California Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Oakland, California
Are you starting a business in Oakland, California? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Oakland.
Which Business to Choose?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Good 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 Opening an Auto Repair & Car Service Business guide or our Opening a Theater Information Services Business guide.
Don't forget that your new business will be in Oakland. If Oakland already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Oakland demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Oakland, California Demographic Information
Oakland has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Oakland demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Oakland.
Businesses
As a new Oakland entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Oakland 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
Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?
As you drive around Oakland, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.
We highly recommend you look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as How Franchises Work. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include Amerihost Franchise Systems and HomeTown Hearth & Grill. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Closet Design and Construction Franchises and Payroll Service Franchises.
Note on Oakland Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Oakland, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Picking a Company Name
Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.
Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.
To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Branding Advice.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Oakland, 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 maximizing the prospects of your new company. Indeed, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in California.
Where to Get Money to Start a Company
Getting your Oakland business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.
Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Borrowing Money from Friends and Family.
For Oakland entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.
How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities
Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.
Given that you are starting a business in Oakland, California, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local California educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Oakland entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.
Never Give Up
Most new Oakland businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Oakland and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Oakland, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Oakland, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Oakland.
- Resources for Oakland, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Oakland 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.
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