Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

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

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Most startup companies fail, in part because the business owner did not have the entrepreneurial skills and traits needed to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Lock Haven. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. 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.

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
591
5-9 Employees
273
10-19 Employees
147
20-49 Employees
99
50-99 Employees
27
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Lock Haven Businesses
1155

As a new Lock Haven entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lock Haven 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Stores
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
2
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Consumer Lending
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
9
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
1
Flooring Contractors
2
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
4
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
12
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Fur and Leather Apparel Manufacturing
1
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
9
Interior Design Services
1
Investigation Services
1
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
3
Language Schools
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Logging
2
Machine Shops
2
Masonry Contractors
2
Meat Markets
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
6
Offices of Lawyers
11
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Remodelers
4
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
4
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Solid Waste Collection
3
Tax Preparation Services
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Shelters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
1
Tobacco Stores
4
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Lock Haven, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as How to Get More Franchisees. 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.

Representative franchise opportunities include The Maids Home Services and Farmer Boys Restaurants. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Security Franchises and Coffee Shop Franchises.

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

Forming a Company in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. 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.

Incorporation is a very popular way to form a business. 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. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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 Incorporation Advice. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Lock Haven, 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

A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, 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 is a recipe for disaster.

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

How to Sell

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Lock Haven business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Landing Big Customers is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Never Give Up

Most new Lock Haven 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Lock Haven and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Lock Haven, Pennsylvania

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

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