California Business Startup Guides
Start a Business in Campbell, California
Are you starting a business in Campbell, California? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Campbell.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at 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 Opening a Lithographers Business guide or our Starting a Pedodontics Dentists Business guide.
Always keep in mind that you are opening your new business in Campbell. Some businesses will do better in Campbell than others. Don't forget to review Campbell demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Campbell, California Demographic Information
Campbell has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Campbell demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Campbell.
Businesses
As a new Campbell entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Campbell 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.
Businesses
Have You Considered Franchising?
As you drive around Campbell, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?
Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Buying a Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.
You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.
Sample franchise opportunities include The Haagen-Dazs Shoppe Company, Inc. and Duskin Co., Ltd.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Closet Design and Construction Franchises and Fast Food Franchises.
Note on Campbell Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Campbell.
Naming the Company
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.
Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.
There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are planning on starting a business in Campbell, it's very important that you make sure no other California company is using the business name you want to use.
Forming a Company in Campbell, 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 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as ESOP Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Campbell, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.
Don't Skip the Business Plan
A business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.
Moving Forward
You have a dream -- starting a business in Campbell. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Campbell and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Campbell, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Campbell, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Campbell.
- Resources for Campbell, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Campbell entrepreneurs.
- California Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in California.
- Fresno, California Small Business Development Center - The UC Merced SBDC Regional Network assists Central California entrepreneurs and small business owners through counseling, training and business information.
- Los Angeles, California Small Business Development Center - The Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network (LA SBDC Network) is part of the national, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) effort to provide free one-on-one customized consulting services and low-cost training workshops to growing businesses and start-up businesses.
- Sacramento, California Small Business Development Center - As Northern California continues to grow demographically and economically, the Northeastern California Small Business Development Center (NECSBDC) at CSU, Chico is committed to helping communities prepare and plan for future growth.
- San Diego, California Small Business Development Center - The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Southwestern College serves entrepreneurs and small businesses in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The SBDC provides no-cost business assistance to start-up & existing businesses.
- San Francisco, California Small Business Development Center - The Northern California Network of Small Business Development Centers helps individuals start, manage and grow their businesses.
- Orange County Small Business Development Center - The Orange County SBDC is a leader in providing consulting, training, and technical assistance to the small business community.
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