Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Hawley, Pennsylvania
Are you starting a business in Hawley, Pennsylvania? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Hawley.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Most new companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Hawley. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
What Business to Start
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Free Business Ideas.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Electronic Commerce Business guide or our Starting an Orthopedic Shoes Repair Business guide.
Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Hawley. Some businesses will do better in Hawley than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Hawley demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Hawley, Pennsylvania Demographic Information
Hawley has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Hawley demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Hawley.
Businesses
As a new Hawley entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hawley 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
Is Buying an Existing Hawley Business a Good Strategy?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Pennsylvania. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Hawley.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Forming a Company in Hawley, Pennsylvania
A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.
When forming a company, you will choose from many company types, such as 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. If you are starting a business in Pennsylvania, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Pennsylvania. In fact, you are allowed to 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 are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Hawley, Pennsylvania, our web page covering Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.
Do You Need a Business Plan?
Writing a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Expert Advice on Business Plans. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.
Raising Money for Your Company
Raising money to fund your new Hawley business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Microlending as a Small Business Funding Source.
For Hawley entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.
What's Next?
Most new Hawley businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Hawley and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Hawley, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Hawley, Pennsylvania
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Hawley.
- Resources for Hawley, Pennsylvania Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Hawley 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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