California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Contemplating starting a business in Rancho Palos Verdes, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the business owner did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Rancho Palos Verdes. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • Peruse Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business to Start

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read 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 an Opticians Dispensing Business guide or our How to Start a Pastry Shops Business guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in Rancho Palos Verdes. Some businesses will do better in Rancho Palos Verdes than others. A critical consideration is whether Rancho Palos Verdes demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Rancho Palos Verdes, California Demographic Information

Rancho Palos Verdes has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1408
5-9 Employees
252
10-19 Employees
153
20-49 Employees
111
50-99 Employees
18
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Rancho Palos Verdes Businesses
1951

As a new Rancho Palos Verdes entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Rancho Palos Verdes 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
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Car Washes
3
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child Day Care Services
8
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Claims Adjusting
1
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
12
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
12
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
3
Electrical Contractors
6
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
5
Fine Arts Schools
5
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
17
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
3
General Automotive Repair
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
6
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Homes for the Elderly
9
Industrial Design Services
2
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
9
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
6
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Junior Colleges
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
16
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
5
Masonry Contractors
3
Media Representatives
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
New Car Dealers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
5
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
2
Payroll Services
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Real Estate Credit
5
Residential Property Managers
5
Rice Milling
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
1
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Shoe Stores
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
3
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
3
Tobacco Stores
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
14

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Rancho Palos Verdes, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Is franchising maybe a better way for you to start your business?

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Opportunities in International Franchising. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Famous Dave's and Huddle House, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Apparel Franchises and Healthcare Franchises.

Note on Rancho Palos Verdes Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Rancho Palos Verdes.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your Rancho Palos Verdes business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Seven Marketing Ideas for Your Small Business discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Some Interesting Rancho Palos Verdes Entrepreneurs

Here, we'll keep a running list of interviews we've had with Rancho Palos Verdes entrepreneurs.

What's Next?

Most new Rancho Palos Verdes businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Rancho Palos Verdes and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Rancho Palos Verdes, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Rancho Palos Verdes, California

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Rancho Palos Verdes.

More Business Startup Guides for California

Starting a Business in Rancho Cucamonga
Starting a Business in Rancho Santa Fe

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