Contemplating starting a business in Doylestown, Pennsylvania? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Doylestown.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Before quitting your day job, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Doylestown. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Doylestown, Pennsylvania Demographic Information
Doylestown has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Doylestown demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Doylestown.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
9201 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2997 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1899 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1413 |
| 50-99 Employees |
369 |
| 100-249 Employees |
225 |
| 250-499 Employees |
27 |
| 500-999 Employees |
18 |
| 1000+ Employees |
18 |
| All Doylestown Businesses |
16167 |
As a new Doylestown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Doylestown 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 |
7 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
8 |
| Art Dealers |
3 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
4 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
30 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
8 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Building Inspection Services |
3 |
| Business Associations |
4 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
3 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
4 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
4 |
| Child Day Care Services |
18 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
5 |
| Claims Adjusting |
3 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
5 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
12 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
3 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
2 |
| Credit Bureaus |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
16 |
| Dental Laboratories |
3 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
3 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
3 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
6 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
13 |
| Electronic Auctions |
1 |
| Electronic Connector Manufacturing |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
23 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
4 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
5 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
9 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
15 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
6 |
| Flooring Contractors |
1 |
| Florists |
6 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
11 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
40 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
7 |
| General Automotive Repair |
15 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
10 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
8 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
39 |
| Interior Design Services |
8 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
3 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
9 |
| Janitorial Services |
11 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Land Subdivision |
4 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
7 |
| Landscaping Services |
40 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
31 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
3 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
3 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
14 |
| Masonry Contractors |
9 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
3 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
3 |
| Museums |
4 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
4 |
| Navigational Services to Shipping |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
18 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
5 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
6 |
| Office Administrative Services |
7 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
15 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
15 |
| Offices of Dentists |
42 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
94 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
4 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
4 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
2 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
4 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
12 |
| Periodical Publishers |
6 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
9 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
2 |
| Political Organizations |
2 |
| Port and Harbor Operations |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
8 |
| Precision Turned Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
3 |
| Quick Printing |
3 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
7 |
| Recreational Goods Rental |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
9 |
| Residential Remodelers |
19 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
4 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
8 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
12 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
4 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
11 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
10 |
| Software Publishers |
2 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
10 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
4 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
2 |
| Telephone Answering Services |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
5 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
2 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
7 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
5 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
5 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
5 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
2 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
29 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
5 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
6 |
Naming the Company
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 need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Doylestown, it's very important that you make sure no other Pennsylvania company is using the business name you want to use.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Doylestown business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
Take advantage of our many articles on finding startup capital, such as 504 Loans.
For Doylestown entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Startup
To grow your Doylestown business, you need a solid marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Phone Book Advertising Costs is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Building Up Your Sales
Being able to sell is a key enabler to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Doylestown or are selling to customers throughout Pennsylvania, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Closing Sales Techniques offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in Doylestown. 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 Doylestown 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 Doylestown, Pennsylvania
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Doylestown.
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