Thinking about starting a business in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Phoenixville.
Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?
Being an entrepreneur is difficult, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Phoenixville. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- 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. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
Phoenixville, Pennsylvania Demographic Information
Phoenixville has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Phoenixville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Phoenixville.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1329 |
| 5-9 Employees |
489 |
| 10-19 Employees |
255 |
| 20-49 Employees |
165 |
| 50-99 Employees |
63 |
| 100-249 Employees |
21 |
| 250-499 Employees |
3 |
| 500-999 Employees |
6 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Phoenixville Businesses |
2331 |
As a new Phoenixville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Phoenixville 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 |
| Architectural Services |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
3 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
11 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Book Publishers |
2 |
| Breweries |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
6 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
1 |
| Charter Bus Industry |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
9 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
8 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
4 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Commercial Screen Printing |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
19 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
3 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
8 |
| Diet and Weight Reducing Centers |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
7 |
| Electrical Contractors |
5 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
5 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
3 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
4 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
2 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Folding Paperboard Box Manufacturing |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
10 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
26 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Stores |
6 |
| General Automotive Repair |
13 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
3 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
3 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Heating Oil Dealers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
14 |
| Internet Service Providers |
1 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
| Jewelry Stores |
3 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
20 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
22 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
2 |
| Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
5 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Media Representatives |
1 |
| Medical Laboratories |
1 |
| Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
5 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
2 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
2 |
| Offices of Dentists |
13 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
6 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
2 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Paper Industry Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Plate Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
2 |
| Printing Ink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
2 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
1 |
| Remediation Services |
3 |
| Residential Property Managers |
4 |
| Residential Remodelers |
7 |
| Roofing Contractors |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
4 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
4 |
| Travel Agencies |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
2 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
2 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
4 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
1 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
10 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
Forming a Company in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in Pennsylvania, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Pennsylvania. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
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 Getting an EIN. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, our information on Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.
Raising Capital for Your Venture
Getting your Phoenixville business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Bank Credit Lines.
For Phoenixville entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.
Building Up Your Sales
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Phoenixville business, you need to focus on sales.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
Good business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.
With your business being located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local Pennsylvania educational institutions. It's also wise to see if there are any networking organizations for Phoenixville entrepreneurs.
Never Give Up
As an entrepreneur in Phoenixville, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Phoenixville businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Phoenixville entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Phoenixville.
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