Contemplating starting a business in Big Bear Lake, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Big Bear Lake.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. We recommend that you read Free Business Ideas.
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 How to Start a Photo Retouching & Coloring Business guide or our How to Start a Rifle & Pistol Ranges Equipment & Supplies Business guide.
Don't forget that your new startup will be located in Big Bear Lake. Some businesses will do better in Big Bear Lake than others. Don't forget to review Big Bear Lake demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Big Bear Lake, California Demographic Information
Big Bear Lake has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Big Bear Lake demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Big Bear Lake.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
832 |
| 5-9 Employees |
264 |
| 10-19 Employees |
147 |
| 20-49 Employees |
135 |
| 50-99 Employees |
9 |
| 100-249 Employees |
9 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Big Bear Lake Businesses |
1399 |
As a new Big Bear Lake entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Big Bear Lake 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 |
1 |
| Amusement and Theme Parks |
1 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
2 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
2 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
1 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
3 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
1 |
| Drafting Services |
2 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
6 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
6 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
5 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
3 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Florists |
2 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
29 |
| Furniture Stores |
4 |
| General Automotive Repair |
2 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
15 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
1 |
| Hazardous Waste Collection |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
4 |
| International Trade Financing |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
1 |
| Jewelry Stores |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
3 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
21 |
| Marinas |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
2 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
1 |
| New Car Dealers |
1 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
3 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
2 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
1 |
| Offices of Dentists |
6 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
6 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Portfolio Management |
3 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
2 |
| Recreational Goods Rental |
8 |
| Residential Property Managers |
9 |
| Residential Remodelers |
5 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
2 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Skiing Facilities |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
4 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
2 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
3 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
3 |
Selecting a Name For Your Venture
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 need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Big Bear Lake, it's very important that you make sure no other California company is using the business name you want to use.
Company Formation in Big Bear Lake, California
A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect 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. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.
There's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Piercing the Corporate Veil. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Big Bear Lake, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.
Raising Money for Your New Venture
Getting your Big Bear Lake business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Angel Investors.
For Big Bear Lake entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.
Promoting Your New Company
To rise above the crowd in Big Bear Lake and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Effective Direct Mail Campaigns is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Big Bear Lake. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
We are here to help Big Bear Lake businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Big Bear Lake 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 Big Bear Lake, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Big Bear Lake.
- Resources for Big Bear Lake, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Big Bear Lake 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.
- Big Bear Lake, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Big Bear Lake, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Big Bear Lake area.
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