California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Salinas, California

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

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Manufacturer or Wholesaler of Dental Equipment & Supplies Business guide or our How to Start a RV & Camper Rental Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are opening your new business in Salinas. Think about what needs are currently being underserved in Salinas. Don't forget to review Salinas demographics to see if there's a market for what you want to sell.

Salinas, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
10408
5-9 Employees
3926
10-19 Employees
3108
20-49 Employees
1824
50-99 Employees
570
100-249 Employees
234
250-499 Employees
72
500-999 Employees
12
1000+ Employees
12
All Salinas Businesses
20166

As a new Salinas entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Salinas 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
2
Air Traffic Control
1
Ambulance Services
1
Amusement Arcades
1
Animal (except Poultry) Slaughtering
1
Architectural Services
6
Automobile Driving Schools
4
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
3
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
29
Automotive Transmission Repair
5
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
12
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
13
Blood and Organ Banks
1
Boat Dealers
1
Book Publishers
1
Book Stores
3
Bottled Water Manufacturing
1
Bowling Centers
1
Business Associations
7
Business to Business Electronic Markets
3
Cafeterias
1
Camera and Photographic Supplies Stores
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
1
Car Washes
5
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Cement Manufacturing
2
Child and Youth Services
6
Child Day Care Services
25
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
4
Civic and Social Organizations
17
Claims Adjusting
1
Clothing Accessories Stores
6
Collection Agencies
2
Commercial Lithographic Printing
6
Commercial Photography
2
Commodity Contracts Brokerage
1
Community Food Services
3
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Facilities Management Services
2
Computer Training
1
Confectionery and Nut Stores
4
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Consumer Lending
7
Convenience Stores
20
Convention and Trade Show Organizers
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
2
Credit Bureaus
1
Credit Card Issuing
1
Credit Unions
5
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
6
Custom Computer Programming Services
12
Custom Roll Forming
1
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
7
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Digital Printing
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
1
Direct Mail Advertising
1
Direct Title Insurance Carriers
5
Discount Department Stores
3
Document Preparation Services
2
Dried and Dehydrated Food Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
8
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
10
Educational Support Services
2
Electrical Contractors
32
Elementary and Secondary Schools
6
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
20
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
1
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
8
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
13
Farm Labor Contractors and Crew Leaders
9
Farm Management Services
1
Farm Supplies Merchant Wholesalers
18
Fertilizer (Mixing Only) Manufacturing
1
Fine Arts Schools
3
Finish Carpentry Contractors
9
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
11
Floor Covering Stores
10
Flooring Contractors
14
Florists
7
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
4
Food Service Contractors
4
Footwear and Leather Goods Repair
1
Formal Wear and Costume Rental
2
Freight Transportation Arrangement
11
Fresh and Frozen Seafood Processing
2
Fruit and Vegetable Canning
2
Fruit and Vegetable Markets
7
Full-Service Restaurants
96
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
14
General Freight Trucking, Local
25
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2
General Rental Centers
2
General Warehousing and Storage
6
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
11
Glass and Glazing Contractors
2
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
2
Graphic Design Services
1
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
1
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
2
Hardware Stores
8
Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
6
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
10
Home Health Equipment Rental
2
Homes for the Elderly
12
Household Appliance Stores
4
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
50
Interior Design Services
3
Internet Service Providers
1
Investigation Services
5
Investment Advice
8
Janitorial Services
32
Jewelry (except Costume) Manufacturing
1
Junior Colleges
1
Kidney Dialysis Centers
1
Land Subdivision
1
Landscaping Services
38
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
11
Libraries and Archives
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
104
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Locksmiths
1
Luggage and Leather Goods Stores
1
Machine Shops
12
Mail-Order Houses
2
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
3
Marketing Consulting Services
5
Meat Markets
3
Media Buying Agencies
1
Media Representatives
1
Medical Laboratories
2
Men's Clothing Stores
5
Metal Tank (Heavy Gauge) Manufacturing
1
Metal Window and Door Manufacturing
1
Mobile Food Services
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motion Picture and Video Production
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
9
Motorcycle Dealers
4
Museums
2
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Nail Salons
7
New Car Dealers
15
New Housing Operative Builders
3
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nitrogenous Fertilizer Manufacturing
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
3
Nursing Care Facilities
6
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
2
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
32
Offices of Chiropractors
19
Offices of Dentists
82
Offices of Lawyers
78
Offices of Optometrists
15
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
4
Optical Goods Stores
5
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Paging
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
5
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
22
Payroll Services
1
Periodical Publishers
1
Perishable Prepared Food Manufacturing
8
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
6
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
19
Plate Work Manufacturing
1
Political Organizations
1
Portfolio Management
2
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
4
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
4
Radio Networks
2
Radio Stations
11
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
22
Real Estate Investment Trusts
8
Recreational Goods Rental
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
3
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
10
Residential Remodelers
28
Retail Bakeries
11
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
1
Roofing Contractors
15
Rooming and Boarding Houses
2
Savings Institutions
4
Saw Blade and Handsaw Manufacturing
1
Securities Brokerage
8
Security Guards and Patrol Services
13
Septic Tank and Related Services
6
Sewage Treatment Facilities
2
Ship Building and Repairing
1
Siding Contractors
2
Sign Manufacturing
4
Site Preparation Contractors
7
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
31
Software Publishers
2
Solid Waste Collection
2
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Spice and Extract Manufacturing
1
Sporting Goods Stores
13
Sports and Recreation Instruction
5
Tax Preparation Services
11
Taxi Service
2
Telephone Answering Services
2
Television Broadcasting
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
12
Tire Dealers
10
Tobacco Stores
1
Tortilla Manufacturing
2
Translation and Interpretation Services
2
Used Car Dealers
16
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
11
Used Merchandise Stores
5
Veterinary Services
12
Video Tape and Disc Rental
11
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
8
Voluntary Health Organizations
3
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
7
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
26
Window Treatment Stores
2
Wineries
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
10
Women's Clothing Stores
9
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
3
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
1

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Salinas, you'll notice that many local entrepreneurs have gone the franchising route. Should you be giving franchising serious consideration?

We advise the entrepreneurs we work with to look into purchasing a franchise. We have many articles on franchises, such as Franchising and Veterans. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include OrbitDrop and Hawthorn Suites. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Wedding Franchises and Hardware Store Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Salinas Business?

We've created a useful 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 Salinas.

If you are serious about buying a business, you may want to read this article: Buying a Business.

Forming a Company in Salinas, California

It's very important that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The primary advantage of forming your new business as a legal entity is that it separates your business liabilities from your personal liabilities.

When forming a company, you will pick from many company types, such as a traditional C-corporation, a Limited Liability Company (LLC), or an S-corporation.

Incorporating is a very popular way to form a business. A key decision is whether to form and S-Corp or a C-Corp, and you also must decide in which state you will incorporate. If you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. In fact, you can incorporate in any state you would like to. 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. To learn the basics of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Why Incorporate in Delaware. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Salinas, California, our web page covering Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Improving Your Entrepreneurial Skillset

The best business owners recognize that they need to continually improve.

As an entrepreneur who lives in Salinas, California, you should get information on some of the learning programs at local California educational institutions. Another way to keep up on your learning is to investigate networking organizations for Salinas entrepreneurs.

Now It's Up To You

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

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

Our goal here is to promote the vitality and growth of small businesses in Salinas and throughout the United States . We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Salinas, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Salinas, California

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

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