Start a Business in Novato, California

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

Novato, California Demographic Information

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

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

As a new Novato entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Novato 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.

Should You Buy an Existing Novato Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Novato.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Company names need to be easy to spell, easy to pronounce, and easy to remember.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Novato, it's very important that you make sure no other California company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Novato, California

It's very important that you are forming a legal entity that operates independently from you. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

The entity you form can be a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. As it turns out, you can incorporate in the state of your choosing. However, if you do incorporate in another state, you'll have to register as a foreign corporation in your home state.

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

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. You can also get face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in California.

Marketing Your New Venture

To grow your Novato business, you need a solid marketing plan.

You can learn all about marketing on our site. Six Tips for Getting Customer Testimonials is a good read to get your marketing juices flowing. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

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

With your business being located in Novato, 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 Novato entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Moving Forward

You have a dream -- starting a business in Novato. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Novato and elsewhere to achieve real success. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Novato, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Novato, California

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

• Resources for Novato, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist Novato 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.
• Novato, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for Novato, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the Novato area.
• Novato, California Payroll Services - This list includes Novato, California payroll services, national payroll services for Novato, and helpful information on choosing a Novato payroll service.
• Novato, California Businesses for Sale - This list includes resources for buying a business in Novato, California, such as business brokers in Novato and other helpful information on how to buy a Novato business.