Are you starting a business in Benicia, California? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in Benicia.
Are You Sure You Want to Do This?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:
- Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Benicia. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
- Peruse Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. This is one of our more popular articles for folks who want to go into business for themselves.
- Have a candid conversation with friends and family. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.
Choosing the Right Company to Start
Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.
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 Child Foster Care Business guide or our Starting a Psychic Arts & Sciences Business guide.
Don't forget that Benicia is the place where you are starting a business. If Benicia 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 Benicia demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.
Benicia, California Demographic Information
Benicia has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Benicia demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Benicia.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
1392 |
| 5-9 Employees |
444 |
| 10-19 Employees |
417 |
| 20-49 Employees |
249 |
| 50-99 Employees |
96 |
| 100-249 Employees |
66 |
| 250-499 Employees |
9 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Benicia Businesses |
2673 |
As a new Benicia entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Benicia 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 |
| Adhesive Manufacturing |
1 |
| Advertising Agencies |
1 |
| Ambulance Services |
1 |
| Apprenticeship Training |
1 |
| Architectural Services |
5 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
1 |
| Automotive Glass Replacement Shops |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
3 |
| Beauty Salons |
7 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Book Stores |
1 |
| Building Inspection Services |
2 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Cafeterias |
1 |
| Car Washes |
1 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
3 |
| Cheese Manufacturing |
1 |
| Child and Youth Services |
2 |
| Child Day Care Services |
13 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
1 |
| Claims Adjusting |
2 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
4 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
4 |
| Convention and Trade Show Organizers |
1 |
| Couriers |
2 |
| Court Reporting and Stenotype Services |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Compounding of Purchased Resins |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
2 |
| Dental Laboratories |
3 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
1 |
| Display Advertising |
2 |
| Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
3 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
1 |
| Educational Support Services |
2 |
| Electrical Contractors |
15 |
| Engineering Services |
8 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
1 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
5 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
6 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
1 |
| Flooring Contractors |
5 |
| Florists |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
3 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
23 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
5 |
| General Automotive Repair |
12 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
5 |
| General Rental Centers |
2 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
2 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
4 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
3 |
| Gypsum Product Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Hardware Stores |
1 |
| Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
4 |
| Home Health Care Services |
3 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
1 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
1 |
| Hunting and Trapping |
1 |
| Industrial Building Construction |
1 |
| Industrial Design Services |
1 |
| Industrial Gas Manufacturing |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
12 |
| Interior Design Services |
3 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
2 |
| Janitorial Services |
6 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Land Subdivision |
1 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
2 |
| Landscaping Services |
7 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
26 |
| Linen Supply |
1 |
| Machine Shops |
8 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Manifold Business Forms Printing |
1 |
| Marinas |
1 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
1 |
| Masonry Contractors |
1 |
| Materials Recovery Facilities |
1 |
| Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing |
2 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Metal Heat Treating |
1 |
| Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing |
1 |
| Metal Stamping |
1 |
| Mineral Wool Manufacturing |
1 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
4 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
3 |
| Musical Instrument Manufacturing |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
1 |
| Navigational Services to Shipping |
1 |
| News Dealers and Newsstands |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
1 |
| Office Administrative Services |
9 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
4 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
5 |
| Offices of Dentists |
16 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
8 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
1 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| Packaging Machinery Manufacturing |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
3 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
1 |
| Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals |
1 |
| Petroleum Refineries |
1 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
1 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Plastics Bottle Manufacturing |
1 |
| Port and Harbor Operations |
2 |
| Portfolio Management |
1 |
| Private Mail Centers |
2 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
4 |
| Remediation Services |
2 |
| Residential Property Managers |
5 |
| Residential Remodelers |
12 |
| Roofing Contractors |
3 |
| Securities Brokerage |
3 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
1 |
| Septic Tank and Related Services |
1 |
| Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing |
1 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
3 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
11 |
| Software Publishers |
1 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
3 |
| Sports and Recreation Instruction |
3 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
6 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Testing Laboratories |
4 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
3 |
| Tire Dealers |
3 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
3 |
| Toilet Preparation Manufacturing |
1 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
3 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
1 |
| Vending Machine Operators |
2 |
| Veterinary Services |
5 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
9 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
1 |
What About Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Benicia, you'll conclude that many business owners have opted to buy a franchise, rather than starting a business on their own. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.
Our recommendation is that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchise Tradeshows. 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.
Representative franchise opportunities include The Leasing Institute of America and Fitness Together Franchise. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Cartridge Recycling Franchises and Child Entertainment Franchises.
Note on Benicia Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Benicia, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.
Have You Considered Buying an Existing Benicia Business?
An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Benicia.
If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.
Raising Capital for Your Venture
Raising money to fund your new Benicia business will be harder than you might expect. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.
For Benicia entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.
Next Steps
You have a dream -- starting a business in Benicia. 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.
We are here to help Benicia businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Benicia, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Benicia, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Benicia.
- Resources for Benicia, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Benicia 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 & International Trade Center (SBDITC) at Southwestern College is part of the California SBDC San Diego and Imperial Regional Network. The SBDITC 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.
- Santa Ana, California Small Business Development Center - The Tri-County Lead Small Business Development Center (SBDC) in the Santa Ana District provides oversight and support for SBDCs located in the Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. The Santa Ana SBDC Network is a leader in providing consulting, training, and technical assistance to the small business community.
- Benicia, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Benicia, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Benicia area.
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