Start a Business in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

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

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Good Business Ideas.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Auto Radiators Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our How to Start an Ethnic Gifts Business guide.

Don't forget that you are opening your new business in Huntingdon. If Huntingdon already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Study Huntingdon demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Huntingdon, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	1356
5-9 Employees	534
10-19 Employees	396
20-49 Employees	186
50-99 Employees	48
100-249 Employees	24
250-499 Employees	18
500-999 Employees	0
1000+ Employees	0
All Huntingdon Businesses	2562

As a new Huntingdon entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Huntingdon 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
Art Dealers	1
Automobile Driving Schools	1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores	5
Beauty Salons	12
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	3
Book Stores	1
Bowling Centers	1
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills	1
Business and Secretarial Schools	1
Business Associations	2
Cable and Other Program Distribution	1
Cafeterias	1
Car Washes	1
Child Day Care Services	3
Civic and Social Organizations	7
Collection Agencies	1
Commercial Gravure Printing	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	1
Commercial Screen Printing	1
Computer and Software Stores	1
Computer Facilities Management Services	1
Confectionery and Nut Stores	1
Consumer Lending	1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities	1
Convenience Stores	2
Credit Unions	1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers	2
Display Advertising	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	7
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	1
Electric Power Distribution	1
Electrical Contractors	1
Elementary and Secondary Schools	1
Engineering Services	3
Family Clothing Stores	1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers	1
Fine Arts Schools	1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	4
Florists	2
Fluid Milk Manufacturing	1
Food Service Contractors	2
Framing Contractors	1
Full-Service Restaurants	13
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services	3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers	1
General Automotive Repair	8
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	1
General Rental Centers	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs	2
Hardware Stores	1
Heating Oil Dealers	2
Historical Sites	1
Home Centers	2
Home Health Care Services	2
Homes for the Elderly	1
Household Appliance Stores	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	7
Investment Advice	1
Janitorial Services	1
Jewelry Stores	2
Kidney Dialysis Centers	1
Landscaping Services	4
Libraries and Archives	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	9
Logging	3
Mail-Order Houses	2
Masonry Contractors	1
Meat Markets	1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing	1
Museums	1
Natural Gas Distribution	1
New Car Dealers	5
Newspaper Publishers	1
Nursing Care Facilities	3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores	1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	2
Offices of Dentists	8
Offices of Lawyers	14
Offices of Optometrists	2
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Offices of Podiatrists	2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers	1
Optical Goods Stores	2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores	1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores	1
Periodical Publishers	1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores	4
Photography Studios, Portrait	1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing	1
Private Mail Centers	1
Radio Stations	1
Real Estate Credit	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	5
Retail Bakeries	1
Roofing Contractors	1
Savings Institutions	2
School and Employee Bus Transportation	1
Shoe Stores	2
Site Preparation Contractors	3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars	1
Solid Waste Collection	1
Sporting Goods Stores	2
Sports and Recreation Instruction	1
Support Activities for Forestry	1
Tax Preparation Services	3
Telemarketing Bureaus	1
Temporary Help Services	1
Temporary Shelters	1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices	1
Tobacco Stores	2
Travel Agencies	1
Used Car Dealers	3
Used Merchandise Stores	4
Veterinary Services	3
Video Tape and Disc Rental	1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services	3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	2
Women's Clothing Stores	3

Is Franchising a Better Option?

Examine a list of Huntingdon businesses and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Five Franchise Opportunities To Watch. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Mr. Electric and Steak n Shake. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Auto Rental Franchises and Modeling Franchises.

Note on Huntingdon Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Huntingdon, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Huntingdon, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another Pennsylvania business.

Forming a Company in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

It's essential that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. The main advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

When forming a company, you will choose from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in Pennsylvania, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in Pennsylvania. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

There are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Subchapter S Corporations. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, our web page covering Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.

Startup Financing Basics

Raising money to fund your new Huntingdon business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as Bank Credit Lines.

For Huntingdon entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Company

To rise above the crowd in Huntingdon 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. Competitive Analysis discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Huntingdon 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 Huntingdon 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 Huntingdon, Pennsylvania

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

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

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