Opening a Business in Brisbane, California

Thinking about starting a business in Brisbane, California? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Brisbane.

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at 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 Paintball Business guide or our Starting a Keyboards Musical Instruments Business guide.

Don't forget that your new business will be in Brisbane. Some businesses will do better in Brisbane than others. A critical consideration is whether Brisbane demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Brisbane, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size	# of Businesses
1-4 Employees	270
5-9 Employees	165
10-19 Employees	123
20-49 Employees	114
50-99 Employees	51
100-249 Employees	42
250-499 Employees	18
500-999 Employees	3
1000+ Employees	0
All Brisbane Businesses	786

As a new Brisbane entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Brisbane 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance	1
Architectural Services	1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores	1
Books Printing	1
Child Day Care Services	1
Civic and Social Organizations	1
Commercial Bakeries	1
Commercial Lithographic Printing	2
Computer Systems Design Services	2
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers	1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers	1
Crown and Closure Manufacturing	1
Custom Computer Programming Services	5
Dental Laboratories	1
Digital Printing	1
Direct Mail Advertising	1
Display Advertising	1
Document Preparation Services	1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)	2
Drywall and Insulation Contractors	2
Electrical Contractors	2
Electronic Shopping	4
Engineering Services	3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services	4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers	1
Flooring Contractors	2
Freight Transportation Arrangement	11
Full-Service Restaurants	4
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers	1
General Automotive Repair	3
General Freight Trucking, Local	4
General Warehousing and Storage	1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores	2
Glass and Glazing Contractors	2
Graphic Design Services	2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers	1
Hardware Stores	1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers	1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages	2
Investment Advice	1
Limited-Service Restaurants	7
Local Messengers and Local Delivery	1
Machine Shops	1
Mail-Order Houses	3
Marketing Consulting Services	1
Masonry Contractors	1
Media Representatives	1
Motion Picture and Video Distribution	1
Newspaper Publishers	1
Office Administrative Services	1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers	2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants	3
Offices of Chiropractors	1
Offices of Dentists	1
Offices of Lawyers	1
Offices of Other Holding Companies	1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors	3
Periodical Publishers	1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services	2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals	1
Professional Employer Organizations	1
Residential Property Managers	1
Residential Remodelers	2
Scheduled Freight Air Transportation	1
Securities Brokerage	2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing	2
Software Publishers	1
Special Needs Transportation	1
Tax Preparation Services	1
Television Broadcasting	2
Temporary Help Services	1
Testing Laboratories	1
Travel Agencies	2
Vending Machine Operators	2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers	3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	1

Is Buying an Existing Brisbane Business a Good Strategy?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Brisbane.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Brisbane, California

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporation 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, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in California. In fact, 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Incorporating Online. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Brisbane, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Brisbane business the capital it needs to succeed is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Angel Investors.

For Brisbane entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, browse our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

How to Sell

Mastering the art of selling is a must if you want your new Brisbane business to do well.

The key to selling is to set sales goals goals and monitor your progress towards those goals. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Selling with Questions is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Brisbane businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Brisbane and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Brisbane 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 Brisbane, California

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

• Resources for Brisbane, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Brisbane 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.
• Brisbane, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Brisbane, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Brisbane area.

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California
Starting a Business in Brentwood
Starting a Business in Burbank

Browse All Business Startup Guides for California