Opening a Business in San Luis Obispo, California

Thinking about starting a business in San Luis Obispo, California? This step-by-step guide walks you through the major decisions you should consider before opening a new business in San Luis Obispo.

San Luis Obispo, California Demographic Information

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

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

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

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around San Luis Obispo, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. But is franchising the right option for you?

Our recommendation is that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Detecting Franchising Scams. 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 Dyno - UK and Hand-In-Hand. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Senior Care Franchises and Child Entertainment Franchises.

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

Naming the Company

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.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in San Luis Obispo, it's very important that you make sure your company name has not already been claimed by another California business.

Forming a Company in San Luis Obispo, California

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Doing so will shield you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as 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 any state you would like to. 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Registered Agents. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in San Luis Obispo, California, our web page covering Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Mistakes. You can also get free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in California.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Raising money to fund your new San Luis Obispo business is very difficult due to the ongoing business credit crunch. If you don't have a rich uncle to fund you, you'll need to be creative in how you approach your fundraising efforts.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled How Equity Dilution Works.

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

Now It's Up To You

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help San Luis Obispo businesses to be successful. 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 San Luis Obispo, California

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

• Resources for San Luis Obispo, California Entrepreneurs - Browse a variety of resources we've collected to assist San Luis Obispo 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.
• San Luis Obispo, California Newspaper Ad Rates - This is a nearly comprehensive list of advertising rates for San Luis Obispo, California newspapers, including ad costs for newspapers serving the San Luis Obispo area.
• San Luis Obispo, California Radio Advertising Prices - To help you in your marketing efforts, we've gathered radio advertising rates for San Luis Obispo, California area radio stations.
• San Luis Obispo, California Payroll Services - This list includes San Luis Obispo, California payroll services, national payroll services for San Luis Obispo, and helpful information on choosing a San Luis Obispo payroll service.