California Business Startup Guides
Opening a Business in Chico, California
Contemplating starting a business in Chico, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Chico.
Are You Ready for Entrepreneurship?
Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you positive you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Speak with other entrepreneurs in Chico. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
- You should read Business Failure. It's a good read for those who are thinking about becoming an entrepreneur.
- Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.
Chico, California Demographic Information
Chico has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Chico demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Chico.
Businesses
As a new Chico entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Chico 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
What About Franchising Opportunities?
As you drive around Chico, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?
We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Selling A Franchise. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.
To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.
Representative franchise opportunities include TacoTime International, Inc. and H&R Block. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Ice Cream Franchises and Pest Control Franchises.
Note on Chico Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Chico.
Raising Money for Your Venture
Obtaining startup financing for your Chico business is a difficult chore. In fact, financing your new business may be the hardest challenge you ever face.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Credit Evaluation.
For Chico entrepreneurs who want to raise money for a new venture, we have assembled a List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.
Getting the Word Out About Your New Venture
To rise above the crowd in Chico and build your business, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your beating the competition.
We have some helpful resources on this site for entrepreneurs who are working on marketing plans. Creating a Web Presence is an article that will generate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.
Bring in Revenues
Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Chico business, you need to focus on sales.
Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. 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.
Chico Entrepreneur Interviews
We're compiling a number of interviews with Chico entrepreneurs. Enjoy!
- Interview with Alex Eaves, Owner and Founder of STAY VOCAL
- Interview with R. Scott Hatfield, Founder and CEO of My Independent Contractor.Com
Never Give Up
As an entrepreneur in Chico, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Chico 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 Chico, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Chico.
- Resources for Chico, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Chico 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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