California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Elk Grove, California

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

Most startup companies fail, in part because the entrepreneur did not have the perseverance and abilities that are necessary 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 Elk Grove. Get their candid feedback on what it takes to start a successful business.
  • 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. A support network of family and friends can be a great sounding board for good advice before you decide for sure to go into business.

Elk Grove, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
2747
5-9 Employees
848
10-19 Employees
747
20-49 Employees
456
50-99 Employees
150
100-249 Employees
111
250-499 Employees
15
500-999 Employees
3
1000+ Employees
0
All Elk Grove Businesses
5077

As a new Elk Grove entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Elk Grove 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
Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing
1
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
1
Art Dealers
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
4
Beauty Salons
23
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Stores
3
Building Inspection Services
5
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cafeterias
2
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child Day Care Services
52
Civic and Social Organizations
5
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer Systems Design Services
7
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
5
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
10
Custom Computer Programming Services
11
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
3
Discount Department Stores
3
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
5
Educational Support Services
4
Electrical Contractors
18
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Engineering Services
13
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Facilities Support Services
2
Family Clothing Stores
7
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
2
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
4
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
14
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
15
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
5
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation
1
Framing Contractors
3
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
77
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
8
General Automotive Repair
17
General Freight Trucking, Local
6
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
3
HMO Medical Centers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
1
Home Health Care Services
10
Homes for the Elderly
14
Household Appliance Stores
4
Industrial Building Construction
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
24
Interior Design Services
1
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
5
Janitorial Services
13
Jewelry Stores
3
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
22
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
65
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
6
Masonry Contractors
4
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Markets
1
Media Buying Agencies
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
12
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Nail Salons
5
New Car Dealers
9
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Administrative Services
5
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
11
Offices of Dentists
59
Offices of Lawyers
20
Offices of Optometrists
7
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
1
One-Hour Photofinishing
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
3
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
5
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
7
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
7
Public Relations Agencies
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
4
Real Estate Credit
13
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Remodelers
30
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
7
Savings Institutions
7
Sawmills
1
Securities Brokerage
5
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
2
Site Preparation Contractors
6
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
30
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sporting Goods Stores
13
Tax Preparation Services
10
Taxi Service
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
6
Temporary Shelters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
5
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
7
Tobacco Stores
1
Tortilla Manufacturing
1
Translation and Interpretation Services
1
Travel Agencies
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
9
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Window Treatment Stores
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
10
Women's Clothing Stores
7
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
1

Choosing a Company Name

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.

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.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Elk Grove, it's imperative that you check now that no other California company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Elk Grove, 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.

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

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. In fact, you can 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's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Elk Grove, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Raising Money for Your New Venture

Getting your Elk Grove 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.

On the bright side, this site contains dozens of articles on raising money, including one we recommend entitled 504 Loans.

For Elk Grove entrepreneurs on the hunt for startup funding, check out our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Bring in Revenues

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new Elk Grove business to do well.

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Selling Products on eBay is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Now It's Up To You

Most new Elk Grove 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.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Elk Grove, California

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

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