
Representative franchise opportunities include Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating and Lucy's LaundryMart Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Car Wash Franchises and Moving Franchises.
Note on Fort Washington Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Fort Washington.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Obtaining startup financing for your Fort Washington business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Angel Investors.
For Fort Washington entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
With your business being located in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate Fort Washington networking organizations.
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in Fort Washington. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Fort Washington and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Fort Washington, Pennsylvania
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Fort Washington.
- Resources for Fort Washington, Pennsylvania Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Fort Washington 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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