California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Saratoga, California

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Being an entrepreneur is demanding, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain you want to start a business?

Before you move forward with starting a business, be sure to do these three things:

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Saratoga. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Saratoga, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5960
5-9 Employees
1356
10-19 Employees
720
20-49 Employees
480
50-99 Employees
84
100-249 Employees
36
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Saratoga Businesses
8648

As a new Saratoga entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Saratoga 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
Architectural Services
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
2
Beauty Salons
9
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
2
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
3
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
1
Caterers
2
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
5
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Computer Systems Design Services
22
Computer Training
1
Consumer Lending
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
30
Dental Laboratories
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
7
Display Advertising
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
2
Electrical Contractors
1
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Engineering Services
17
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
6
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
5
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
1
Florists
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Full-Service Restaurants
15
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
2
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Home Centers
1
Homes for the Elderly
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
10
Interior Design Services
3
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
3
Investment Advice
9
Jewelry Stores
1
Land Subdivision
2
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
5
Language Schools
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
19
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
8
Masonry Contractors
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Museums
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
4
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
2
Offices of Dentists
31
Offices of Lawyers
16
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Portfolio Management
5
Private Mail Centers
2
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
4
Residential Property Managers
6
Residential Remodelers
14
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
4
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
10
Software Publishers
7
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
2
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Tire Dealers
1
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wineries
1

Naming the Business

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.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Saratoga, it's critical that you ensure that no other California company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in Saratoga, California

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will protect you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

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 can 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 C Corp Versus S Corp. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Saratoga, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, 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.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in California.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Saratoga 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.

Fortunately, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled Angel Investors.

For Saratoga entrepreneurs who need startup capital, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Saratoga, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Saratoga and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Saratoga, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Saratoga, California

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California

Starting a Business in Santa Ynez
Starting a Business in Sausalito

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

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary