California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Arcata, California

Need help starting a business in Arcata, California? We've got the information you need to open a business in Arcata.

Arcata, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1038
5-9 Employees
399
10-19 Employees
273
20-49 Employees
198
50-99 Employees
60
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Arcata Businesses
2013

As a new Arcata entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Arcata 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Boat Dealers
1
Book Stores
3
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
11
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
5
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
2
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
6
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Engineering Services
2
Environmental Consulting Services
6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fats and Oils Refining and Blending
1
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
2
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Homes for the Elderly
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
4
Internet Service Providers
2
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
24
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Logging
9
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
3
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
2
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Chiropractors
4
Offices of Dentists
14
Offices of Lawyers
9
Offices of Optometrists
3
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
8
Retail Bakeries
3
Roofing Contractors
1
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
2
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
4
Shellfish Fishing
2
Shoe Stores
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Support Activities for Forestry
4
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
2
Tire Dealers
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in Arcata, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another California business.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If you want more information on writing business plans, we recommend reading The Art of the Executive Summary. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in California.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Arcata and build your business, you need a solid marketing plan.

We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Telemarketing Service Costs is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Selling Tips

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Arcata or are selling to customers throughout California, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Writing Great Proposals offers some helpful tips on how to sell. It's one of several good articles on our site regarding Entrepreneurial Selling.

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Arcata, California, you should get information on some of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Arcata entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Arcata. 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.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Arcata 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 Arcata, California

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

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