California Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Grass Valley, California

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

Are You Sure You Want to Do This?

Before announcing to the world that you are going to start your own business, take inventory of your entrepreneurial instincts and capabilities.

While entrepreneurship has become a popular career choice, we recommend you do the following before you take the plunge:

  • Grab a meal or cofee with other entrepreneurs in Grass Valley. Ask them candidly what it's like to run a business.
  • Take a look at The Entrepreneurial Personality. It's a short article but it's a good reality check for those are about to jump into the world of entrepreneurship.
  • Reach out to a trusted acquaintance. The people who know you best are often in the best position to tell you bluntly whether you will be a good entrepreneur.

Grass Valley, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5074
5-9 Employees
1716
10-19 Employees
1200
20-49 Employees
570
50-99 Employees
210
100-249 Employees
72
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
0
All Grass Valley Businesses
8848

As a new Grass Valley entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Grass Valley 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
Advertising Agencies
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
3
Art Dealers
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
1
Baked Goods Stores
3
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
14
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Publishers
2
Book Stores
6
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
6
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
4
Child Day Care Services
23
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
4
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Screen Printing
1
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Systems Design Services
4
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
1
Convenience Stores
3
Couriers
2
Credit Unions
2
Cut Stock, Resawing Lumber, and Planing
1
Dental Laboratories
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
2
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
7
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
8
Educational Support Services
1
Electrical Contractors
30
Electronic Shopping
6
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Environmental Consulting Services
5
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
6
Family Clothing Stores
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
7
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
5
Florists
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
3
Food Service Contractors
2
Framing Contractors
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
1
Full-Service Restaurants
39
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
Furniture Stores
4
General Automotive Repair
23
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Gold Ore Mining
1
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
2
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
2
Home Health Equipment Rental
1
Homes for the Elderly
6
Household Appliance Stores
5
Industrial Design Services
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Institutional Furniture Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
20
Internet Service Providers
4
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
6
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
4
Jewelry Stores
5
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
3
Language Schools
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
5
Limited-Service Restaurants
30
Logging
4
Machine Shops
6
Mail-Order Houses
3
Marketing Consulting Services
5
Medical Laboratories
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motion Picture and Video Production
2
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
New Car Dealers
4
New Housing Operative Builders
1
News Syndicates
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nursing Care Facilities
5
Office Administrative Services
2
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
12
Offices of Chiropractors
16
Offices of Dentists
36
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
5
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
2
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
5
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
5
Photography Studios, Portrait
3
Portfolio Management
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
3
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
1
Real Estate Credit
6
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
4
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
3
Residential Remodelers
19
Retail Bakeries
1
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Savings Institutions
5
Sawmills
1
School and Employee Bus Transportation
1
Securities Brokerage
10
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
1
Sign Manufacturing
3
Silverware and Hollowware Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
16
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
8
Software Publishers
3
Solid Waste Collection
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
1
Tax Preparation Services
7
Telephone Answering Services
1
Telephone Apparatus Manufacturing
1
Television Broadcasting
1
Temporary Help Services
2
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
7
Tire Dealers
2
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tour Operators
1
Truss Manufacturing
2
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
7
Veterinary Services
10
Video Tape and Disc Rental
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wineries
3
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
4
Women's Clothing Stores
6

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Grass Valley Business?

We've created a helpful 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 Grass Valley.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Choosing a Company 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.

Before you decide on a company name, run it by some prospective customers and see what they think. If they don't like it, it's probably a good idea to go back to the drawing board.

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

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are opening a business in Grass Valley, it's very important that you make sure no California company has already registered the company name you have selected.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is critical to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Grass Valley or are selling to customers throughout California, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

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

Learning More About Entrepreneurship

Successful entrepreneurs know that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Grass Valley, California, you should check out some of the many programs available at nearby California universities, colleges and community colleges. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking groups or organizations in which Grass Valley entrepreneurs get together to network and trade their business experiences.

Next Steps

You have a dream -- starting a business in Grass Valley. To achieve your dream, you have to persevere, even when the odds are against you.

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 Grass Valley and throughout the United States . We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Grass Valley, California

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

More Startup Articles for California Cities

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Starting a Business in Greenville

Browse All Business Startup Guides for California
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