California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in South Pasadena, California

Contemplating starting a business in South Pasadena, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in South Pasadena.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Evaluating Your Idea.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Lighting Fixtures Repair, Maintenance & Installation Business guide or our Starting a Process Engineers Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are starting a business in South Pasadena. Some businesses will do better in South Pasadena than others. Make sure you fully understand South Pasadena demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

South Pasadena, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2728
5-9 Employees
702
10-19 Employees
354
20-49 Employees
228
50-99 Employees
78
100-249 Employees
60
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
6
All South Pasadena Businesses
4168

As a new South Pasadena entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in South Pasadena 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
16
Art Dealers
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
6
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
3
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
3
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
7
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Commercial Photography
4
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Educational Support Services
3
Electrical Contractors
1
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
14
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Farm Management Services
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
3
Food Service Contractors
3
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Full-Service Restaurants
20
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
2
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Graphic Design Services
10
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
19
Interior Design Services
10
Internet Service Providers
2
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
2
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
2
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
5
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
13
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Medical Laboratories
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motion Picture and Video Distribution
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
4
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
6
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
21
Offices of Lawyers
20
Offices of Optometrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
2
Real Estate Credit
3
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
8
Retail Bakeries
1
Sales Financing
1
Savings Institutions
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
8
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Help Services
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Travel Agencies
3
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Naming the Business

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 should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in South Pasadena, it's critical that you ensure that you will be the only California company using the business name you have chosen.

Forming a Company in South Pasadena, 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.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. As it turns out, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. 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. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Offshore Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in South Pasadena, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Raising Capital for Your Business

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your South Pasadena business is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as How to Raise Money.

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

Promoting Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract South Pasadena customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your doing well.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Comparing Advertising to PR is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

Given that you are starting a business in South Pasadena, California, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. We also suggest you look into South Pasadena networking organizations.

Next Steps

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in South Pasadena and throughout the United States . 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 South Pasadena, California

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California

Starting a Business in South Lake Tahoe
Starting a Business in South San Francisco

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

 

 

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