Contemplating starting a business in Indiana, Pennsylvania? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Indiana.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Evaluating Your Idea.
For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting an Accounting Firm guide or our How to Start a Cosmetics & Toiletries Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide.
Don't forget that you are starting a business in Indiana. If Indiana already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. A critical consideration is whether Indiana demographics mesh well with your startup concept.
Indiana, Pennsylvania Demographic Information
Indiana has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Indiana demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Indiana.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1575 |
| 5-9 Employees |
768 |
| 10-19 Employees |
432 |
| 20-49 Employees |
246 |
| 50-99 Employees |
129 |
| 100-249 Employees |
69 |
| 250-499 Employees |
18 |
| 500-999 Employees |
3 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Indiana Businesses |
3243 |
As a new Indiana entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Indiana 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 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering |
1 |
| Anthracite Mining |
2 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
6 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
6 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
3 |
| Beauty Salons |
27 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
7 |
| Book Publishers |
2 |
| Book Stores |
6 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Business and Secretarial Schools |
1 |
| Business Associations |
3 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
2 |
| Child and Youth Services |
5 |
| Child Day Care Services |
11 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
9 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
3 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
2 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
1 |
| Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Construction Machinery Manufacturing |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
5 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
1 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
8 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
7 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
3 |
| Electrical Contractors |
4 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
4 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
5 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
4 |
| Food Service Contractors |
7 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
27 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
6 |
| General Automotive Repair |
9 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
3 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
8 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
2 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
2 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
6 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
8 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
23 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
5 |
| Jewelry Stores |
6 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
9 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
35 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Logging |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
3 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
2 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
3 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
3 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
2 |
| Natural Gas Liquid Extraction |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
6 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
3 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
3 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
4 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
4 |
| Offices of Bank Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
6 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
11 |
| Offices of Dentists |
17 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
31 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
9 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
4 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
3 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
4 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
4 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
8 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
4 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Prepress Services |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Radio Networks |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
2 |
| Residential Remodelers |
18 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
4 |
| Shoe Stores |
7 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
2 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
6 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Support Activities for Coal Mining |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading) |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
8 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
6 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
2 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
4 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
4 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Wood Preservation |
1 |
Selecting a Name For Your 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.
Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.
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 starting a business in Indiana, it's very important that you make sure no other Pennsylvania company is using the business name you want to use.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Indiana business the capital it needs to succeed requires strong organization skills and perseverance. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Line of Credit.
For Indiana entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.
The Art of Selling
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Indiana 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. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Successful entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.
With your business being located in Indiana, Pennsylvania, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Indiana entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Indiana. 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.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Indiana and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Indiana, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Indiana, Pennsylvania
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Indiana.
More Business Startup Guides for Pennsylvania
Starting a Business in Huntingdon
Starting a Business in Johnsonburg
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for Pennsylvania
