California Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in Livermore, California
Thinking about starting a business in Livermore, California? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Livermore.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Livermore. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being 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. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
What Business to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.
For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening an Elastic Hosiery Retailer guide or our Starting a Dermatology Pediatrics Physicians & Surgeons Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in Livermore. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Livermore. Study Livermore demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.
Livermore, California Demographic Information
Livermore has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Livermore demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Livermore.
Businesses
As a new Livermore entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Livermore 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.
Businesses
Selecting a Name For Your Venture
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.
Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.
Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Livermore, it's very important that you make sure no other California company is using the business name you want to use.
Company Formation in Livermore, California
It's essential that you choose the right legal structure for your new entity. 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. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. In fact, you are allowed to 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. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Livermore, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.
Bring in Revenues
Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Livermore or are selling to customers throughout California, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.
Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.
Sales Training is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
The best business owners know that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
With your business being located in Livermore, California, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also beneficial to see if there are any networking organizations for Livermore entrepreneurs.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Livermore. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Livermore and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Livermore, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Livermore, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Livermore.
- Resources for Livermore, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Livermore 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 Center (SBDC) at Southwestern College serves entrepreneurs and small businesses in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The SBDC 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.
- Orange County Small Business Development Center - The Orange County SBDC is a leader in providing consulting, training, and technical assistance to the small business community.
More Startup Articles for California Cities
Starting a Business in Linden
Starting a Business in Lodi
Browse All Business Startup Guides for California
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs