It has never been easy to start a business. Finding, training, and keeping employees has always been a challenge, for example. Consider successful businessman Samual Brannan, who started the first newspaper in San Francisco in January 1847. The California Star, later called the Daily Alta California, was “unable to publish information about the Gold Rush because the staff left to pan for gold,” according to history professor A. James Fuller of the University of Indianapolis.

Early California history is also filled with examples of company theft, hoaxes, and scandals. Similar to today, many business disputes ended up in court. But some sought a rougher form of justice via duels. In April 1850, an unnamed letter writer to the Daily Alta California expressed one perspective on such an event. “Now in ordinary cases few can have a poorer opinion, or form a lower estimate of the wisdom or philosophy of duelling than your present correspondent. But there are occasions when even a sensible man cannot well and honorably avoid it. The present was one of these cases. The challenged party–Mr. Perley–was attorney for a very respectable merchant of this place, and in the faithful discharge of his duty, and in vindication of his client's rights before the court, he was insulted, grossly insulted by Mr. Marshall, the defendant in the case. The attorney defended his own character and his clients rights on the spot by drawing a pistol on the offender.”

Because Mr. Marshall was unarmed at the time, the two gentlemen arranged for a duel on a later occasion. Both men survived the exchange of shots. But many who duelled were not as lucky, which is one small reason why it is less dangerous to start a business today than it was during the Gold Rush era. More importantly, there are many contemporary programs to help entrepreneurs and business owners find success in the marketplace.

The federal Small Business Administration website, for example, is a great place to start for independent business owners with fewer than 500 employees. The State of California also offers support to companies of all sizes, while a variety of nonprofit business organizations in the East Bay provide networking and other types of resources. In general, entrepreneurs and business owners have access to several reliable sources of advice on how to start a company, how to expand one, and how to deal with common challenges, such as raising money. Some low- or no-cost programs can help employers gain access to trained staff, and others provide peer support from fellow businesspeople in the same industry.

A Wealth of Knowledge

The Small Business Administration (SBA) helps individuals plan, launch, manage, and grow a business. Resources include free business counseling from expert partners, SBA-guaranteed business loans, and home and business disaster loans. The SBA’s Lender Match tool helps match users to vetted potential lenders.

A similar tool, called California Small Business Loan Match, is available from the California Infrastructure and Economic Development Bank, known as IBank, which is a California State government agency. Other state resources include the Governor’s Office of Business and

Economic Development (GO-Biz), which describes itself as the State of California’s leader for job growth, economic development, and business assistance efforts. GO-Biz offers a range of no-cost consultation services to business owners and entrepreneurs. They include attraction, retention, and expansion services; help with business site selection; permit assistance; regulatory guidance; small business assistance; international trade development; assistance with state government; and much more.

Periodically, GO-Biz also accepts applications for the California Competes Tax Credit. Currently, “there are $215 million in tax credits available during this application period for businesses that are expanding and adding quality, full-time jobs in California that might not otherwise be created by the business or any other business,” officials say. The first deadline this year to submit applications is Monday, January 27, 2025, at 11:59 pm Pacific Time. Applications will also be accepted during a second period, from February 24 to March 10, 2025. The online application form can be accessed at www.calcompetes.ca.gov.

Funding from the SBA and GO-Biz help make the East Bay Small Business Development Center (East Bay SBDC) possible. The nonprofit works “to support local entrepreneurs and small businesses with the tools and insights to start, grow, and pivot their businesses,” officials say. The Hayward-based organization is part of the greater NorCal SBDC network and works with other members to provide useful business services. That includes no-cost, confidential advising in a range of areas, including planning, capital, marketing, management, finance, human resources, restaurants, manufacturing, agribusiness, patents, trademarks, and much more. The SBDC also provides free virtual and in-person training and business development workshops on important topics.

Find Skilled Talent and More

The nonprofit Tri-Valley Career Center, a Hacienda tenant, is one of several workforce development resources available to employers. Services include free job listings, access to job-seeker resumes, consultation on writing effective job descriptions, recruitment events in its offices or online, job fair planning and participation, selective candidate screening, and personal referrals of qualified job seekers.

The Tri-Valley Career Center can also help employers with employee training. Its On-the-Job Training program offers employers a financial incentive to hire new employees who require some onsite training to learn the full range of their job duties. Separately, qualified employers may be eligible for a 50% reimbursement for customized training costs from the Alameda County Workforce Development Board.

“Customized training offers an employer the opportunity to avoid layoffs by training or retraining current employees,” according to Tri-Valley Career Center officials. “This gives employers a chance to promote from within and maintain internal stability.”

A variety of regional business organizations offer networking, educational, and additional opportunities for business owners. They include the Association of Manufacturers Bay Area, which is hosting a Women in Manufacturing Skilled Trades Symposium on February 28, and the broader East Bay Economic Development Alliance (East Bay EDA), which maintains a publicly available Business Resources Map on its website.

East Bay EDA “serves as the regional voice and networking resource for strengthening the economy, building the workforce, and enhancing the quality of life in the East Bay,” according to officials. “We are a cross-sector, public-private partnership that promotes strategic economic development throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties.”

Duels no longer impede California business transactions, but business owners still face challenges. Thanks to the wealth of business resources in the region, nearly any issue can be resolved. Whether you are operating a restaurant, retail space, or service business, there are many experienced and supportive business experts and programs available to help.

For more information about the Small Business Administration, please visit www.sba.gov.

For more information about the Small Business Administration Lender Match tool, please visit www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/lender-match-connects-you-lenders.

For more information about the California Small Business Loan Match tool, please visit www.caloanmatch.org.

For more information about the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, please visit www.business.ca.gov.

For more information about the California Competes Tax Credit, please visit www.business.ca.gov/california-competes-tax-credit.

For more information about the East Bay Small Business Development Center, please visit www.eastbaysbdc.org.

For more information about the Tri-Valley Career Center, please visit www.trivalleycareercenter.org.

For more information about the Association of Manufacturers Bay Area, please visit  Association of Manufacturers Bay Area.

For more information about the East Bay Economic Development Alliance, please visit www.eastbayeda.org.

For more information about the East Bay Economic Development Alliance Business Resources Map, please visit www.eastbayeda.org/resource-map.