Contemplating starting a business in Daly City, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Daly City.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, assess your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Daly City. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- We recommend reading Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Seek the advice of somebody who knows you well. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
What Type of Business Should You Start?
An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. You might get some good ideas about what kind of business to start by reading 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 How to Start a Patent Drafting Services Business guide or our Starting a Surface Plates Business guide.
Remember that Daly City is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Daly City than others. Don't forget to review Daly City demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.
Daly City, California Demographic Information
Daly City has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Daly City demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Daly City.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
2213 |
| 5-9 Employees |
777 |
| 10-19 Employees |
564 |
| 20-49 Employees |
348 |
| 50-99 Employees |
135 |
| 100-249 Employees |
63 |
| 250-499 Employees |
15 |
| 500-999 Employees |
6 |
| 1000+ Employees |
3 |
| All Daly City Businesses |
4124 |
As a new Daly City entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Daly City 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 |
2 |
| Ambulance Services |
2 |
| Amusement Arcades |
1 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automotive Exhaust System Repair |
3 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
9 |
| Baked Goods Stores |
1 |
| Beauty Salons |
19 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
2 |
| Boat Dealers |
1 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
2 |
| Cafeterias |
3 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
3 |
| Caterers |
2 |
| Cemeteries and Crematories |
15 |
| Child and Youth Services |
3 |
| Child Day Care Services |
14 |
| Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores |
1 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
4 |
| Claims Adjusting |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners |
5 |
| Commodity Contracts Dealing |
1 |
| Community Food Services |
2 |
| Computer and Software Stores |
4 |
| Computer Facilities Management Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
10 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
2 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities |
2 |
| Convenience Stores |
8 |
| Cosmetology and Barber Schools |
1 |
| Couriers |
5 |
| Credit Unions |
2 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
11 |
| Dental Laboratories |
3 |
| Diagnostic Imaging Centers |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Discount Department Stores |
2 |
| Document Preparation Services |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
2 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
4 |
| Electrical Contractors |
13 |
| Electronic Shopping |
1 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
3 |
| Engineering Services |
3 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
3 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
2 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
8 |
| Family Planning Centers |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
2 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
4 |
| Fish and Seafood Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
9 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
3 |
| Florists |
4 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
4 |
| Food Service Contractors |
1 |
| Formal Wear and Costume Rental |
1 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Freight Transportation Arrangement |
3 |
| Fruit and Vegetable Markets |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
57 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
4 |
| Furniture Stores |
7 |
| General Automotive Repair |
18 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
4 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
10 |
| Glass and Glazing Contractors |
2 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
3 |
| Graphic Design Services |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hardware Stores |
3 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
2 |
| Home Centers |
2 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
7 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
11 |
| Household Appliance Stores |
2 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
19 |
| Investigation Services |
1 |
| Investment Advice |
8 |
| Janitorial Services |
20 |
| Jewelry Stores |
10 |
| Kidney Dialysis Centers |
1 |
| Landscaping Services |
3 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
2 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
61 |
| Limousine Service |
3 |
| Local Messengers and Local Delivery |
3 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
1 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
6 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
2 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
12 |
| Motor Vehicle Towing |
2 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Musical Groups and Artists |
1 |
| Nail Salons |
8 |
| New Car Dealers |
12 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
1 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
5 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
1 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
9 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
6 |
| Offices of Dentists |
68 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
13 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
5 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
1 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
3 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
4 |
| Outdoor Power Equipment Stores |
1 |
| Packing and Crating |
1 |
| Paint and Wallpaper Stores |
1 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
13 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
2 |
| Passenger Car Rental |
2 |
| Periodical Publishers |
1 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
3 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
10 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
2 |
| Poultry Processing |
1 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
2 |
| Professional Organizations |
2 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
2 |
| Quick Printing |
1 |
| Real Estate Credit |
14 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
8 |
| Residential Remodelers |
17 |
| Retail Bakeries |
3 |
| Roofing Contractors |
9 |
| Savings Institutions |
6 |
| Scheduled Freight Air Transportation |
1 |
| School and Employee Bus Transportation |
1 |
| Securities Brokerage |
7 |
| Security Guards and Patrol Services |
2 |
| Ship Building and Repairing |
1 |
| Shoe Stores |
15 |
| Siding Contractors |
1 |
| Sign Manufacturing |
1 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
1 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
18 |
| Solid Waste Collection |
2 |
| Special Needs Transportation |
1 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
6 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
7 |
| Taxi Service |
1 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
3 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
2 |
| Tire Dealers |
4 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
2 |
| Tour Operators |
2 |
| Translation and Interpretation Services |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
2 |
| Used Car Dealers |
4 |
| Used Household and Office Goods Moving |
1 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
3 |
| Veterinary Services |
6 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
6 |
| Vocational Rehabilitation Services |
3 |
| Voluntary Health Organizations |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
7 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
1 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
12 |
Choosing a Company Name
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.
Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.
For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.
On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Daly City, it's very important that you make sure you will be the only California company using the business name you have chosen.
The Role of the Business Plan
Having a business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.
If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Outsourcing. You can also get free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.
Promoting Your New Company
Whether your goal is to attract Daly City customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a solid 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.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Daly City. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
From this point on, you control your own destiny.
This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Daly City and elsewhere to achieve real success. 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 Daly City, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Daly City.
- Resources for Daly City, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Daly City 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.
- Daly City, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Daly City, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Daly City area.
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