California Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Orange, California
Contemplating starting a business in Orange, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Orange.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Most new companies fail, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.
To determine whether you have what it takes to run a business, we recommend these three steps to help you decide:
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Orange. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- You should read The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.
Orange, California Demographic Information
Orange has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Orange demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Orange.
Businesses
As a new Orange entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Orange 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.
Businesses
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Orange Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Orange.
For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.
Company Formation in Orange, California
It's very important that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will insulate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.
The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.
Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.
There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Subchapter S Corporations. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Orange, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
Creating a business plan is vital in maximizing the prospects of your new company. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Failure to write a business plan
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in California.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Orange business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.
For Orange entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Business
Whether your goal is to attract Orange customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Billboard Advertising Best Practices discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Now It's Up To You
Most new Orange businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Orange and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Orange entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Orange, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Orange.
- Resources for Orange, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Orange entrepreneurs.
- California Entrepreneurial Resources - We've gathered state-level entrepreneurial resources to help new entrepreneurs who are based in California.
- Fresno, California Small Business Development Center - The UC Merced SBDC Regional Network assists Central California entrepreneurs and small business owners through counseling, training and business information.
- Los Angeles, California Small Business Development Center - The Los Angeles Regional Small Business Development Center Network (LA SBDC Network) is part of the national, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) effort to provide free one-on-one customized consulting services and low-cost training workshops to growing businesses and start-up businesses.
- Sacramento, California Small Business Development Center - As Northern California continues to grow demographically and economically, the Northeastern California Small Business Development Center (NECSBDC) at CSU, Chico is committed to helping communities prepare and plan for future growth.
- San Diego, California Small Business Development Center - The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Southwestern College serves entrepreneurs and small businesses in San Diego and Imperial Counties. The SBDC provides no-cost business assistance to start-up & existing businesses.
- San Francisco, California Small Business Development Center - The Northern California Network of Small Business Development Centers helps individuals start, manage and grow their businesses.
- Orange County Small Business Development Center - The Orange County SBDC is a leader in providing consulting, training, and technical assistance to the small business community.
More Startup Articles for California Cities
Starting a Business in Ontario
Starting a Business in Oroville
Browse All Business Startup Guides for California
Starting a Business Guides for Other States
Share this article
Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs