Open a Business in Allentown, New Jersey

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

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Before you get too far along in the process, assess 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:

Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Allentown. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Allentown, New Jersey Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1005
5-9 Employees	234
10-19 Employees	153
20-49 Employees	54
50-99 Employees	9
100-249 Employees	0
250-499 Employees	9
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Allentown Businesses	1464

As a new Allentown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Allentown 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 Glass Replacement Shops	1
Barber Shops	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	1
Clothing Accessories Stores	1
Commercial Bakeries	1
Commercial Flexographic Printing	1
Computer Systems Design Services	3
Computer Training	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Direct Mail Advertising	1
Electrical Contractors	3
Engineering Services	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	2
Fish and Seafood Markets	1
Floor Covering Stores	1
Food Service Contractors	2
Framing Contractors	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	4
Furniture Stores	1
General Freight Trucking, Local	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Glass and Glazing Contractors	1
Hardware Stores	1
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	1
Landscaping Services	11
Libraries and Archives	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	2
Marketing Consulting Services	2
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	1
Remediation Services	2
Residential Property Managers	2
Residential Remodelers	3
Roofing Contractors	1
Sawmills	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Textile Machinery Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	1
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Examine a list of Allentown businesses and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Franchising My Business. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Odyssey Art Centers and Cookies by Design / Cookie Bouquet. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Consulting Franchises and Franchises that Serve Liquor.

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

What About Buying an Existing Allentown Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in New Jersey. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Allentown.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Buying a Business.

Startup Financing Basics

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Allentown business will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

The good news is this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Allentown entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of New Jersey Angel Investors and our List of New Jersey Venture Capital Firms.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

The best entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Allentown, New Jersey, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby New Jersey universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into networking organizations for Allentown entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Allentown. 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Allentown and throughout the United States . 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 Allentown, New Jersey

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

Resources for Allentown, New Jersey Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Allentown entrepreneurs.
New Jersey Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in New Jersey.
New Jersey Small Business Development Center - The New Jersey Small Business Development Centers (NJSBDC) network helps New Jersey small businesses expand operations, manage growth or launch new ventures. With offices in every county of the state, NJSBDC consultants help small business owners finance, market and manage their ventures.
Allentown, New Jersey Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Allentown, New Jersey newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Allentown area.

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