California Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Sonoma, California

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

Sonoma, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2029
5-9 Employees
618
10-19 Employees
351
20-49 Employees
189
50-99 Employees
75
100-249 Employees
39
250-499 Employees
12
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
6
All Sonoma Businesses
3319

As a new Sonoma entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sonoma 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
Amusement and Theme Parks
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
6
Art Dealers
3
Automobile Manufacturing
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
9
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
7
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Book Stores
2
Business Associations
3
Car Washes
1
Caterers
2
Cheese Manufacturing
3
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
11
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
2
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Commodity Contracts Dealing
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Convenience Stores
4
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Dog and Cat Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
3
Dry Pasta Manufacturing
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
10
Educational Support Services
1
Electric Power Distribution
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
3
Engineering Services
4
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
3
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
5
Floor Covering Stores
1
Flooring Contractors
4
Florists
5
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
14
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Warehousing and Storage
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
9
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
3
Historical Sites
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
3
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Design Services
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
18
Internet Service Providers
2
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
6
Land Subdivision
2
Landscape Architectural Services
4
Landscaping Services
22
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
19
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Masonry Contractors
1
Meat Markets
1
Media Buying Agencies
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
4
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Music Publishers
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Car Dealers
3
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
14
Offices of Chiropractors
6
Offices of Dentists
18
Offices of Lawyers
24
Offices of Optometrists
3
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
9
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Photography Studios, Portrait
2
Portfolio Management
3
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Public Relations Agencies
3
Racetracks
1
Real Estate Credit
6
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
21
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
4
Savings Institutions
3
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
10
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
4
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
6
Tire Dealers
2
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
2
Tradebinding and Related Work
1
Travel Agencies
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
7
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
10
Wineries
27
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Sonoma Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you may find several good businesses for sale in Sonoma.

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

Picking a Business Name

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.

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?

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

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are starting a business in Sonoma, it's imperative that you check now that you will be the only California company using the business name you have chosen.

Forming a Company in Sonoma, California

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

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

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. 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. In fact, you are allowed to 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 basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as ESOP Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Sonoma, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Marketing Your New Venture

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

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Advertising on Google 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.

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

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 Sonoma, California, you will want to take advantage of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. We also recommend you look into Sonoma networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

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

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

We are here to help Sonoma businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Sonoma, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Sonoma, California

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

More Startup Articles for California Cities

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Starting a Business Guides for Other States

 

 

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