Are you starting a business in Alhambra, California? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening 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 |
| Amusement Arcades |
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 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
| 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 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| 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 |
| Car Washes |
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 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
11 |
| 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 |
| Commodity Contracts Dealing |
4 |
| 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 |
| Convenience Stores |
7 |
| 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 |
| Dance Companies |
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 |
| Document Preparation Services |
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 |
| Electronic Shopping |
8 |
| 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 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| 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 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| 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 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
97 |
| 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 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| 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 Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
5 |
| 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 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
9 |
| Iron Foundries |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
5 |
| Jewelry Stores |
4 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
3 |
| Land Subdivision |
4 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
5 |
| 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 |
| Machine Shops |
1 |
| 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 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
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 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| 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 Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| 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 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
4 |
| 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 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
3 |
| 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 |
| Quick Printing |
6 |
| 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 |
| Sales Financing |
1 |
| 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 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| 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 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
4 |
| 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 |
| Travel Agencies |
36 |
| 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 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| 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.
- Resources for Alhambra, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Alhambra entrepreneurs.
- California Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in California.
- Fresno, California Small Business Development Center - The UC Merced SBDC Regional Network assists Central California entrepreneurs and small business owners through counseling, training and business information.
- Los Angeles, California Small Business Development Center - The Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network (LA SBDC Network) is part of the national, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) effort to provide free one-on-one customized consulting services and low-cost training workshops to growing businesses and start-up businesses.
- Sacramento, California Small Business Development Center - As Northern California continues to grow demographically and economically, the Northeastern California Small Business Development Center (NECSBDC) at CSU, Chico is committed to helping communities prepare and plan for future growth.
- San Diego, California Small Business Development Center - The Small Business Development & International Trade Center (SBDITC) at Southwestern College is part of the California SBDC San Diego and Imperial Regional Network. The SBDITC provides no-cost business assistance to start-up & existing businesses.
- San Francisco, California Small Business Development Center - The Northern California Network of Small Business Development Centers helps individuals start, manage and grow their businesses.
- Santa Ana, California Small Business Development Center - The Tri-County Lead Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in the Santa Ana District provides oversight and support for SBDCs located in the Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The Santa Ana SBDC Network is a leader in providing consulting, training, and technical assistance to the small business community.
- Alhambra, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Alhambra, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Alhambra area.
Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California
Starting a Business in Alameda
Starting a Business in Alpine
Browse All
Business Startup Guides for California
