California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Porterville, California

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

Is Becoming an Entrepreneur Right for You?

Before quitting your day job, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Porterville. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • Peruse Why Small Businesses Fail. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Porterville, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1461
5-9 Employees
569
10-19 Employees
411
20-49 Employees
252
50-99 Employees
75
100-249 Employees
30
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
0
All Porterville Businesses
2822

As a new Porterville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Porterville 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
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
11
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
4
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
1
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
9
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Cotton Ginning
1
Credit Unions
3
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Drafting Services
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
7
Electric Power Distribution
1
Electrical Contractors
7
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Farm Management Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
2
Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
4
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
35
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
17
General Freight Trucking, Local
10
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Hardware Stores
2
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Human Rights Organizations
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
17
Internet Service Providers
3
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investment Advice
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Jewelry Stores
3
Landscaping Services
10
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
6
Limited-Service Restaurants
25
Limousine Service
1
Logging
1
Machine Shops
3
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
4
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Housing Operative Builders
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
8
Offices of Dentists
23
Offices of Lawyers
6
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Optical Goods Stores
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
2
Real Estate Credit
2
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
4
Savings Institutions
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Support Activities for Forestry
1
Tax Preparation Services
5
Temporary Help Services
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire Dealers
4
Tortilla Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
3
Truss Manufacturing
2
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Merchandise Stores
3
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Web Search Portals
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Should You Franchise?

Visit the business district of Porterville and you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. Is franchising maybe a better way for you to start your business?

Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Benefits of Owning A Franchise. 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.

Representative franchise opportunities include Slumberland Furniture and Comfort Suites. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Travel and Leisure Franchises and Bath Remodeling Franchises.

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

Naming the Business

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Porterville, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another California business.

Marketing Your New Venture

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

You can learn all about marketing on our site. Comparing Advertising to PR is a good read to get your marketing thoughts flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Bring in Revenues

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

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Closing Sales Techniques is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Porterville, California, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local California educational institutions. You should also check if there are any Porterville networking organizations.

Moving Forward

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

We are here to help Porterville 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 Porterville, California

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California

Starting a Business in Porter Ranch
Starting a Business in Portola

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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