California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Sonora, California

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

Are You Ready for Life as an Owner?

Most new businesses don't make it, in part because the founder did not have the tenacity and/or the skills to succeed. So, before you start your business, consider all of the implications of being an entrepreneur.

Here are three things we recommend you do before you fully commit to starting a new business of your own.

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Sonora. Listen closely to their experiences and see if you think you too can be successful.
  • We recommend reading Should You Become an Entrepreneur?. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Have a candid conversation with friends and family. Ask them directly: Do I have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? Listen carefully to their answer, as they presumably know your strengths and weaknesses.

Sonora, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
4920
5-9 Employees
1782
10-19 Employees
1062
20-49 Employees
702
50-99 Employees
108
100-249 Employees
45
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
0
All Sonora Businesses
8655

As a new Sonora entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Sonora 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
3
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
1
Art Dealers
3
Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing
1
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
6
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
6
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
4
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Car Washes
3
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Caterers
1
Child Day Care Services
6
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Consumer Lending
1
Convenience Stores
2
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
2
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
1
Educational Support Services
1
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
5
Environmental Consulting Services
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
7
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
3
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
7
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
2
Framing Contractors
3
Full-Service Restaurants
29
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
11
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
3
Household Appliance Stores
3
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
14
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
3
Janitorial Services
5
Jewelry Stores
4
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
3
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
10
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Locksmiths
1
Logging
10
Machine Shops
6
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
4
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
7
Offices of Chiropractors
8
Offices of Lawyers
17
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Podiatrists
2
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
5
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
3
Passenger Car Leasing
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Poultry Processing
2
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Organizations
1
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
5
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
13
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
5
Savings Institutions
2
Sawmills
1
Semiconductor Machinery Manufacturing
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
9
Sporting Goods Stores
5
Sports and Recreation Instruction
3
Support Activities for Forestry
2
Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
5
Telephone Answering Services
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Tire Dealers
3
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
1
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
4
Used Car Dealers
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Veterinary Services
5
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
2

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Sonora 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 Sonora.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy 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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

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

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

The Role of the Business Plan

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is priority one if you want your new Sonora business to do well.

Clever sales techniques can transform any business from good to great. Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

Selling on the Phone is a good article to read, one of dozens in the Selling for Entrepreneurs section of our site.

Never Give Up

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Sonora, California

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

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