Are you starting a business in Carlisle, Pennsylvania? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Carlisle.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
Most startup companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur 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.
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Carlisle. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- Peruse Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
What Business to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Finding Your Niche in Life.
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 Detective Agencies Business guide or our Opening a Strawberry Farms Business guide.
Always keep in mind that your new business will be in Carlisle. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Carlisle. Only by spending some time analyzing Carlisle demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Carlisle, Pennsylvania Demographic Information
Carlisle has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Carlisle demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Carlisle.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
12397 |
| 5-9 Employees |
5859 |
| 10-19 Employees |
3780 |
| 20-49 Employees |
2520 |
| 50-99 Employees |
903 |
| 100-249 Employees |
483 |
| 250-499 Employees |
210 |
| 500-999 Employees |
168 |
| 1000+ Employees |
42 |
| All Carlisle Businesses |
26362 |
As a new Carlisle entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Carlisle 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 |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
4 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
5 |
| Beauty Salons |
32 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
5 |
| Book Stores |
3 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
1 |
| Business Associations |
6 |
| Cafeterias |
3 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
6 |
| Carpet and Rug Mills |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
9 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
11 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Bakeries |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
5 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
4 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
4 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
4 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
4 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
9 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
10 |
| Electronic Connector Manufacturing |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
10 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Family Planning Centers |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
3 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
7 |
| Flat Glass Manufacturing |
1 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
4 |
| Flooring Contractors |
4 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
6 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
43 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
20 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
6 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
4 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
3 |
| Historical Sites |
2 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
19 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
3 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
| Jewelry Stores |
7 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
20 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
4 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
32 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
3 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
3 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
4 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Meat Markets |
3 |
| Medical Laboratories |
2 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
2 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
3 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonclay Refractory Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
3 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
7 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
| Offices of Dentists |
20 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
34 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
5 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
6 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
6 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Stations |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
3 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
2 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
5 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
2 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Satellite Telecommunications |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
7 |
| Sawmills |
2 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
2 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
2 |
| Shoe Stores |
4 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
8 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
7 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Steam and Air-Conditioning Supply |
1 |
| Steel Foundries (except Investment) |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
3 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
7 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading) |
1 |
| Tire Retreading |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
10 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
6 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
12 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
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.
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 starting a business in Carlisle, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Pennsylvania business.
The Role of the Business Plan
Writing a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.
To learn more about business plans, read Expert Advice on Business Plans. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.
Building Up Your Sales
Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Carlisle business to do well.
So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Good Sales Strategies is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
Never Give Up
Most new Carlisle 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 Carlisle 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 Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Carlisle.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Pennsylvania
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