Are you starting a business in Harrison, Ohio? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Harrison.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to go into business for yourself?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Harrison. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. 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.
Harrison, Ohio Demographic Information
Harrison has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Harrison demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Harrison.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
7080 |
| 5-9 Employees |
3744 |
| 10-19 Employees |
2376 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1584 |
| 50-99 Employees |
612 |
| 100-249 Employees |
252 |
| 250-499 Employees |
144 |
| 500-999 Employees |
36 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Harrison Businesses |
15828 |
As a new Harrison entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Harrison 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 |
| Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing |
2 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
12 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
3 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
2 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
5 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
12 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
4 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
7 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
4 |
| Landscaping Services |
10 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
20 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
4 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
3 |
| Offices of Dentists |
6 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
5 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Poultry Processing |
3 |
| Printing Ink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
3 |
| Residential Remodelers |
5 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Savings Institutions |
6 |
| Securities Brokerage |
1 |
| Setup Paperboard Box Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
2 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
2 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading) |
1 |
| Tobacco Stores |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
5 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Harrison Business?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in Ohio. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Harrison.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
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.
Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.
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 Harrison, it's critical that you ensure that no Ohio company has already registered the company name you have selected.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Software. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Ohio.
Marketing Your New Venture
To rise above the crowd in Harrison and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Elevator Advertising is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Now It's Up To You
As an entrepreneur in Harrison, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Harrison businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Harrison, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Harrison, Ohio
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Harrison.
- Resources for Harrison, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Harrison entrepreneurs.
- Ohio Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in Ohio.
- Ohio Small Business Development Center - Whether you're starting your business, expanding your business, or just looking to stay in business, the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio (SBDCs of Ohio) can help with professional guidance by connecting you with research, financing sources, and training opportunities.
- Harrison, Ohio Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Harrison, Ohio newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Harrison area.
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