Thinking about starting a business in Danville, California? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in Danville.
Will You Be a Good Entrepreneur?
Before you get too far along in the process, consider your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.
Because entrepreneurship is not for everyone, we recommend you do the following to help you assess whether you should move forward with starting a business:
- Talk to other entrepreneurs in Danville. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
- We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
- Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.
Danville, California Demographic Information
Danville has an active business community that includes small businesses,
mid-sized businesses and large businesses.
To give you a better feel for Danville demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Danville.
| Business Size | # of
Businesses |
| 1-4 Employees |
35700 |
| 5-9 Employees |
9252 |
| 10-19 Employees |
6660 |
| 20-49 Employees |
3240 |
| 50-99 Employees |
792 |
| 100-249 Employees |
360 |
| 250-499 Employees |
108 |
| 500-999 Employees |
0 |
| 1000+ Employees |
0 |
| All Danville Businesses |
56112 |
As a new Danville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Danville 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 |
5 |
| Architectural Services |
9 |
| Art Dealers |
1 |
| Automobile Driving Schools |
1 |
| Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores |
2 |
| Barber Shops |
2 |
| Beauty Salons |
25 |
| Bed-and-Breakfast Inns |
1 |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores |
5 |
| Book Stores |
2 |
| Bowling Centers |
1 |
| Business Associations |
2 |
| Cable and Other Program Distribution |
1 |
| Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Car Washes |
2 |
| Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services |
1 |
| Casino Hotels |
1 |
| Caterers |
5 |
| Child and Youth Services |
1 |
| Child Day Care Services |
21 |
| Civic and Social Organizations |
1 |
| Clothing Accessories Stores |
1 |
| Collection Agencies |
2 |
| Commercial Lithographic Printing |
2 |
| Community Food Services |
1 |
| Computer Systems Design Services |
17 |
| Computer Training |
1 |
| Confectionery and Nut Stores |
1 |
| Consumer Lending |
3 |
| Convenience Stores |
1 |
| Couriers |
1 |
| Credit Unions |
1 |
| Custom Computer Programming Services |
37 |
| Dental Laboratories |
1 |
| Direct Life Insurance Carriers |
3 |
| Direct Mail Advertising |
2 |
| Direct Title Insurance Carriers |
10 |
| Display Advertising |
1 |
| Drilling Oil and Gas Wells |
1 |
| Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) |
5 |
| Drywall and Insulation Contractors |
2 |
| Educational Support Services |
5 |
| Electrical Contractors |
10 |
| Electronic Computer Manufacturing |
1 |
| Electronic Shopping |
2 |
| Elementary and Secondary Schools |
6 |
| Employment Placement Agencies |
1 |
| Engineering Services |
19 |
| Environmental Consulting Services |
4 |
| Exam Preparation and Tutoring |
7 |
| Exterminating and Pest Control Services |
1 |
| Facilities Support Services |
1 |
| Family Clothing Stores |
3 |
| Farm Management Services |
1 |
| Fine Arts Schools |
6 |
| Finish Carpentry Contractors |
1 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers |
12 |
| Floor Covering Stores |
2 |
| Flooring Contractors |
3 |
| Florists |
5 |
| Food (Health) Supplement Stores |
2 |
| Food Service Contractors |
2 |
| Framing Contractors |
1 |
| Full-Service Restaurants |
49 |
| Funeral Homes and Funeral Services |
1 |
| Furniture Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Furniture Stores |
6 |
| General Automotive Repair |
3 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local |
2 |
| General Rental Centers |
1 |
| General Warehousing and Storage |
1 |
| Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores |
7 |
| Golf Courses and Country Clubs |
2 |
| Grantmaking Foundations |
2 |
| Graphic Design Services |
5 |
| Hardware Manufacturing |
1 |
| Hardware Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores |
3 |
| Home Centers |
1 |
| Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers |
2 |
| Home Health Care Services |
1 |
| Homes for the Elderly |
10 |
| Industrial Launderers |
1 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages |
37 |
| Interior Design Services |
9 |
| Internet Publishing and Broadcasting |
1 |
| Internet Service Providers |
2 |
| Investigation Services |
2 |
| Investment Advice |
14 |
| Janitorial Services |
10 |
| Jewelry Stores |
5 |
| Land Subdivision |
6 |
| Landscape Architectural Services |
3 |
| Landscaping Services |
18 |
| Language Schools |
1 |
| Lessors of Other Real Estate Property |
3 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants |
24 |
| Locksmiths |
1 |
| Mail-Order Houses |
2 |
| Marketing Consulting Services |
18 |
| Masonry Contractors |
6 |
| Meat Markets |
1 |
| Men's Clothing Stores |
2 |
| Miscellaneous Intermediation |
4 |
| Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers |
26 |
| Motion Picture and Video Production |
3 |
| Motorcycle Dealers |
1 |
| Museums |
2 |
| Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores |
2 |
| Nail Salons |
7 |
| New Housing Operative Builders |
2 |
| Newspaper Publishers |
2 |
| Nonresidential Property Managers |
2 |
| Nursing Care Facilities |
2 |
| Office Administrative Services |
12 |
| Office Supplies and Stationery Stores |
2 |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants |
17 |
| Offices of Chiropractors |
12 |
| Offices of Dentists |
38 |
| Offices of Lawyers |
25 |
| Offices of Optometrists |
3 |
| Offices of Other Holding Companies |
3 |
| Offices of Podiatrists |
3 |
| Offices of Real Estate Appraisers |
5 |
| One-Hour Photofinishing |
2 |
| Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers |
1 |
| Optical Goods Stores |
2 |
| Painting and Wall Covering Contractors |
10 |
| Parking Lots and Garages |
1 |
| Payroll Services |
1 |
| Periodical Publishers |
3 |
| Pet and Pet Supplies Stores |
1 |
| Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services |
2 |
| Pharmacies and Drug Stores |
3 |
| Photography Studios, Portrait |
1 |
| Portfolio Management |
5 |
| Professional Employer Organizations |
1 |
| Professional Organizations |
1 |
| Public Relations Agencies |
3 |
| Real Estate Credit |
22 |
| Remediation Services |
1 |
| Residential Property Managers |
12 |
| Residential Remodelers |
20 |
| Retail Bakeries |
1 |
| Rooming and Boarding Houses |
1 |
| Sales Financing |
2 |
| Savings Institutions |
5 |
| Securities Brokerage |
8 |
| Shoe Stores |
5 |
| Siding Contractors |
2 |
| Site Preparation Contractors |
6 |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars |
12 |
| Software Publishers |
8 |
| Sporting Goods Stores |
5 |
| Tax Preparation Services |
6 |
| Telemarketing Bureaus |
1 |
| Temporary Help Services |
1 |
| Tile and Terrazzo Contractors |
5 |
| Tire Dealers |
2 |
| Title Abstract and Settlement Offices |
3 |
| Tour Operators |
1 |
| Travel Agencies |
4 |
| Used Car Dealers |
3 |
| Used Merchandise Stores |
5 |
| Veterinary Services |
3 |
| Video Tape and Disc Rental |
3 |
| Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters |
1 |
| Web Search Portals |
1 |
| Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers |
40 |
| Window Treatment Stores |
1 |
| Wired Telecommunications Carriers |
3 |
| Women's Clothing Stores |
8 |
Choosing a Business 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 Company.
As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are planning on starting a business in Danville, it's very important that you make sure no other California company is using the business name you want to use.
Make Sure You Have a Business Plan
A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.
To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in California.
Getting Money to Start a Business
Getting your Danville business the capital it needs to succeed is not an easy task. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.
To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Realistic Debt Financing Options.
For Danville entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.
Marketing Your New Startup
To rise above the crowd in Danville 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. Typical Direct Mail Response Rates is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.
What's Next?
You have a dream -- starting a business in Danville. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.
If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.
We are here to help Danville businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Danville, neighborhood development and overall economic health.
More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Danville, California
Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Danville.
- Resources for Danville, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Danville 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.
- Danville, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Danville, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Danville area.
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