Thinking about starting a business in Hartville, Ohio? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Hartville.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
An entrepreneurial life is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you are ready to take on this challenge?
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Hartville. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a 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. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Hartville, Ohio Demographic Information
Hartville has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Hartville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Hartville.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
2112 |
| 5-9 Employees |
765 |
| 10-19 Employees |
396 |
| 20-49 Employees |
270 |
| 50-99 Employees |
81 |
| 100-249 Employees |
36 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
9 |
| All Hartville Businesses |
3669 |
As a new Hartville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hartville 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 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Beauty Salons |
6 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
5 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
2 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Custom Roll Forming |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
1 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
3 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
7 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
11 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
10 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
5 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
5 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
4 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
4 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
2 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
9 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
12 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
14 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
3 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
4 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
1 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
4 |
| Offices of Dentists |
3 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
2 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
5 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
2 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
9 |
| Roofing Contractors |
9 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
3 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
7 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
2 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
1 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading) |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
5 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
Naming the Business
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: Branding Advice.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Hartville, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another Ohio business.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for 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 The Art of the Executive Summary. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in Ohio.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Raising money to fund your new Hartville business is not an easy task. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Hartville entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Ohio Angel Investors and our List of Ohio Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Venture
Whether your goal is to attract Hartville customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Transit Advertising is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Hartville, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Hartville and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Hartville, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Hartville, Ohio
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Hartville.
- Resources for Hartville, Ohio Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Hartville 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.
- Hartville, Ohio Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Hartville, Ohio newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Hartville area.
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