California Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in Manhattan Beach, California

Are you starting a business in Manhattan Beach, California? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Manhattan Beach.

Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?

Running your own business is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Manhattan Beach. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Fan Retailer guide or our Starting a Communications Companies & Services Business guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Manhattan Beach. If Manhattan Beach already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. A critical consideration is whether Manhattan Beach demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Manhattan Beach, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5592
5-9 Employees
1398
10-19 Employees
882
20-49 Employees
540
50-99 Employees
186
100-249 Employees
102
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Manhattan Beach Businesses
8724

As a new Manhattan Beach entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Manhattan Beach 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
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Architectural Services
11
Art Dealers
2
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
19
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
8
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
1
Business Associations
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
2
Car Washes
2
Caterers
2
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
6
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Photography
1
Computer Systems Design Services
9
Confectionery and Nut Stores
2
Consumer Lending
2
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
3
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
17
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
2
Educational Support Services
4
Electrical Contractors
7
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
4
Engineering Services
10
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Family Clothing Stores
8
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
10
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Frozen Specialty Food Manufacturing
1
Full-Service Restaurants
60
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
5
General Automotive Repair
6
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
10
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Graphic Design Services
7
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
27
Interior Design Services
5
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
3
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
2
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
3
Land Subdivision
6
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
5
Language Schools
1
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
38
Locksmiths
3
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
13
Masonry Contractors
5
Meat Markets
1
Media Representatives
3
Medical Laboratories
1
Metal Heat Treating
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motion Picture and Video Production
28
Music Publishers
1
Nail Salons
6
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
3
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Office Administrative Services
12
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
19
Offices of Chiropractors
11
Offices of Dentists
37
Offices of Lawyers
45
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
8
Parking Lots and Garages
8
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Portfolio Management
5
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
3
Quick Printing
2
Real Estate Credit
3
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Residential Property Managers
12
Residential Remodelers
8
Retail Bakeries
3
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
6
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
15
Software Publishers
7
Solid Waste Collection
2
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
8
Sports and Recreation Instruction
6
Tax Preparation Services
5
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Thread Mills
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
14
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
18

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Branding Advice.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Manhattan Beach, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another California business.

Forming a Company in Manhattan Beach, California

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Without a legal structure for the business, you can be held personally liable for the actions, debts and obligations of your company.

When forming a company, you will decide among many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. As it turns out, you can 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 are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Manhattan Beach, California, our web page covering Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

Having a business plan is critical to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

To learn more about business plans, read Expert Advice on Business Plans. You should also take advantage of face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in California.

Startup Financing Basics

Raising money to fund your new Manhattan Beach business is not an easy task. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Choosing VC Firms.

For Manhattan Beach entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Manhattan Beach, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Manhattan Beach and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Manhattan Beach 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 Manhattan Beach, California

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

More Startup Articles for California Cities

Starting a Business in Mammoth Lakes
Starting a Business in Manteca

Browse All Business Startup Guides for California
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary