Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in State College, Pennsylvania
Contemplating starting a business in State College, Pennsylvania? We walk you through the process of opening a business in State College.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
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:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in State College. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
What Business to Start
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
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 an Employment Screening Services Business guide or our Starting a Marketing Programs & Services Business guide.
Remember that you are starting a business in State College. Some businesses will do better in State College than others. A critical consideration is whether State College demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
State College, Pennsylvania Demographic Information
State College has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for State College demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in State College.
Businesses
As a new State College entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in State College 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 Buying an Existing State College Business?
We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Pennsylvania. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in State College.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Picking 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.
Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in State College, it's very important that you make sure no other Pennsylvania company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
Having a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.
Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge
Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.
With your business being located in State College, Pennsylvania, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for State College entrepreneurs.
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in State College. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help State College businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new State College 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 State College, Pennsylvania
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in State College.
- Resources for State College, Pennsylvania Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist State College 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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