Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

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

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
333
5-9 Employees
99
10-19 Employees
51
20-49 Employees
30
50-99 Employees
3
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
3
All Swarthmore Businesses
525

As a new Swarthmore entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Swarthmore 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
Book Stores
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
5
Collection Agencies
1
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2
Florists
1
Full-Service Restaurants
3
General Automotive Repair
3
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Human Rights Organizations
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
5
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
3
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
8
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Dentists
8
Offices of Lawyers
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Travel Agencies
3
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Examine a list of Swarthmore businesses and it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Tradeshows. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Padgett Business Services and Home Preservation Systems. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Fast Food Franchises and Pizza Franchises.

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

Forming a Company in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be 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, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in Pennsylvania. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. 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. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Registered Agents. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, our information on Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Creating a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.

Letting the World Know You Exist

To grow your Swarthmore business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some great resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. National TV Spot Advertising Rates discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Swarthmore entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Swarthmore businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Swarthmore, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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