Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Norristown, Pennsylvania

Need help starting a business in Norristown, Pennsylvania? We've got the information you need to open a business in Norristown.

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? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Evaluating Your Idea.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Commodity & Merchandise Warehouses Business guide or our How to Start a Myofunctional Therapists Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Norristown. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Norristown. Don't forget to review Norristown demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Norristown, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3128
5-9 Employees
1203
10-19 Employees
777
20-49 Employees
579
50-99 Employees
219
100-249 Employees
126
250-499 Employees
21
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
6
All Norristown Businesses
6068

As a new Norristown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Norristown 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
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
4
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
2
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
2
Beauty Salons
23
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
11
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
5
Cable and Other Program Distribution
5
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
5
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
7
Child Day Care Services
28
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Claims Adjusting
3
Collection Agencies
3
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
27
Computer Training
1
Consumer Lending
2
Convenience Stores
12
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
16
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
4
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Discount Department Stores
4
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
12
Dry Pasta Manufacturing
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
3
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
29
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Engineering Services
11
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
1
Family Planning Centers
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
7
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
11
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
4
Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
4
Framing Contractors
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
46
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
5
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
28
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
5
Hazardous Waste Collection
2
Heating Oil Dealers
6
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
4
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
34
Interior Design Services
3
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
5
Investment Advice
2
Janitorial Services
25
Jewelry Stores
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
3
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
33
Language Schools
1
Lead Pencil and Art Good Manufacturing
1
Libraries and Archives
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
78
Limousine Service
1
Livestock Merchant Wholesalers
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
5
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Markets
2
Metal Heat Treating
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Nail Salons
6
New Car Dealers
8
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
7
Office Administrative Services
7
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
11
Offices of Dentists
39
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
6
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
6
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Optical Goods Stores
4
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Packing and Crating
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
5
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
5
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
5
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
13
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
3
Portfolio Management
3
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Professional Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
5
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
6
Residential Property Managers
7
Residential Remodelers
19
Retail Bakeries
3
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Roofing Contractors
7
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
10
Securities Brokerage
5
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Sewage Treatment Facilities
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
5
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
14
Software Publishers
6
Solid Waste Collection
4
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
11
Sports and Recreation Instruction
7
Taxi Service
3
Temporary Help Services
10
Temporary Shelters
3
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Thread Mills
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
11
Tobacco Stores
2
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
3
Used Car Dealers
5
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
4
Vending Machine Operators
5
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
21
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Should You Franchise?

Visit the business district of Norristown and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Franchising Scams. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Wendy's International, Inc. and Incredibly Edible Delites, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Restaurant Services Franchises and Telecommunications Franchises.

Note on Norristown Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Norristown.

The Role of the Business Plan

Having a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Software. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Obtaining startup financing for your Norristown business is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Business Line of Credit.

For Norristown 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.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Successful business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Norristown, Pennsylvania, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Norristown entrepreneurs.

Next Steps

Most new Norristown businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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 Norristown and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Norristown, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Norristown, Pennsylvania

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

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