California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Fountain Valley, California

Need help starting a business in Fountain Valley, California? We've got the information you need to open a business in Fountain Valley.

Is Becoming a Business Owner Right for You?

Most new ventures fail, in part because the business owner did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you open a business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

With so much at stake when you start a business, we strongly recommend you do the following before you proceed:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Fountain Valley. Get their take on what it's really like to be an entrepreneur.
  • Take a look at Business Failure. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Involve a spouse, family member or trusted friend in the decision. That's the best way to get a truly objective assessment as to whether others think you have what it takes.

Fountain Valley, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
3605
5-9 Employees
1065
10-19 Employees
741
20-49 Employees
501
50-99 Employees
141
100-249 Employees
75
250-499 Employees
24
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
3
All Fountain Valley Businesses
6167

As a new Fountain Valley entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Fountain Valley 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
4
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Architectural Services
5
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Manufacturing
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
2
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
28
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
1
Book Stores
2
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business to Business Electronic Markets
4
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Caterers
2
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
13
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Flexographic Printing
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
3
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
12
Computer Storage Device Manufacturing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
22
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
1
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Copper Wire (except Mechanical) Drawing
1
Couriers
3
Credit Unions
5
Custom Computer Programming Services
20
Dental Laboratories
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
5
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
4
Digital Printing
1
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
17
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
5
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Engineering Services
23
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
4
Fine Arts Schools
4
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
8
Floor Covering Stores
7
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
9
Food Service Contractors
3
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
4
Full-Service Restaurants
69
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
17
General Automotive Repair
12
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
5
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Health Care Services
6
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
8
Household Appliance Stores
4
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
50
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
3
Investment Advice
14
Janitorial Services
9
Jewelry Stores
6
Junior Colleges
1
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
18
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
49
Limousine Service
1
Linen Supply
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Machine Shops
5
Mail-Order Houses
4
Manifold Business Forms Printing
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marketing Consulting Services
13
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
2
Medical Laboratories
4
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
16
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
17
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
4
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
5
Office Administrative Services
19
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
6
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
13
Offices of Chiropractors
21
Offices of Dentists
65
Offices of Lawyers
37
Offices of Other Holding Companies
3
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers
3
Optical Goods Stores
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
3
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
2
Periodical Publishers
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
7
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
3
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Primary Battery Manufacturing
1
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
5
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
19
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
11
Residential Remodelers
9
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
2
Satellite Telecommunications
1
Savings Institutions
5
Securities Brokerage
6
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
3
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
14
Software Publishers
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sporting Goods Stores
8
Sports and Recreation Instruction
6
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Testing Laboratories
3
Textile Bag Mills
1
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
2
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
3
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Voluntary Health Organizations
2
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
31
Window Treatment Stores
1

Should You Franchise?

Browse the Yellow Pages for Fountain Valley and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Is it perhaps smarter to franchise a business instead of doing it from scratch.

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Multi-Unit Franchising. 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 Superior Wash and DUCTZ Duct Cleaning. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Wedding Franchises and Hardware Store Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Fountain Valley Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Fountain Valley.

If you are intent on buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Forming a Company in Fountain Valley, California

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The principal advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. In fact, you are allowed to incorporate in the state of your choosing. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There are many nuances to forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Offshore Company Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in Fountain Valley, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Getting your Fountain Valley business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising money, such as Getting a Small Business Loan.

For Fountain Valley entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, we have assembled a List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Increase Your Entrepreneurial Knowledge

Good entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Fountain Valley, California, you will want to take advantage of the learning programs at local California educational institutions. It's also worthwhile to see if there are any networking groups or organizations in which Fountain Valley entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

Most new Fountain Valley businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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 Fountain Valley and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Fountain Valley entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Fountain Valley, California

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

More Startup Articles for California Cities

Starting a Business in Foster City
Starting a Business in Frazier Park

Browse All Business Startup Guides for California
Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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Franchise Opportunities

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