California Business Startup Guides
Starting a Business in San Rafael, California
Thinking about starting a business in San Rafael, California? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in San Rafael.
Do You Have What It Takes?
Before quitting your day job, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in San Rafael. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
- 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. 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.
San Rafael, California Demographic Information
San Rafael has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for San Rafael demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in San Rafael.
Businesses
As a new San Rafael entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in San Rafael 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
Is Franchising a Better Option?
As you drive around San Rafael, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. But is franchising the right option for you?
We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Marketing Support. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
A comprehensive list of franchisors is available via our List of Franchise Opportunities.
Sample franchise opportunities include Rainbow International Restoration & Cleaning and Duct Doctor USA. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Closet Design and Construction Franchises and Fast Food Franchises.
Note on San Rafael Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in San Rafael, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Is Buying an Existing San Rafael Business a Good Strategy?
We've created a helpful 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 San Rafael.
Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Naming the Company
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.
Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Company.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in San Rafael, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another California business.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Company
Whether your goal is to attract San Rafael customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Competitive Analysis is a good read to get your marketing ideas flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset
The best entrepreneurs recognize that they need to continually improve.
As an entrepreneur who lives in San Rafael, California, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. You should also check if there are any networking organizations for San Rafael entrepreneurs.
Some Interesting San Rafael Entrepreneurs
Here, we'll keep a running list of interviews we've had with San Rafael entrepreneurs.
Now It's Up To You
You have a dream -- starting a business in San Rafael. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in San Rafael and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new San Rafael 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 San Rafael, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in San Rafael.
- Resources for San Rafael, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist San Rafael 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.
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