Pennsylvania Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in State College, Pennsylvania

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

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 State College. 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.

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at 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 an Employment Screening Services Business guide or our Starting a Marketing Programs & Services Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in State College. Some businesses will do better in State College than others. A critical consideration is whether State College demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

State College, Pennsylvania Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2406
5-9 Employees
1179
10-19 Employees
840
20-49 Employees
615
50-99 Employees
267
100-249 Employees
111
250-499 Employees
15
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
3
All State College Businesses
5442

As a new State College entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in State College 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
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Armored Car Services
1
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Barber Shops
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
11
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Publishers
2
Book Stores
5
Books Printing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
6
Cable and Other Program Distribution
3
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
3
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
20
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
4
Civic and Social Organizations
14
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
13
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convenience Stores
10
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
7
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
14
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
4
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Educational Support Services
4
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electronic Capacitor Manufacturing
1
Electronic Resistor Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
8
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
40
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
13
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
8
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
6
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
6
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
54
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
General Automotive Repair
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
19
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
7
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
7
Homes for the Elderly
1
Household Appliance Stores
3
Hunting and Trapping
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
34
Internet Service Providers
4
Investment Advice
5
Janitorial Services
11
Jewelry Stores
12
Land Subdivision
2
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
9
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
62
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
2
Masonry Contractors
2
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
4
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
8
Motion Picture and Video Distribution
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Housing Operative Builders
4
News Dealers and Newsstands
2
Newspaper Publishers
5
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
5
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
10
Offices of Dentists
39
Offices of Lawyers
34
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
10
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Payroll Services
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
12
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Portfolio Management
8
Professional Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
1
Radio Stations
5
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
10
Residential Property Managers
17
Residential Remodelers
8
Rooming and Boarding Houses
26
Savings Institutions
15
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
4
Securities Brokerage
11
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
14
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
10
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Software Publishers
4
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
9
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Taxi Service
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Temporary Help Services
9
Temporary Shelters
2
Testing Laboratories
4
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
22
Tour Operators
2
Travel Agencies
6
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
8
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
17
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing State College Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in Pennsylvania. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in State College.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Picking a Company Name

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

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

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

Don't Skip the Business Plan

Having a business plan is essential in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in Pennsylvania.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in State College, Pennsylvania, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby Pennsylvania universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking organizations for State College entrepreneurs.

Moving Forward

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

We are here to help State College businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new State College 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 State College, Pennsylvania

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

More Business Startup Guides for Pennsylvania

Starting a Business in Souderton
Starting a Business in Strasburg

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

 

 

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