Contemplating starting a business in Brentwood, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Brentwood.
Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?
Most new companies don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Brentwood. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
- Take a look at Starting a Company. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
- Talk it over with a close friend or partner. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.
Brentwood, California Demographic Information
Brentwood has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Brentwood demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Brentwood.
| Business Size | # of Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
8202 |
| 5-9 Employees |
2358 |
| 10-19 Employees |
1890 |
| 20-49 Employees |
1026 |
| 50-99 Employees |
234 |
| 100-249 Employees |
162 |
| 250-499 Employees |
18 |
| 500-999 Employees |
18 |
| 1000+ Employees |
18 |
| All Brentwood Businesses |
13926 |
As a new Brentwood entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Brentwood 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 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
8 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
2 |
|
Barber Shops |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
11 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
1 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
|
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
2 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
15 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
4 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
|
Consumer Lending |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Custom Roll Forming |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
5 |
|
Display Advertising |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
6 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
14 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
2 |
| Engineering Services |
2 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
1 |
|
Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
4 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
2 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
4 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
8 |
| Florists |
4 |
|
Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
1 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
27 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Stores |
2 |
| General Automotive Repair |
7 |
|
General Freight Trucking, Local |
1 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
3 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
1 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
|
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
4 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Industrial Valve Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
7 |
|
Interior Design Services |
2 |
| Internet Service Providers |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
| Landscaping Services |
23 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
32 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
|
Marinas |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
3 |
| Masonry Contractors |
2 |
| Meat Markets |
2 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
7 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
1 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
|
Nail Salons |
3 |
| New Car Dealers |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
1 |
|
Offices of Chiropractors |
9 |
| Offices of Dentists |
16 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
5 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
4 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
|
Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
9 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
6 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
5 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
2 |
|
Private Mail Centers |
3 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
15 |
| Residential Property Managers |
1 |
| Residential Remodelers |
11 |
| Reupholstery and Furniture Repair |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
2 |
|
Sales Financing |
1 |
| Savings Institutions |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
7 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
9 |
|
Software Publishers |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
6 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
5 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Testing Laboratories |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
|
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
4 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
5 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
5 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
4 |
| Wineries |
1 |
|
Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
Is Buying an Existing Brentwood Business a Good Strategy?
If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Brentwood.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Buying a Business.
Naming the Company
A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Brentwood, it's imperative that you check now that no other California company is using the business name you want to use.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
The best entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
As an entrepreneur who lives in Brentwood, 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 Brentwood networking organizations.
Moving Forward
Most new Brentwood businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
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 Brentwood and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Brentwood 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 Brentwood, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Brentwood.
- Resources for Brentwood, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Brentwood 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.
- Brentwood, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Brentwood, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Brentwood area.
- Brentwood, California Payroll Services - This list includes Brentwood, California payroll services, national payroll services for Brentwood, and helpful information on choosing a Brentwood payroll service.
- Brentwood, California Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Brentwood, California, such as business brokers in Brentwood and other helpful information on how to buy a Brentwood business.
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