California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Lodi, California

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

Will You Be a Successful Entrepreneur?

An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much more challenging than working as an employee. Are you sure you have the stamina and skills to succeed on your own?

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

  • Talk to other entrepreneurs in Lodi. They are usually very willing to share their insights on the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur.
  • We recommend reading Why Small Businesses Fail. For aspiring new entrepreneurs, it's a must read article.
  • Get feedback from somebody whom you trust. Others sometimes know you better than you know yourself.

What Business to Start

There are many businesses that you can start. How do you know which type of business is right for you? To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Free Business Ideas.

If you still are not sure what type of business to start, peruse the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a TDD/TTY Telephone Service guide or our How to Start a Repossession Services Business guide.

Don't forget that you are starting a business in Lodi. Some businesses will do better in Lodi than others. Make sure you fully understand Lodi demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

Lodi, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
13435
5-9 Employees
5380
10-19 Employees
3220
20-49 Employees
2460
50-99 Employees
720
100-249 Employees
360
250-499 Employees
90
500-999 Employees
15
1000+ Employees
0
All Lodi Businesses
25680

As a new Lodi entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Lodi 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
2
Architectural Services
3
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
2
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
3
Automotive Transmission Repair
4
Baked Goods Stores
1
Barber Shops
1
Beauty Salons
14
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
6
Boat Dealers
2
Breakfast Cereal Manufacturing
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
3
Business Associations
2
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Car Washes
7
Caterers
3
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child and Youth Services
1
Child Day Care Services
8
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
6
Claims Adjusting
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Photography
1
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Computer and Software Stores
1
Computer Training
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
2
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
3
Convenience Stores
2
Couriers
1
Credit Unions
4
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Dental Laboratories
5
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
2
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Discount Department Stores
3
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
10
Electrical Contractors
24
Electronic Shopping
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
5
Environmental Consulting Services
3
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Fabric Coating Mills
1
Family Clothing Stores
4
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
3
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
9
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
1
Florists
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Product Machinery Manufacturing
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
1
Framing Contractors
2
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
3
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
2
Full-Service Restaurants
49
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
4
Furniture Stores
7
General Freight Trucking, Local
7
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Warehousing and Storage
4
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
1
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
2
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
2
Homes for the Elderly
7
Household Appliance Stores
3
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
1
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Service Providers
3
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
5
Iron and Steel Forging
1
Iron and Steel Mills
1
Iron Foundries
1
Jewelry Stores
10
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
5
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
21
Lead Pencil and Art Good Manufacturing
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
4
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
7
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marinas
2
Marketing Consulting Services
2
Meat Markets
1
Meat Processed from Carcasses
2
Medical Laboratories
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
3
New Car Dealers
7
New Housing Operative Builders
2
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
2
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Office Administrative Services
3
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
13
Offices of Chiropractors
13
Offices of Dentists
50
Offices of Lawyers
18
Offices of Other Holding Companies
2
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Optical Goods Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
4
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
1
Payroll Services
1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
5
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Polystyrene Foam Product Manufacturing
1
Portfolio Management
5
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
2
Professional Organizations
3
Public Relations Agencies
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
6
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
7
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
2
Roofing Contractors
10
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Sales Financing
1
Satellite Telecommunications
2
Savings Institutions
3
Securities Brokerage
7
Shoe Stores
5
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
4
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
10
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
1
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
8
Steel Foundries (except Investment)
1
Tax Preparation Services
7
Taxi Service
1
Telephone Answering Services
2
Temporary Help Services
5
Testing Laboratories
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
8
Tire Dealers
8
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Tobacco Stores
2
Tortilla Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
4
Used Car Dealers
8
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
10
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
5
Wineries
9
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
5
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1
Wood Office Furniture Manufacturing
2
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Lodi Business?

We've created a useful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Lodi.

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

The Role of the Business Plan

Having a business plan is vital to the health of your new business. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Failure to write a business plan makes you more prone to becoming a business failure statistic.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Expert Advice on Business Plans. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.

Marketing Your New Business

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

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Pricing and Positioning is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a sampling of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

We are here to help Lodi businesses to be successful. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Lodi 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 Lodi, California

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

More Business Startup Guides for California

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Starting a Business in Lompoc

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