Contemplating starting a business in San Bernardino, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in San Bernardino.
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.
Always keep in mind that starting a business in San Bernardino has some implications. The business you want to start may already be well-represented in San Bernardino. Don't forget to review San Bernardino demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
San Bernardino has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for San Bernardino demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in San Bernardino.
As a new San Bernardino entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in San Bernardino 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 |
|
Abrasive Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Advertising Agencies |
2 |
| Appliance Repair and Maintenance |
3 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
2 |
| Armored Car Services |
1 |
| Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
|
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
5 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
32 |
| Automotive Transmission Repair |
8 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
4 |
| Beauty Salons |
13 |
| Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
26 |
| Blood and Organ Banks |
1 |
|
Boat Dealers |
2 |
| Book Stores |
9 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Building Inspection Services |
3 |
| Business Associations |
5 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
3 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
|
Canvas and Related Product Mills |
1 |
| Car Washes |
12 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
6 |
| Caterers |
1 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
3 |
| Cheese Manufacturing |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
11 |
| Child Day Care Services |
28 |
|
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
18 |
| Claims Adjusting |
4 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
5 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
6 |
| Collection Agencies |
1 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
5 |
| Commercial Photography |
1 |
|
Commercial Screen Printing |
5 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
3 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Storage Device Manufacturing |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
7 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
3 |
|
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Construction Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Construction Sand and Gravel Mining |
2 |
| Consumer Lending |
5 |
| Convenience Stores |
14 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Convention and Visitors Bureaus |
1 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
2 |
|
Couriers |
2 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
16 |
| Curtain and Drapery Mills |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
1 |
| Dental Laboratories |
8 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
7 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
7 |
|
Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
9 |
| Directory and Mailing List Publishers |
1 |
| Discount Department Stores |
5 |
| Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
12 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
13 |
| Educational Support Services |
5 |
| Electric Power Distribution |
1 |
|
Electrical Contractors |
26 |
| Electronic Connector Manufacturing |
2 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
8 |
| Emergency and Other Relief Services |
2 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
3 |
| Engineering Services |
28 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
5 |
|
Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
9 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
10 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
13 |
| Family Planning Centers |
2 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
|
Finish Carpentry Contractors |
7 |
| Fish and Seafood Markets |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
9 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
8 |
| Flooring Contractors |
6 |
| Florists |
9 |
| Flour Milling |
1 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
6 |
|
Food Service Contractors |
8 |
| Footwear and Leather Goods Repair |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
2 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
2 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Canning |
2 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
102 |
|
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Stores |
24 |
| General Automotive Repair |
52 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
17 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
13 |
|
Glass and Glazing Contractors |
5 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Graphic Design Services |
2 |
| Gypsum Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Hardware Stores |
8 |
| Hazardous Waste Collection |
1 |
|
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
4 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
5 |
| Home Health Care Services |
11 |
| Home Health Equipment Rental |
2 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
9 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
3 |
| Human Rights Organizations |
2 |
|
Industrial Design Services |
1 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
1 |
| Industrial Launderers |
2 |
| Institutional Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
64 |
| Interior Design Services |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
3 |
| Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation |
2 |
|
Investigation Services |
7 |
| Investment Advice |
7 |
| Iron and Steel Mills |
1 |
| Janitorial Services |
22 |
| Jewelry Stores |
15 |
| Junior Colleges |
1 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
2 |
| Land Subdivision |
2 |
|
Landscape Architectural Services |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
24 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
10 |
| Libraries and Archives |
1 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
147 |
| Limousine Service |
3 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
4 |
|
Locksmiths |
2 |
| Luggage and Leather Goods Stores |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
5 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
3 |
| Mattress Manufacturing |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
4 |
|
Meat Processed from Carcasses |
2 |
| Medical Laboratories |
3 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
4 |
| Metal Window and Door Manufacturing |
1 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
1 |
| Mobile Food Services |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
11 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
2 |
|
Motor Vehicle Towing |
9 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
6 |
| Nail Salons |
15 |
| Natural Gas Distribution |
3 |
| New Car Dealers |
21 |
|
New Housing Operative Builders |
3 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
3 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
9 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
14 |
| Office Administrative Services |
17 |
| Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers |
9 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
7 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
18 |
|
Offices of Chiropractors |
11 |
| Offices of Dentists |
81 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
109 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
14 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
2 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
9 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
3 |
|
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Coating Manufacturing |
2 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
3 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
11 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
3 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
4 |
| Payroll Services |
2 |
|
Periodical Publishers |
2 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
4 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
19 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
5 |
| Plastics Bottle Manufacturing |
1 |
| Political Organizations |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
|
Professional Organizations |
5 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
2 |
| Radio Stations |
3 |
| Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing |
2 |
| Real Estate Credit |
17 |
| Recreational Goods Rental |
1 |
| Recreational Vehicle Dealers |
3 |
| Reinsurance Carriers |
1 |
|
Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
13 |
| Residential Remodelers |
19 |
| Retail Bakeries |
2 |
| Roofing Contractors |
7 |
| Sales Financing |
3 |
| Savings Institutions |
8 |
| Saw Blade and Handsaw Manufacturing |
1 |
|
School and Employee Bus Transportation |
2 |
| Securities Brokerage |
8 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
11 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
2 |
| Sewage Treatment Facilities |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
5 |
| Shoe Stores |
16 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
|
Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
12 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
30 |
| Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing |
1 |
| Soft Drink Manufacturing |
1 |
| Software Publishers |
3 |
| Software Reproducing |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
4 |
|
Solid Waste Landfill |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
10 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
1 |
| Steel Wire Drawing |
1 |
| Support Activities for Forestry |
1 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
27 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telecommunications Resellers |
1 |
|
Temporary Help Services |
16 |
| Temporary Shelters |
2 |
| Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
7 |
| Timber Tract Operations |
1 |
| Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers |
3 |
| Tire Dealers |
24 |
| Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading) |
1 |
|
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
3 |
| Tobacco Stores |
2 |
| Tradebinding and Related Work |
1 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
2 |
| Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing |
3 |
| Truss Manufacturing |
1 |
| Used Car Dealers |
13 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
4 |
|
Used Merchandise Stores |
12 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
1 |
| Veterinary Services |
9 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
8 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
12 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
2 |
| Water Supply and Irrigation Systems |
4 |
|
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
7 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
2 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
13 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
13 |
| Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Wood Window and Door Manufacturing |
3 |
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.
On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in San Bernardino, it's critical that you ensure that no other California company is using the business name you want to use.
A business plan is essential in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, 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.
Getting your San Bernardino business the capital it needs to succeed will be harder than you might expect. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled How Much Venture Capital Is There?.
To grow your San Bernardino business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new San Bernardino business, you need to focus on sales.
Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.
As an entrepreneur in San Bernardino, 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.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in San Bernardino 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.
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in San Bernardino.
