Start a Business in Clearfield, Pennsylvania

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

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Before you get too far along in the process, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

• Speak with other entrepreneurs in Clearfield. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
• You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
• Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Marble Decorators & Consultants Business guide or our Starting a Pipeline Contractors Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Clearfield. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Clearfield. Only by spending some time analyzing Clearfield demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Clearfield, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	2358
5-9 Employees	1008
10-19 Employees	603
20-49 Employees	459
50-99 Employees	99
100-249 Employees	63
250-499 Employees	18
500-999 Employees	9
1000+ Employees	0
All Clearfield Businesses	4617

As a new Clearfield entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Clearfield 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
Ambulance Services	1
Apprenticeship Training	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	3
Beauty Salons	11
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	3
Boat Dealers	1
Bowling Centers	1
Business Associations	1
Business to Business Electronic Markets	1
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Car Washes	1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services	2
Casino Hotels	1
Cemeteries and Crematories	1
Child and Youth Services	1
Child Day Care Services	4
Civic and Social Organizations	8
Claims Adjusting	1
Collection Agencies	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Systems Design Services	1
Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Consumer Lending	1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools	1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services	1
Credit Unions	2
Dental Laboratories	1
Display Advertising	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	6
Educational Support Services	1
Electric Power Distribution	3
Electrical Contractors	4
Emergency and Other Relief Services	1
Engineering Services	3
Environmental Consulting Services	1
Family Clothing Stores	1
Family Planning Centers	1
Finish Carpentry Contractors	3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Floor Covering Stores	1
Florists	2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores	1
Food Service Contractors	3
Formal Wear and Costume Rental	1
Freight Transportation Arrangement	1
Full-Service Restaurants	15
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	2
Furniture Stores	1
General Automotive Repair	4
General Freight Trucking, Local	3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	1
Hardware Stores	3
Heating Oil Dealers	1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	1
Home Health Care Services	2
Home Health Equipment Rental	1
Homes for the Elderly	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	10
Interior Design Services	1
Internet Service Providers	1
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	5
Jewelry Stores	2
Landscaping Services	8
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	18
Logging	1
Masonry Contractors	3
Meat Markets	1
Miscellaneous Intermediation	1
Mobile Food Services	1
Motorcycle Dealers	1
Museums	1
Nail Salons	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	6
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	2
Office Administrative Services	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	2
Offices of Chiropractors	5
Offices of Dentists	8
Offices of Lawyers	24
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Podiatrists	2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	3
Optical Goods Stores	1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	3
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Parking Lots and Garages	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	5
Photography Studios, Portrait	3
Port and Harbor Operations	1
Portfolio Management	1
Powder Metallurgy Part Manufacturing	1
Quick Printing	1
Radio Stations	2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing	2
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Remodelers	8
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair	1
Savings Institutions	1
School and Employee Bus Transportation	3
Security Guards and Patrol Services	1
Site Preparation Contractors	2
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Support Activities for Coal Mining	1
Tax Preparation Services	2
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Temporary Shelters	1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters	1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers	1
Tire Dealers	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Travel Agencies	2
Truss Manufacturing	1
Used Car Dealers	2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving	1
Used Merchandise Stores	3
Veterinary Services	2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters	1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1
Women's Clothing Stores	1

Naming the Business

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Clearfield, it's very important that you make sure you will be the only Pennsylvania company using the business name you have chosen.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Find Sample Business Plans Online. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Successful business owners recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into networking groups or organizations in which Clearfield entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

What's Next?

You have a dream -- starting a business in Clearfield. 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 Clearfield businesses to be successful. 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 Clearfield, Pennsylvania

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

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

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