California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Healdsburg, California

Contemplating starting a business in Healdsburg, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Healdsburg.

Do You Have Entrepreneurial Drive and Passion?

Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary to succeed. So, before jumping into the world of entrepreneurship, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

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:

  • Reach out to other entrepreneurs in Healdsburg. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful 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. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Healdsburg, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1271
5-9 Employees
459
10-19 Employees
261
20-49 Employees
183
50-99 Employees
45
100-249 Employees
30
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Healdsburg Businesses
2255

As a new Healdsburg entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Healdsburg 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
Ambulance Services
1
Architectural Services
4
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
3
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
7
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
11
Book Stores
2
Bottled Water Manufacturing
1
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
8
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Convenience Stores
3
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electrical Contractors
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Environmental Consulting Services
5
Family Clothing Stores
3
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
1
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
1
Full-Service Restaurants
26
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
5
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Homes for the Elderly
3
Ice Manufacturing
1
Industrial Design Services
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
6
Interior Design Services
2
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
5
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
16
Lead Pencil and Art Good Manufacturing
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limousine Service
1
Luggage Manufacturing
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
6
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Meat Markets
2
Media Representatives
1
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
2
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
10
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
14
Offices of Lawyers
12
Offices of Optometrists
2
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Open-End Investment Funds
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
7
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
2
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage
1
Residential Property Managers
8
Residential Remodelers
12
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Securities Brokerage
5
Shoe Stores
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
4
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Tax Preparation Services
2
Taxi Service
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Tire Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
4
Video Tape and Disc Rental
2
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
6
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
2

Is Franchising a Better Option?

As you drive around Healdsburg, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising Pros and Cons. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Representative franchise opportunities include The Blind Guy, Inc. and VR Business Brokers. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Retail Franchises and Party Supply Franchises.

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

Naming the Company

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.

On a final note, given that you are starting a business in Healdsburg, it's imperative that you check now that no California company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Startup Financing Basics

Obtaining startup financing for your Healdsburg business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. The reality is that there is very little funding available for new small businesses, and you have to explore every possible alternative.

Take advantage of our many articles on raising capital, such as 504 Loans.

For Healdsburg entrepreneurs in need of startup financing, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

Whether your goal is to attract Healdsburg customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, having an excellent marketing plan is fundamental to your succeeding.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Yellow Pages Advertising Advice discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

Good entrepreneurs recognize that what they know now may not be enough to ensure their future success.

Given that you are starting a business in Healdsburg, California, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Healdsburg entrepreneurs.

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Healdsburg 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 Healdsburg, California

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

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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