Open a Business in Bedford, Pennsylvania

Contemplating starting a business in Bedford, Pennsylvania? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Bedford.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Evaluating Your Idea.

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 Opening an Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology & Surgery Dentists Business guide or our Starting a Chicken Carry-Out Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Bedford. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Bedford. Only by spending some time analyzing Bedford demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Bedford, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	6291
5-9 Employees	2511
10-19 Employees	1701
20-49 Employees	972
50-99 Employees	297
100-249 Employees	81
250-499 Employees	81
500-999 Employees	27
1000+ Employees	27
All Bedford Businesses	11988

As a new Bedford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bedford 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
Ambulance Services	1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering	1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	7
Beauty Salons	7
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	3
Boat Dealers	1
Building Inspection Services	1
Business Associations	2
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	2
Cemeteries and Crematories	2
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	2
Civic and Social Organizations	6
Collection Agencies	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Computer Training	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	2
Construction Machinery Manufacturing	2
Consumer Lending	2
Convenience Stores	1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus	1
Credit Unions	1
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing	1
Dental Laboratories	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electric Power Distribution	2
Electrical Contractors	2
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Environmental Consulting Services	2
Family Clothing Stores	2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Floor Covering Stores	2
Florists	3
Food Service Contractors	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	1
Full-Service Restaurants	15
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	1
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	3
General Freight Trucking, Local	2
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Hardware Stores	3
Heating Oil Dealers	2
Historical Sites	1
Home Centers	1
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	7
Internet Service Providers	1
Janitorial Services	3
Jewelry Stores	2
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	2
Libraries and Archives	2
Limited-Service Restaurants	11
Logging	2
Machine Shops	1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers	2
Masonry Contractors	1
Metal Heat Treating	1
Metal Stamping	1
Mobile Food Services	1
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Museums	1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores	1
Nail Salons	1
New Car Dealers	5
News Dealers and Newsstands	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	5
Offices of Chiropractors	5
Offices of Dentists	7
Offices of Lawyers	11
Offices of Optometrists	3
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
One-Hour Photofinishing	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	6
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas	1
Racetracks	1
Radio Stations	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Reinsurance Carriers	1
Residential Remodelers	3
Retail Bakeries	2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Savings Institutions	1
Sawmills	2
School and Employee Bus Transportation	4
Securities Brokerage	3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	1
Siding Contractors	1
Site Preparation Contractors	1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	3
Solid Waste Collection	3
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Tax Preparation Services	3
Temporary Help Services	2
Tire Dealers	1
Tire Retreading	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	4
Women's Clothing Stores	2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing	1

Should You Buy an Existing Bedford Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Pennsylvania. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Bedford.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Bedford, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another Pennsylvania business.

Forming a Company in Bedford, Pennsylvania

It's essential that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as 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. As it turns out, 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Registered Agents. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Bedford, Pennsylvania, our web page covering Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

The best business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Bedford, Pennsylvania, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any Bedford networking organizations.

Never Give Up

You have a dream -- starting a business in Bedford. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Bedford and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Bedford 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 Bedford, Pennsylvania

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

• Resources for Bedford, Pennsylvania Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bedford 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.
• Bedford, Pennsylvania Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Bedford, Pennsylvania newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Bedford area.
• Bedford, Pennsylvania Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for Bedford, Pennsylvania area radio stations.

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