Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Kutztown, Pennsylvania

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Kutztown. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • 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. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Kutztown, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
516
5-9 Employees
210
10-19 Employees
99
20-49 Employees
90
50-99 Employees
12
100-249 Employees
18
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Kutztown Businesses
948

As a new Kutztown entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Kutztown 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
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
9
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Stores
1
Bottled Water Manufacturing
1
Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing
1
Business Associations
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
3
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Computer Training
1
Convenience Stores
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Framing Contractors
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
5
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
6
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Janitorial Services
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
11
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Markets
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
5
Offices of Lawyers
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Roofing Contractors
4
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
3
Shoe Stores
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
2
Wineries
1
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

Visit the business district of Kutztown and you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to consider franchising as an option. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Selling A Franchise. 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 Envirospect Inc. and Hurley Chicago Company. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Training and Education Franchises and Cell Phone Franchises.

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

Naming the Company

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.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Kutztown, it's very important that you make sure no other Pennsylvania company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Kutztown, Pennsylvania

A critical step is ensuring that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. The primary advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

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, it doesn't mean you are required 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Dissolving a Corporation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, our information on Incorporating in Pennsylvania may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in Pennsylvania.

Marketing Your New Startup

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

We have some useful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Direct Mail Costs is a good read to get your marketing thoughts flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Kutztown, 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 groups or organizations in which Kutztown entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Kutztown. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

We are here to help Kutztown 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 Kutztown, Pennsylvania

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in Pennsylvania

Starting a Business in Kittanning
Starting a Business in Lahaska

Browse All Business Startup Guides for Pennsylvania
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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