Are you starting a business in Castro Valley, California? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Castro Valley.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to go into business for yourself?
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Castro Valley. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Castro Valley, California Demographic Information
Castro Valley has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Castro Valley demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Castro Valley.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1907 |
| 5-9 Employees |
546 |
| 10-19 Employees |
363 |
| 20-49 Employees |
225 |
| 50-99 Employees |
39 |
| 100-249 Employees |
15 |
| 250-499 Employees |
0 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Castro Valley Businesses |
3098 |
As a new Castro Valley entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Castro Valley 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 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
1 |
| Barber Shops |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
6 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Blind and Shade Manufacturing |
1 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Business to Business Electronic Markets |
1 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Caterers |
5 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
14 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
7 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
1 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
10 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
1 |
| Convenience Stores |
5 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
14 |
| Dental Laboratories |
2 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
1 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
7 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
6 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Electrical Contractors |
21 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
4 |
| Engineering Services |
6 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
5 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
4 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
11 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
5 |
| Florists |
3 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
4 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
29 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
3 |
| Furniture Stores |
1 |
| General Automotive Repair |
14 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
5 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
1 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
1 |
| Home Health Care Services |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
6 |
| Industrial Mold Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
16 |
| Investment Advice |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
9 |
| Jewelry Stores |
2 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
16 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
5 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
26 |
| Limousine Service |
1 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
1 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Marinas |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
4 |
| Masonry Contractors |
5 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
6 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
4 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
1 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
3 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
9 |
| Office Administrative Services |
3 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
9 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
11 |
| Offices of Dentists |
33 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
14 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| Packaging and Labeling Services |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
11 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
4 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
3 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Prepress Services |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
4 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
19 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Roofing Contractors |
8 |
| Savings Institutions |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
7 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
11 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
2 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
5 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Temporary Shelters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
1 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tour Operators |
2 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
2 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
8 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
2 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
1 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
2 |
| Wineries |
3 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
2 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
2 |
Should You Franchise?
As you drive around Castro Valley, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Common Franchisee Mistakes. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include Wetzel's Pretzels and Modernistic Cleaning Services. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Dollar Store Franchises and Dry Cleaning & Laundry Franchises.
Note on Castro Valley Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Castro Valley, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Should You Buy an Existing Castro Valley Business?
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 Castro Valley.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Company
Whether your goal is to attract Castro Valley customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
You can learn plenty about marketing on our site. Six Tips for Getting Customer Testimonials is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
The Art of Selling
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Castro Valley business, you need to focus on sales.
Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.
Compensating Sales People is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.
Next Steps
As an entrepreneur in Castro Valley, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
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 Castro Valley and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Castro Valley 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 Castro Valley, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Castro Valley.
- Resources for Castro Valley, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Castro Valley 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.
- Castro Valley, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Castro Valley, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Castro Valley area.
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