California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Sebastopol, California

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

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? You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading Evaluating Your Idea.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Game Meat Processing Business guide or our How to Start a Real Estate Loan Processing Business guide.

Don't forget that starting a business in Sebastopol has some implications. If Sebastopol already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Only by spending some time analyzing Sebastopol demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Sebastopol, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3454
5-9 Employees
1062
10-19 Employees
642
20-49 Employees
336
50-99 Employees
78
100-249 Employees
24
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Sebastopol Businesses
5596

As a new Sebastopol entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sebastopol 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Architectural Services
7
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
8
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Book Publishers
3
Book Stores
2
Business Associations
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
2
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child Day Care Services
12
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Copper Foundries (except Die-Casting)
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
8
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Digital Printing
2
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Display Advertising
2
Document Preparation Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
6
Educational Support Services
2
Electronic Shopping
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
12
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Ethyl Alcohol Manufacturing
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
3
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
3
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
2
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
27
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
General Automotive Repair
10
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
4
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Health Care Services
1
Homes for the Elderly
4
Household Appliance Stores
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Internet Service Providers
1
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
23
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
19
Limousine Service
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Masonry Contractors
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
1
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
10
Offices of Chiropractors
9
Offices of Dentists
20
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
11
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
37
Retail Bakeries
3
Roofing Contractors
4
Savings Institutions
1
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
2
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
5
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
7
Soap and Other Detergent Manufacturing
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
3
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
5
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
6
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
5
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
2
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Sebastopol and it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Is franchising maybe a better way for you to start your business?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Buying an Existing Franchise. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

You can review hundreds of franchise opportunities by browing our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include Pestmaster Franchise Network and Cash America Pawn. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Retail Franchises and Party Supply Franchises.

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

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

Writing a business plan is critical in maximizing the prospects of your new company. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan will greatly reduce your chances of business success.

To learn more about business plans, read Reasons to Write a Business Plan. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.

Marketing Your New Business

Whether your goal is to attract Sebastopol customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your successs.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Technology Marketing is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

How to Sell

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Sebastopol business, you need to focus on sales.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

How to Build and Motivate a Sales Team 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.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Successful entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Sebastopol, California, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. It's also smart to see if there are any Sebastopol networking organizations.

Never Give Up

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Sebastopol and throughout the United States . 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 Sebastopol, California

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

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