California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in El Centro, California

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? We recommend that you read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

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 How to Start a Wholesale or Manufacturer of Labels & Tags Business guide or our How to Start an Investment Management Business guide.

Don't forget that you are opening your new business in El Centro. Some businesses will do better in El Centro than others. Don't forget to review El Centro demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

El Centro, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1376
5-9 Employees
708
10-19 Employees
437
20-49 Employees
339
50-99 Employees
99
100-249 Employees
45
250-499 Employees
6
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All El Centro Businesses
3016

As a new El Centro entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in El Centro 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Beauty Salons
4
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Stores
3
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cheese Manufacturing
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
16
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
1
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
5
Credit Unions
3
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drive-In Motion Picture Theaters
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
6
Electrical Contractors
10
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
3
Family Clothing Stores
10
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
8
Fine Arts Schools
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
35
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
13
General Freight Trucking, Local
8
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
5
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
4
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
3
Jewelry Stores
8
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscaping Services
4
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
7
Limited-Service Restaurants
38
Locksmiths
3
Machine Shops
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Markets
1
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
3
New Housing Operative Builders
2
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Chiropractors
3
Offices of Dentists
22
Offices of Lawyers
28
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Passenger Car Rental
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Professional Organizations
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Radio Stations
2
Real Estate Credit
4
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
2
Roofing Contractors
2
Savings Institutions
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
11
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tax Preparation Services
3
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
7
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
8
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
4

Have You Considered Buying an Existing El Centro Business?

If you have some capital to play with, you may want to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in El Centro.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.

Choosing a Company Name

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.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

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 planning on starting a business in El Centro, it's critical that you ensure that no other California company is using the business name you want to use.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your El Centro business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Only Idiots Send Venture Capitalists Business Plans.

For El Centro entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, browse our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in El Centro and build your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your business achieving its goals.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Smart Branding is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.

With your business being located in El Centro, California, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local California educational institutions. It's also beneficial to see if there are any El Centro networking organizations.

Moving Forward

As an entrepreneur in El Centro, 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.

We are here to help El Centro businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new El Centro 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 El Centro, California

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

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Starting a Business in El Cajon
Starting a Business in El Dorado Hills

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