California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Redlands, California

Contemplating starting a business in Redlands, California? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Redlands.

Redlands, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
5368
5-9 Employees
2068
10-19 Employees
1242
20-49 Employees
1116
50-99 Employees
384
100-249 Employees
144
250-499 Employees
72
500-999 Employees
6
1000+ Employees
18
All Redlands Businesses
10418

As a new Redlands entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Redlands 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
Ambulance Services
2
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
2
Architectural Services
8
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
2
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
3
Barber Shops
1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
7
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
8
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
3
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Car Washes
7
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Caterers
1
Child and Youth Services
2
Child Day Care Services
10
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Claims Adjusting
3
Clay Refractory Manufacturing
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Photography
2
Computer and Software Stores
3
Confectionery and Nut Stores
1
Consumer Lending
2
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Convenience Stores
6
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Credit Bureaus
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Dental Laboratories
2
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
4
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
1
Discount Department Stores
4
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drafting Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
5
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
3
Educational Support Services
3
Electrical Contractors
13
Electronic Shopping
4
Elementary and Secondary Schools
8
Engineering Services
18
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
4
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Fine Arts Schools
4
Finish Carpentry Contractors
10
Fish and Seafood Markets
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
11
Flight Training
1
Floor Covering Stores
5
Flooring Contractors
5
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
5
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Footwear Merchant Wholesalers
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Framing Contractors
4
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
6
General Automotive Repair
19
General Freight Trucking, Local
3
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
1
General Rental Centers
3
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
9
Grantmaking Foundations
4
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
2
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
4
Home Centers
2
Home Health Care Services
5
Household Appliance Stores
2
Hydroelectric Power Generation
1
Industrial Building Construction
2
Industrial Valve Manufacturing
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
35
Interior Design Services
5
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Janitorial Services
10
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Jewelry Stores
6
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
6
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
3
Limited-Service Restaurants
65
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
1
Logging
1
Machine Shops
4
Mail-Order Houses
2
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Masonry Contractors
3
Mattress Manufacturing
1
Medical Laboratories
1
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
6
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
Nail Salons
5
Natural Gas Distribution
2
New Car Dealers
8
News Dealers and Newsstands
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
4
Nursing Care Facilities
10
Office Administrative Services
9
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
3
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
19
Offices of Chiropractors
11
Offices of Dentists
60
Offices of Lawyers
43
Offices of Optometrists
5
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
6
Passenger Car Rental
2
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
7
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
9
Photography Studios, Portrait
8
Portfolio Management
4
Private Mail Centers
3
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
2
Radio Stations
2
Real Estate Credit
6
Residential Property Managers
4
Residential Remodelers
16
Retail Bakeries
3
Roofing Contractors
10
Sales Financing
2
Savings Institutions
5
Secondary Market Financing
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
3
Shoe Stores
8
Siding Contractors
1
Sign Manufacturing
1
Site Preparation Contractors
11
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
18
Software Publishers
5
Sporting Goods Stores
6
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Storage Battery Manufacturing
1
Tax Preparation Services
9
Telemarketing Bureaus
2
Temporary Help Services
6
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tire Dealers
5
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
2
Travel Agencies
6
Used Car Dealers
4
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
3
Used Merchandise Stores
8
Vending Machine Operators
3
Video Tape and Disc Rental
6
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
3
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Window Treatment Stores
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
4

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Redlands, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. So, it probably makes sense for you to consider franchising too.

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

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Superior Wash and Theater Xtreme. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Vending Franchises and Real Estate Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Redlands Business?

An excellent way to get started in business is to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you might discover several good businesses for sale in Redlands.

For anybody who wants to buy a business, we recommend reading this useful article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Forming a Company in Redlands, California

It's essential that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will protect 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.

Incorporation 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. 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 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 Registered Agents. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Redlands, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Make Sure You Have a Business Plan

A business plan is critical in laying a solid foundation for your business success. Indeed, a business plan is a written description of the future you envision for your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

To learn more about business plans, read Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the face-to-face free consulting available from your local SCORE chapter in California.

Raising Capital for Your Business

Getting your Redlands business the capital it needs to succeed is a difficult chore. Bootstrapping, which means growing the business without outside funding, is the best alternative, but that's not a viable option for many startup plans.

To learn about raising money, we recommend you read the fundraising articles on our site, such as 504 Loans.

For Redlands entrepreneurs who need startup capital, browse our List of California Angel Investors and our List of California Venture Capital Firms.

Marketing Your New Business

To rise above the crowd in Redlands and build your business, you need a excellent marketing plan.

You can learn quite a bit about marketing on our site. Avoiding Bad Product Launches discusses marketing strategy and tactical marketing in a way that should get you thinking about how to creatively promote your business. That's just one of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Never Give Up

Most new Redlands businesses underestimate the number of challenges they will face.

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 Redlands and throughout the United States . We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Redlands 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 Redlands, California

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

Starting-a-Business Guides for Other Cities in California

Starting a Business in Redding
Starting a Business in Reedley

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

 

 

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Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

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Franchise Opportunities

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