Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Moscow, Pennsylvania

Are you starting a business in Moscow, Pennsylvania? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Moscow.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Running your own business is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Moscow. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Moscow, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

Moscow has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Moscow demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Moscow.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2115
5-9 Employees
765
10-19 Employees
285
20-49 Employees
270
50-99 Employees
15
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Moscow Businesses
3465

As a new Moscow entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Moscow 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.

Business Type
# of
Businesses
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Convenience Stores
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
7
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
10
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Heating Oil Dealers
3
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
1
Janitorial Services
1
Landscaping Services
5
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
5
Logging
2
Machine Shops
1
Masonry Contractors
7
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
New Car Dealers
2
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Chiropractors
1
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
2
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Residential Remodelers
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
3
Sawmills
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
4
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Moscow, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Redbrick Pizza and Systems Paving Franchising, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Gift Items Franchises and Home Furnishings Franchises.

Note on Moscow Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Moscow.

Company Formation in Moscow, Pennsylvania

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

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. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Moscow, Pennsylvania, our information on Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.

Raising Capital for Your Venture

Getting your Moscow business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Recognizing this challenge, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Moscow entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To grow your Moscow business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Comparing Advertising to PR is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Moscow, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help Moscow businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Moscow, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Moscow, Pennsylvania

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Moscow.

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Franchise Opportunities

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