California Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Alturas, California

Thinking about starting a business in Alturas, California? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Alturas.

Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you sure you want to start a business?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Alturas. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

Which Business to Choose?

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 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 Opening a Basement Pumping Contractors Business guide or our Opening a Child Care Consultants Business guide.

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

Alturas, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
243
5-9 Employees
74
10-19 Employees
63
20-49 Employees
24
50-99 Employees
0
100-249 Employees
6
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Alturas Businesses
410

As a new Alturas entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Alturas 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
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Business Associations
1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Couriers
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
2
Engineering Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
6
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
1
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
3
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
2
Shoe Stores
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tire Dealers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Women's Clothing Stores
1

Forming a Company in Alturas, California

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. 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, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in California. In fact, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

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 Incorporation Advice. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Alturas, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Startup Financing Basics

Getting your Alturas business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.

For Alturas entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Promoting Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract Alturas customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Billboard Advertising Best Practices is an article that will stimulate 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.

What's Next?

As an entrepreneur in Alturas, 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 Alturas 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 Alturas, California

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

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