California Business Startup Guides

Starting a Business in Redding, California

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

Do You Have What It Takes?

An entrepreneurial life is hard work, much harder than working as an employee. Are you certain 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 Redding. 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.

Redding, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
10808
5-9 Employees
4270
10-19 Employees
3156
20-49 Employees
1896
50-99 Employees
576
100-249 Employees
234
250-499 Employees
42
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
6
All Redding Businesses
20994

As a new Redding entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Redding 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
4
Air Traffic Control
1
Ambulance Services
3
Amusement and Theme Parks
2
Anthracite Mining
1
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
4
Armored Car Services
1
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
4
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
9
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
24
Automotive Transmission Repair
9
Beauty Salons
20
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
2
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
8
Blood and Organ Banks
2
Boat Building
2
Boat Dealers
7
Book Stores
3
Bowling Centers
2
Broadwoven Fabric Finishing Mills
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business Associations
5
Cable and Other Program Distribution
4
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
2
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Caterers
3
Cement Manufacturing
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
2
Child Day Care Services
24
Civic and Social Organizations
10
Claims Adjusting
4
Clothing Accessories Stores
2
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
2
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Bakeries
1
Commercial Screen Printing
2
Community Food Services
1
Computer and Software Stores
4
Computer Systems Design Services
9
Computer Training
1
Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
4
Convenience Stores
5
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
4
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
3
Credit Bureaus
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
15
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
6
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
4
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
9
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
2
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
2
Drafting Services
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
13
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
14
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
39
Electronic Shopping
2
Elementary and Secondary Schools
9
Emergency and Other Relief Services
1
Employment Placement Agencies
2
Engineering Services
27
Environmental Consulting Services
8
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
11
Family Planning Centers
2
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finfish Fishing
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
14
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
11
Flooring Contractors
5
Florists
7
Flour Milling
1
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Framing Contractors
9
Freight Transportation Arrangement
3
Full-Service Restaurants
82
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
23
General Freight Trucking, Local
10
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
3
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
6
Glass and Glazing Contractors
5
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
6
Graphic Design Services
5
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
4
Hardware Stores
8
Heating Oil Dealers
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
3
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
12
Home Health Equipment Rental
3
Homes for the Elderly
26
Household Appliance Stores
7
Human Rights Organizations
2
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
72
Interior Design Services
1
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
2
Interurban and Rural Bus Transportation
1
Investigation Services
2
Investment Advice
11
Jewelry Stores
11
Kidney Dialysis Centers
2
Land Subdivision
14
Landscape Architectural Services
2
Landscaping Services
36
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
6
Libraries and Archives
2
Linen Supply
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
3
Locksmiths
1
Logging
9
Luggage Manufacturing
1
Machine Shops
6
Mail-Order Houses
5
Marinas
1
Marketing Consulting Services
7
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
5
Materials Recovery Facilities
1
Meat Markets
3
Medical Laboratories
9
Metal Household Furniture Manufacturing
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
1
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
20
Motion Picture and Video Distribution
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motorcycle Dealers
4
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
3
Nail Salons
2
New Car Dealers
10
New Housing Operative Builders
8
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
11
Office Administrative Services
11
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
6
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
6
Offices of Bank Holding Companies
1
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
35
Offices of Chiropractors
34
Offices of Lawyers
89
Offices of Optometrists
17
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Podiatrists
8
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
7
One-Hour Photofinishing
1
Open-End Investment Funds
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
4
Packing and Crating
1
Paging
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
17
Parking Lots and Garages
1
Passenger Car Rental
4
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
3
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
4
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
14
Photography Studios, Portrait
4
Portfolio Management
5
Private Mail Centers
2
Professional Employer Organizations
3
Professional Organizations
4
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
6
Real Estate Credit
15
Real Estate Investment Trusts
1
Recreational Goods Rental
2
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
5
Remediation Services
1
Residential Property Managers
12
Residential Remodelers
20
Roofing Contractors
23
Rooming and Boarding Houses
1
Savings Institutions
2
Saw Blade and Handsaw Manufacturing
1
Sawmills
1
Scheduled Freight Air Transportation
1
Scheduled Passenger Air Transportation
2
Security Guards and Patrol Services
6
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
3
Shoe Stores
15
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
3
Site Preparation Contractors
21
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
25
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
3
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sound Recording Studios
1
Special Needs Transportation
2
Sporting Goods Stores
14
Support Activities for Forestry
8
Tax Preparation Services
12
Taxi Service
1
Telecommunications Resellers
1
Telemarketing Bureaus
1
Telephone Answering Services
1
Television Broadcasting
2
Testing Laboratories
9
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
11
Tire Dealers
11
Tire Retreading
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
4
Tobacco Stores
2
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
2
Used Car Dealers
20
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
5
Used Merchandise Stores
10
Vending Machine Operators
2
Veterinary Services
8
Video Tape and Disc Rental
8
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
10
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
7
Window Treatment Stores
4
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
13
Women's Clothing Stores
9

Should You Franchise?

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

We highly recommend you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Costs of Franchise Ownership. Get a thorough education on franchising by browsing all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include TGI Friday's and Moran Industries, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Golf Franchises and Landscaping Franchises.

Note on Redding Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Redding.

Should You Buy an Existing Redding 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 Redding.

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

Forming a Company in Redding, 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. If you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. As it turns out, 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 are many nuances to forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Incorporation Advice. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Redding, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Don't Forget to Create a Business Plan

A business plan is vital in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Simply put, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Starting a business without a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Presentations. You should also take advantage of free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.

Now It's Up To You

As an entrepreneur in Redding, 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 Redding businesses to be successful. 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 Redding, California

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

More Business Startup Guides for California

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Starting a Business in Redlands

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