California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Hanford, California

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

Are You Ready for the Challenges of Being an Entrepreneur?

Being an entrepreneur is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Hanford. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Hanford, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1388
5-9 Employees
741
10-19 Employees
432
20-49 Employees
291
50-99 Employees
96
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
0
All Hanford Businesses
3005

As a new Hanford entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Hanford 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
Ambulance Services
2
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Architectural Services
1
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
3
Beauty Salons
8
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Book Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
2
Cheese Manufacturing
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
7
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
3
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
6
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Cotton Ginning
1
Couriers
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
4
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
3
Discount Department Stores
2
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
6
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
7
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
5
Family Clothing Stores
8
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
1
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
10
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
2
Flooring Contractors
1
Flour Milling
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Framing Contractors
1
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Full-Service Restaurants
28
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
7
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
2
Industrial Building Construction
1
Interior Design Services
1
Janitorial Services
2
Jewelry Stores
11
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
38
Limousine Service
1
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Media Representatives
1
Men's Clothing Stores
3
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Museums
3
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
8
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
1
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
8
Offices of Chiropractors
5
Offices of Dentists
22
Offices of Lawyers
18
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
8
Real Estate Investment Trusts
2
Rendering and Meat Byproduct Processing
1
Residential Property Managers
7
Residential Remodelers
3
Retail Bakeries
2
Roofing Contractors
5
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
8
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Sporting Goods Stores
3
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
1
Tax Preparation Services
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Tire Dealers
2
Tire Manufacturing (except Retreading)
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Wood Preservation
1

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around Hanford, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Why Franchises Fail. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include FASTSIGNS and International House of Pancakes. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Seafood Restaurant Franchises and Baby Franchises.

Note on Hanford Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Hanford, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Naming the Business

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.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

Numerous company naming issues are discussed in more detail in this article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Hanford, it's critical that you ensure that you will be the only California company using the business name you have chosen.

Where to Get Money to Start a Company

Finding the funds to fuel the growth of your Hanford business is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Take advantage of our many articles on securing funding, such as Attracting Investors.

For Hanford entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Hanford and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Buying Radio Ads is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

As an entrepreneur in Hanford, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Hanford 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 Hanford, California

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

More Business Startup Guides for California

Starting a Business in Half Moon Bay
Starting a Business in Hawthorne

Browse All Business Startup Guides for California
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary