California Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in La Canada Flintridge, California

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

La Canada Flintridge, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1277
5-9 Employees
258
10-19 Employees
228
20-49 Employees
120
50-99 Employees
51
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
3
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All La Canada Flintridge Businesses
1952

As a new La Canada Flintridge entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in La Canada Flintridge 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
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
4
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
1
Beauty Salons
6
Books Printing
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Business Associations
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
7
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Dental Laboratories
2
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
2
Educational Support Services
3
Electrical Contractors
9
Elementary and Secondary Schools
11
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
8
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
6
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
17
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
4
Historical Sites
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
8
Interior Design Services
3
Investment Advice
6
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
1
Land Subdivision
2
Landscaping Services
3
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
20
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
5
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
1
Newspaper Publishers
3
Nonresidential Property Managers
4
Office Administrative Services
6
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
12
Offices of Lawyers
3
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Packing and Crating
2
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Portfolio Management
3
Private Mail Centers
3
Public Relations Agencies
1
Real Estate Credit
5
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
11
Retail Bakeries
2
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
1
Securities Brokerage
3
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
11
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
2
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Tire Dealers
2
Tobacco Stores
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
2
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
2
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
4
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

Should You Buy an Existing La Canada Flintridge Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in La Canada Flintridge.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in La Canada Flintridge, it's imperative that you check now that no other California company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in La Canada Flintridge, California

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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

Incorporation is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to 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 in any state you would like to. 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 Incorporating Online. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in La Canada Flintridge, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

The Role of the Business Plan

Creating a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in California.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Getting your La Canada Flintridge business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For La Canada Flintridge entrepreneurs who need startup capital, browse our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

With your business being located in La Canada Flintridge, California, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any La Canada Flintridge networking organizations.

What's Next?

Most new La Canada Flintridge businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help La Canada Flintridge businesses to be successful. 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 La Canada Flintridge, California

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California

Starting a Business in King City
Starting a Business in La Habra

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