Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Meadville, Pennsylvania

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Candle Manufacturers Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our How to Start a Pet Containment Business guide.

Remember that your new startup will be located in Meadville. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in Meadville. Only by spending some time analyzing Meadville demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Meadville, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4425
5-9 Employees
1971
10-19 Employees
1323
20-49 Employees
927
50-99 Employees
333
100-249 Employees
90
250-499 Employees
54
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
9
All Meadville Businesses
9141

As a new Meadville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Meadville 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
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
1
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
9
Civic and Social Organizations
12
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Discount Department Stores
2
Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
13
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
6
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Engineering Services
2
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Flat Glass Manufacturing
1
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Service Contractors
7
Framing Contractors
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
5
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
2
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
3
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
5
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Heating Oil Dealers
2
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
5
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
2
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
15
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
20
Internet Service Providers
1
Iron and Steel Forging
2
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Iron Foundries
2
Jewelry Stores
4
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
33
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Logging
1
Machine Shops
17
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Meat Markets
1
Metal Heat Treating
1
Metal Stamping
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
5
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
8
Offices of Chiropractors
7
Offices of Dentists
15
Offices of Lawyers
31
Offices of Optometrists
9
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Optical Goods Stores
3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
7
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Plastics Bag Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
4
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Radio Networks
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
2
Remediation Services
2
Residential Remodelers
6
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Sawmills
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
5
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
5
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
5
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
3
Temporary Shelters
3
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
11
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Outsourcing. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Meadville business requires strong organization skills and perseverance. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Meadville entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of Pennsylvania Angel Investors and our List of Pennsylvania Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Meadville business, you need to focus on sales.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling Products on eBay 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.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful business owners know that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in Meadville, Pennsylvania, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into Meadville networking organizations.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Meadville, 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 Meadville 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 Meadville, Pennsylvania

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

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