Education and assistance are key when locating a business Downtown

By: Brandon Richardson

Choosing a location to open, relocate or expand a business is an important decision with many potential pitfalls and challenges. It can be a daunting task for a budding entrepreneur who is unfamiliar with the ins and outs of Downtown Long Beach. However, free or low-cost resources are available to assist potential small business owners.

Before viewing properties and talking leases, John Keisler, director of the Long Beach Economic Development Department, advises entrepreneurs to browse the ‘Launch’ tab at bizport.longbeach.gov.

“They can zero in on the downtown and the type of property they are looking for, and this will provide them not only with all of the available sites that are lists on the MLS but they can then also click on the building and do ring studies of consumer, demographic and all kinds of economic analysis,” Keisler said. “It’s really an awesome tool if you want to poke around.”