Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Are you starting a business in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Mechanicsburg.

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
6486
5-9 Employees
2916
10-19 Employees
2268
20-49 Employees
1764
50-99 Employees
630
100-249 Employees
414
250-499 Employees
72
500-999 Employees
54
1000+ Employees
9
All Mechanicsburg Businesses
14613

As a new Mechanicsburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Mechanicsburg 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
3
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
5
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
12
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
34
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Book Publishers
1
Bowling Centers
2
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
5
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
7
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Cheese Manufacturing
1
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
19
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Claims Adjusting
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
1
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
24
Computer Training
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
7
Convenience Stores
5
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
4
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
6
Custom Computer Programming Services
17
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
8
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
15
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
26
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
8
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
55
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
10
General Automotive Repair
19
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
8
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
3
Hardware Stores
4
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
3
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
6
Household Appliance Stores
5
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
33
Interior Design Services
2
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
13
Jewelry Stores
3
Junior Colleges
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
25
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
42
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Machine Shops
3
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
7
Media Buying Agencies
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
8
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
5
New Car Dealers
15
New Housing Operative Builders
4
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
5
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
11
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Dentists
23
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
5
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
8
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
3
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
3
Racetracks
1
Real Estate Credit
7
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
18
Retail Bakeries
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Savings Institutions
5
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
5
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
3
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
6
Software Publishers
4
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Temporary Help Services
6
Testing Laboratories
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
8
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
8
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
4
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Mechanicsburg and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Squeeze Fresh Juice Bar and VoipStarter. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Travel and Leisure Franchises and Child Safety Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Mechanicsburg Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in Pennsylvania. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Mechanicsburg.

If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Choosing a Business Name

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

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.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Mechanicsburg, it's critical that you ensure that no Pennsylvania company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Obtaining startup financing for your Mechanicsburg business is not an easy task. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled How to Raise Money.

For Mechanicsburg entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, check out our List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Mechanicsburg business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Compensating Sales People offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Mechanicsburg, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Mechanicsburg 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 Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

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

More Business Startup Guides for Pennsylvania

Starting a Business in Meadville
Starting a Business in Mercersburg

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Pennsylvania
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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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