California Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Los Alamitos, California

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

What Business to Start

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free Business Ideas.

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 Starting a Music Rehearsal Studios Business guide or our Opening a Tobacco Buyers & Redryers Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Los Alamitos. Some businesses will do better in Los Alamitos than others. Study Los Alamitos demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Los Alamitos, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1923
5-9 Employees
636
10-19 Employees
429
20-49 Employees
309
50-99 Employees
54
100-249 Employees
51
250-499 Employees
15
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Los Alamitos Businesses
3426

As a new Los Alamitos entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Los Alamitos 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
Ambulance Services
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
2
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
2
Ball and Roller Bearing Manufacturing
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
5
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
4
Commercial Photography
1
Community Food Services
2
Computer Systems Design Services
6
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Credit Unions
4
Custom Computer Programming Services
8
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
3
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Educational Support Services
3
Electrical Contractors
18
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
12
Environmental Consulting Services
8
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Facilities Support Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
5
Full-Service Restaurants
17
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
4
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Stores
1
Hazardous Waste Collection
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Health Care Services
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
29
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
10
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
5
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
25
Limousine Service
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
10
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marketing Consulting Services
10
Masonry Contractors
2
Metal Stamping
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Nail Salons
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
7
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
30
Offices of Chiropractors
11
Offices of Dentists
32
Offices of Lawyers
24
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
3
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
4
Primary Aluminum Production
1
Professional Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
4
Racetracks
1
Real Estate Credit
3
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
9
Residential Remodelers
24
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
1
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Savings Institutions
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shellfish Fishing
1
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
6
Software Publishers
3
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Spring (Light Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
7
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Shelters
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
3
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
24
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Los Alamitos Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Los Alamitos.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in California.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your Los Alamitos business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Angel Investors.

For Los Alamitos entrepreneurs with great ambition but a shortage of investment capital, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Los Alamitos or are selling to customers throughout California, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Hiring Telemarketing Firms to Generate Sales Leads offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs know that they need to continually improve.

With your business being located in Los Alamitos, California, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also wise to see if there are any Los Alamitos networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Los Alamitos. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

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

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Los Alamitos and elsewhere to achieve real success. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Los Alamitos, California

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

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