California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in La Jolla, California

Contemplating starting a business in La Jolla, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in La Jolla.

What Business Are You Starting?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Good Business Ideas.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Dance Club guide or our Starting a Tatoo Parlor guide.

Remember that you are starting a business in La Jolla. Some businesses will do better in La Jolla than others. A critical consideration is whether La Jolla demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

La Jolla, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4374
5-9 Employees
1116
10-19 Employees
777
20-49 Employees
489
50-99 Employees
165
100-249 Employees
114
250-499 Employees
42
500-999 Employees
9
1000+ Employees
9
All La Jolla Businesses
7095

As a new La Jolla entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in La Jolla 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
25
Art Dealers
18
Beauty Salons
30
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
5
Book Publishers
3
Book Stores
4
Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
1
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
5
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
4
Computer Facilities Management Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
13
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
4
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Credit Card Issuing
1
Credit Unions
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
9
Employment Placement Agencies
4
Engineering Services
13
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
6
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
11
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finfish Fishing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
15
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
3
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
87
Furniture Stores
9
General Automotive Repair
7
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
3
General Rental Centers
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Grantmaking Foundations
8
Graphic Design Services
5
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
3
Home Health Care Services
6
Homes for the Elderly
7
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
43
Interior Design Services
10
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
2
Internet Service Providers
3
Investment Advice
36
Janitorial Services
5
Junior Colleges
2
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
13
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
8
Language Schools
6
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
49
Limousine Service
3
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
3
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
15
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
5
Men's Clothing Stores
2
Miscellaneous Intermediation
9
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
22
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Music Publishers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
3
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
6
New Car Dealers
2
New Housing Operative Builders
1
News Syndicates
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
21
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
20
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
28
Offices of Dentists
70
Offices of Lawyers
78
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
4
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
One-Hour Photofinishing
3
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
4
Parking Lots and Garages
31
Passenger Car Rental
1
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Petroleum Refineries
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
31
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
7
Quick Printing
2
Real Estate Credit
17
Real Estate Investment Trusts
2
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Residential Property Managers
27
Residential Remodelers
14
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Savings Institutions
6
Securities Brokerage
24
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
6
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
25
Solid Waste Collection
2
Sporting Goods Stores
7
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Surface Active Agent Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telecommunications Resellers
3
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Testing Laboratories
3
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tour Operators
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
9
Used Car Dealers
2
Veterinary Services
7
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Watch, Clock, and Part Manufacturing
1
Web Search Portals
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
11
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
5
Women's Clothing Stores
24

Is a Franchise Opportunity Right For You?

As you drive around La Jolla, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our advice is to look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Protecting Your Franchise Territory. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Sample franchise opportunities include Subway Franchises and Starbucks Franchises. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Accounting Franchises and Moving Franchises.

Note on La Jolla Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in La Jolla.

Have You Considered Buying an Existing La Jolla Business?

We've created a handy website page for those who want to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in La Jolla.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in La Jolla, California

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will separate 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.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. 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. In fact, you can 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 C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in La Jolla, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Bring in Revenues

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

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Sales Training is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in La Jolla. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in La Jolla and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Jolla, California

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California

Starting a Business in La Habra
Starting a Business in Laguna Beach

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

 

 

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