California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Alhambra, California

Need help starting a business in Alhambra, California? We've got the information you need to open a business in Alhambra.

Do You Have What It Takes?

An entrepreneurial life is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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:

  • Speak with other entrepreneurs in Alhambra. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Alhambra, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
7724
5-9 Employees
2376
10-19 Employees
1344
20-49 Employees
966
50-99 Employees
348
100-249 Employees
150
250-499 Employees
36
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
0
All Alhambra Businesses
12956

As a new Alhambra entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Alhambra 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
6
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
1
Aluminum Extruded Product Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
10
Art Dealers
2
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Baked Goods Stores
3
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
24
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
5
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
3
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
21
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coffee and Tea Manufacturing
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Computer and Software Stores
6
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Storage Device Manufacturing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
11
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
6
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
14
Custom Roll Forming
1
Dental Laboratories
5
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
6
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
5
Electronic Resistor Manufacturing
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
4
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
12
Envelope Manufacturing
1
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fiber Optic Cable Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
4
Floor Covering Stores
4
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
8
Food Service Contractors
4
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
19
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
6
Furniture Stores
10
General Automotive Repair
28
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
12
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
4
Greeting Card Publishers
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
10
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
3
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
4
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
25
Interior Design Services
2
International Trade Financing
1
Investment Advice
9
Iron Foundries
1
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
4
Kidney Dialysis Centers
3
Land Subdivision
4
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Language Schools
3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
6
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
74
Linen Supply
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Locksmiths
2
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
7
Marking Device Manufacturing
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
4
New Car Dealers
13
New Housing Operative Builders
2
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
6
Nonresidential Property Managers
6
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
13
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
36
Offices of Chiropractors
14
Offices of Dentists
65
Offices of Lawyers
59
Offices of Optometrists
9
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Open-End Investment Funds
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
4
Optical Goods Stores
3
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Parking Lots and Garages
5
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
20
Pipeline Transportation of Natural Gas
1
Plastics Bag Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
3
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
11
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Residential Property Managers
14
Residential Remodelers
6
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Savings Institutions
3
Securities and Commodity Exchanges
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
6
Sheer Hosiery Mills
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
16
Software Publishers
1
Software Reproducing
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tire Dealers
5
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
10
Translation and Interpretation Services
3
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Weft Knit Fabric Mills
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
48
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
14
Women's Clothing Stores
7
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Should You Buy an Existing Alhambra Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Alhambra.

If you are going to be buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Forming a Company in Alhambra, California

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield 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 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 California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. As it turns out, you can incorporate wherever you want. 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 Alhambra, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in California.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

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

Now It's Up To You

As an entrepreneur in Alhambra, 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.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Alhambra and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Alhambra, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Alhambra, California

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California

Starting a Business in Alameda
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