Starting a Business in Bristol, Pennsylvania

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

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Free Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Crushed Stone Business guide or our Opening an Infectious Disease Physicians & Surgeons Business guide.

Remember that Bristol is the place where you are starting a business. If Bristol already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. A critical consideration is whether Bristol demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Bristol, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	8442
5-9 Employees	4023
10-19 Employees	2889
20-49 Employees	2430
50-99 Employees	1242
100-249 Employees	459
250-499 Employees	27
500-999 Employees	108
1000+ Employees	54
All Bristol Businesses	19674

As a new Bristol entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Bristol 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
Automotive Exhaust System Repair	1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	6
Automotive Transmission Repair	1
Barber Shops	1
Beauty Salons	9
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	4
Boat Dealers	1
Book Stores	2
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills	1
Business Associations	2
Car Washes	2
Caterers	4
Cemeteries and Crematories	5
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	6
Civic and Social Organizations	1
Claims Adjusting	2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners	1
Collection Agencies	1
Commercial Flexographic Printing	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	3
Commercial Photography	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Systems Design Services	4
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	1
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing	1
Couriers	2
Credit Bureaus	1
Credit Unions	4
Custom Computer Programming Services	2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	1
Digital Printing	5
Direct Mail Advertising	2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers	1
Discount Department Stores	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electrical Contractors	8
Electronic Shopping	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	2
Engineering Services	4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	5
Family Clothing Stores	3
Family Planning Centers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	7
Floor Covering Stores	3
Flooring Contractors	1
Florists	4
Food Service Contractors	2
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers	1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	2
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing	1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets	2
Full-Service Restaurants	18
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	2
General Automotive Repair	24
General Freight Trucking, Local	4
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	1
Glass and Glazing Contractors	2
Grantmaking Foundations	2
Graphic Design Services	1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	2
Hardware Stores	1
Heating Oil Dealers	4
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores	1
Home Centers	1
Home Health Care Services	2
Homes for the Elderly	1
Industrial Launderers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	4
Interior Design Services	2
Janitorial Services	2
Junior Colleges	1
Land Subdivision	1
Landscaping Services	5
Limited-Service Restaurants	11
Locksmiths	1
Machine Shops	5
Mail-Order Houses	1
Masonry Contractors	2
Meat Markets	1
Metal Heat Treating	1
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing	1
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing	1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing	2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers	3
Motor Vehicle Towing	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Nail Salons	2
New Car Dealers	3
New Housing Operative Builders	1
Nonresidential Property Managers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	1
Office Administrative Services	5
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	2
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	2
Offices of Lawyers	5
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Podiatrists	2
Packaging and Labeling Services	2
Packing and Crating	1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	2
Passenger Car Rental	1
Payroll Services	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	2
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing	1
Portfolio Management	1
Professional Employer Organizations	1
Quick Printing	1
Real Estate Credit	2
Remediation Services	2
Repossession Services	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	2
Roofing Contractors	1
Savings Institutions	3
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	1
Shoe Stores	2
Siding Contractors	1
Sign Manufacturing	1
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	2
Software Publishers	1
Solid Waste Collection	3
Special Needs Transportation	1
Sporting Goods Stores	1
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Steel Wire Drawing	1
Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing	1
Telephone Answering Services	1
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing	2
Temporary Help Services	2
Testing Laboratories	1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors	1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	2
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	3
Tobacco Stores	1
Travel Agencies	3
Used Car Dealers	1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	3
Used Merchandise Stores	1
Veterinary Services	1
Video Tape and Disc Rental	3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	8
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Visit the business district of Bristol and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Five Franchise Opportunities To Watch. 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 COIT Drapery & Carpet Cleaners and Health Career Agents. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Auto Repair Franchises and Print and Sign Franchises.

Note on Bristol Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Bristol, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Bristol Business?

We've created a helpful 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 Bristol.

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Bristol, Pennsylvania

A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. The main advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Pennsylvania, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Pennsylvania. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

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 C Corp Versus S Corp. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Bristol, Pennsylvania, our web page covering Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.

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 describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.

Next Steps

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

We are here to help Bristol businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Bristol 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 Bristol, Pennsylvania

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

• Resources for Bristol, Pennsylvania Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Bristol 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.
• Bristol, Pennsylvania Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Bristol, Pennsylvania newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Bristol area.

More Business Startup Guides for Pennsylvania
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Starting a Business in Brodheadsville

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