Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania

Thinking about starting a business in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Mountain Top.

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Most new companies do not succeed, in part because the founder did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Mountain Top. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • Take a look at Starting a Company. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Talk it over with a close friend or partner. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to 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 How to Start a Blankbooks Manufacturers Business guide or our Opening a Newspaper Publishers' Representatives Business guide.

Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Mountain Top. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Mountain Top. Don't forget to review Mountain Top demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Mountain Top, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
549
5-9 Employees
114
10-19 Employees
93
20-49 Employees
51
50-99 Employees
24
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Mountain Top Businesses
870

As a new Mountain Top entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mountain Top 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
Advertising Agencies
2
Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Computer Training
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
5
Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electrical Contractors
8
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
3
Food Service Contractors
2
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
1
Landscaping Services
7
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
10
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
1
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Mineral Wool Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Lawyers
1
Offices of Optometrists
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Portfolio Management
1
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports Teams and Clubs
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Should You Franchise?

Visit the business district of Mountain Top and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Buying a Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Sales Consultants and Action Coach. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Training and Education Franchises and IT Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Mountain Top Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Pennsylvania. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Mountain Top.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania

It's essential 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.

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Pennsylvania, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Pennsylvania. In fact, 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 are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Where to Incorporate. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania, our information on Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.

Next Steps

Most new Mountain Top businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Mountain Top 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 Mountain Top, Pennsylvania

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

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