California Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Vacaville, California

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

Which Business to Choose?

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read How to Evaluate a Business Idea.

For step-by-step instructions on starting a variety of business types, visit the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Opening a Building & House Leveling Business guide or our How to Start a Funeral Flowers Business guide.

Don't forget that Vacaville is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Vacaville than others. Don't forget to review Vacaville demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Vacaville, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2657
5-9 Employees
1047
10-19 Employees
726
20-49 Employees
450
50-99 Employees
117
100-249 Employees
96
250-499 Employees
18
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
3
All Vacaville Businesses
5120

As a new Vacaville entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Vacaville 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 Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Apprenticeship Training
1
Architectural Services
4
Art Dealers
2
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
8
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Baked Goods Stores
3
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
17
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business Associations
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
2
Cafeterias
2
Car Washes
7
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
4
Caterers
2
Charter Bus Industry
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
21
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
3
Clothing Accessories Stores
5
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
6
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
4
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
6
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
4
Dental Laboratories
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
4
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
2
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
4
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Document Preparation Services
2
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
10
Electrical Contractors
20
Electronic Computer Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
2
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
15
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Family Clothing Stores
15
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
6
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
8
Floor Covering Stores
6
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
5
Flour Milling
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
3
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
54
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Stores
12
General Automotive Repair
18
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Glass and Glazing Contractors
3
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
1
Hardware Stores
3
HMO Medical Centers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
6
Household Appliance Stores
4
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
24
Interior Design Services
4
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
3
Jewelry Stores
9
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
23
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
65
Limousine Service
1
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
2
Machine Shops
2
Mail-Order Houses
1
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
1
Marine Cargo Handling
1
Marketing Consulting Services
3
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Meat Markets
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
6
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
2
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
7
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
2
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
11
Offices of Chiropractors
12
Offices of Lawyers
14
Offices of Optometrists
8
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
3
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
21
Passenger Car Rental
3
Payroll Services
3
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
1
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
6
Quick Printing
1
Radio Stations
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
8
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
9
Residential Remodelers
30
Roofing Contractors
7
Savings Institutions
2
Securities Brokerage
11
Security Guards and Patrol Services
2
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Shoe Stores
19
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
10
Software Publishers
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
11
Sports and Recreation Instruction
4
Synthetic Rubber Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
6
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
3
Testing Laboratories
1
Textile Bag Mills
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
5
Tire Dealers
19
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Travel Agencies
3
Used Merchandise Stores
4
Veterinary Services
10
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
3
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
2
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
4
Window Treatment Stores
2
Women's Clothing Stores
17

Should You Franchise?

As you drive around Vacaville, it's apparent that franchising has become a very popular way to start a business. But is franchising the right option for you?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. We have many articles on franchises, such as Credit and Franchise Purchasing. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

You can find franchise opportunities by browsing our Franchise Opportunities Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Owens Corning and SMARTBOX. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Auto Rental Franchises and Modeling Franchises.

Note on Vacaville Franchise Opportunities: To find out if a franchise you are interested in is available in Vacaville, you will need to get in direct contact with the franchisor.

Should You Buy an Existing Vacaville Business?

We've created a handy 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 Vacaville.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: How to Buy a Business.

Selecting a Name For Your Venture

Making the right decision when choosing a company name is very important. There are many decisions you'll make now that you can change later, but changing a company name years down the road is not very easy. So, choose a good company name at the outset.

Company names should be fun to say, and they should help people to understand what you do and how you differentiate yourself in the market.

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 Vacaville, it's critical that you ensure that your company name has not already been claimed by another California business.

Getting Money to Start a Business

Raising money to fund your new Vacaville business will be harder than you might expect. To obtain business financing, you will need to hear a lot of rejections before you finally find a funding solution that works for you.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as Business Cash Advances.

For Vacaville entrepreneurs who need startup capital, we have assembled a List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Venture

To rise above the crowd in Vacaville and build your business, you'll need to have a good marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Pricing and Positioning is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. There are many more articles on marketing on our site. Visit our Small Business Marketing resource section to see them all.

Now It's Up To You

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

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

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Vacaville and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Vacaville entrepreneur who is just getting started or you are already up and running with your new venture.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Vacaville, California

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

More Startup Articles for California Cities

Starting a Business in Upland
Starting a Business in Vallejo

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

 

 

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