California Business Startup Guides

Start a Business in San Marcos, California

Are you starting a business in San Marcos, California? This article discusses the most important things to consider when opening a business in San Marcos.

What Business Are You Starting?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. To stir your creative juices on what kind of business to start, take a look at Free Business Ideas.

To view an extensive list of business types, complete with startup instructions, spend some time in the Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our How to Start a Manufacturing Production Business guide or our How to Start a Soccer Business guide.

Don't forget that your new startup will be located in San Marcos. If San Marcos already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. Make sure you fully understand San Marcos demographics before you lock in on your business idea.

San Marcos, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
6322
5-9 Employees
1998
10-19 Employees
1656
20-49 Employees
1170
50-99 Employees
378
100-249 Employees
192
250-499 Employees
66
500-999 Employees
18
1000+ Employees
0
All San Marcos Businesses
11800

As a new San Marcos entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in San Marcos 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
Adhesive Manufacturing
1
Advertising Agencies
6
Appliance Repair and Maintenance
4
Art Dealers
1
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Exhaust System Repair
1
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
2
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
9
Automotive Transmission Repair
5
Beauty Salons
9
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
4
Blind and Shade Manufacturing
2
Book Stores
4
Bowling Centers
2
Breweries
1
Building Inspection Services
1
Business and Secretarial Schools
1
Cafeterias
1
Canvas and Related Product Mills
2
Car Washes
4
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
3
Caterers
2
Child Day Care Services
16
Civic and Social Organizations
7
Clothing Accessories Stores
3
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
3
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Bakeries
2
Commercial Gravure Printing
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
5
Commercial Screen Printing
4
Computer and Software Stores
8
Computer Systems Design Services
5
Confectionery Merchant Wholesalers
2
Construction Machinery Manufacturing
1
Construction Sand and Gravel Mining
1
Consumer Lending
1
Continuing Care Retirement Communities
2
Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing
1
Cosmetology and Barber Schools
1
Couriers
2
Court Reporting and Stenotype Services
1
Credit Unions
3
Crop Harvesting, Primarily by Machine
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
2
Dance Companies
1
Dental Laboratories
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Directory and Mailing List Publishers
1
Discount Department Stores
2
Display Advertising
1
Doll and Stuffed Toy Manufacturing
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
4
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
7
Educational Support Services
3
Electrical Contractors
25
Electronic Connector Manufacturing
1
Electronic Shopping
5
Emergency and Other Relief Services
2
Employment Placement Agencies
4
Engineering Services
21
Environmental Consulting Services
4
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
3
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
9
Family Planning Centers
1
Fine Arts Schools
2
Finish Carpentry Contractors
22
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
4
Floor Covering Stores
12
Flooring Contractors
12
Florists
6
Fluid Milk Manufacturing
1
Food Service Contractors
3
Framing Contractors
5
Freight Transportation Arrangement
2
Full-Service Restaurants
50
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
2
Furniture Merchant Wholesalers
1
Furniture Stores
25
General Freight Trucking, Local
4
General Rental Centers
1
General Warehousing and Storage
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
3
Glass and Glazing Contractors
7
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Grantmaking Foundations
3
Hand and Edge Tool Manufacturing
2
Hardware Merchant Wholesalers
8
Hardware Stores
1
Hobby, Toy, and Game Stores
1
Home Centers
3
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
6
Home Health Care Services
2
Household Appliance Stores
1
Human Rights Organizations
1
Industrial Building Construction
1
Industrial Gas Manufacturing
1
Industrial Launderers
1
Industrial Mold Manufacturing
2
Inorganic Dye and Pigment Manufacturing
1
Interior Design Services
2
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1
Internet Service Providers
3
Investigation Services
1
Investment Advice
8
Janitorial Services
13
Jewelry Stores
4
Landscape Architectural Services
3
Landscaping Services
46
Language Schools
2
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
6
Limited-Service Restaurants
59
Limousine Service
1
Local Messengers and Local Delivery
2
Machine Shops
16
Mail-Order Houses
6
Manufactured (Mobile) Home Dealers
2
Marketing Consulting Services
8
Marking Device Manufacturing
1
Masonry Contractors
6
Meat Markets
1
Medicinal and Botanical Manufacturing
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Metal Stamping
1
Miscellaneous Intermediation
1
Mobile Food Services
2
Mortgage and Nonmortgage Loan Brokers
10
Motion Picture and Video Production
3
Motor Vehicle Towing
3
Motorcycle Dealers
3
Museums
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
2
Musical Instrument Manufacturing
1
Nail Salons
3
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
3
Office Administrative Services
4
Office Equipment Merchant Wholesalers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
4
Offices of Chiropractors
13
Offices of Dentists
37
Offices of Lawyers
20
Offices of Optometrists
4
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
5
Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing
1
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
3
Packaging and Labeling Services
1
Packaging Machinery Manufacturing
1
Packing and Crating
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
2
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
13
Periodical Publishers
3
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
5
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
6
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Portfolio Management
2
Private Mail Centers
1
Professional Employer Organizations
2
Professional Organizations
1
Public Relations Agencies
1
Quick Printing
1
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Real Estate Credit
10
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
2
Repossession Services
1
Residential Property Managers
2
Residential Remodelers
19
Reupholstery and Furniture Repair
3
Roofing Contractors
5
Sales Financing
1
Securities Brokerage
5
Security Guards and Patrol Services
5
Septic Tank and Related Services
3
Sheet Metal Work Manufacturing
3
Shoe Stores
2
Siding Contractors
3
Sign Manufacturing
1
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
13
Software Publishers
3
Solid Waste Collection
3
Solid Waste Landfill
1
Sporting Goods Stores
6
Sports and Recreation Instruction
6
Tax Preparation Services
6
Telephone Answering Services
1
Temporary Help Services
8
Testing Laboratories
1
Textile Bag Mills
1
Textile Machinery Manufacturing
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
7
Tire and Tube Merchant Wholesalers
1
Title Abstract and Settlement Offices
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
1
Tortilla Manufacturing
1
Travel Agencies
2
Travel Trailer and Camper Manufacturing
1
Truss Manufacturing
1
Used Car Dealers
3
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
15
Video Tape and Disc Rental
3
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
4
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
9
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
3
Women's Clothing Stores
2
Wood Window and Door Manufacturing
3

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around San Marcos, you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. Would going with a franchise be a good idea for you?

Our advice is to investigate buying a franchise. On our site, you can read many articles about franchising, such as Multi-Unit Franchising. Gain a solid understanding of franchising by scanning all of our Articles on Franchising.

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

Representative franchise opportunities include Pop-a-Lock Franchise System and Tutorium, Inc.. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Embroidery Franchises and Meal Preparation Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing San Marcos 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 San Marcos.

Before buying a business, be sure to read this article: Hold Harmless Agreements When Buying Businesses.

Picking 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.

We strongly advocate that you make sure the ".com" domain name is available for your company name. Every business needs a strong Web presence these days, and having a non ".com" domain means somebody else may outrank you in the search results for your own company name.

To get up to speed on what makes for a good company name, we encourage you to read this useful article: Naming a Company.

As a final piece of advice, remember that because you are starting a business in San Marcos, it's imperative that you check now that no other California company is using the business name you want to use.

Forming a Company in San Marcos, 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. In fact, you are allowed to 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. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as Offshore Company Formation. You may also want to seek the advice of an lawyer. Finally, if you are starting a business in San Marcos, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

The Art of Selling

Mastering the art of selling is essential if you want your new San Marcos business to do well.

Why should customers buy from you instead of buying from competitors? Fortunately, we've got plenty of good advice to help you improve your selling skills.

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

What's Next?

Most new San Marcos 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 San Marcos 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 San Marcos, California

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

More Business Startup Guides for California

Starting a Business in San Luis Obispo
Starting a Business in San Marino

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

 

 

Share this article


Additional Resources for Entrepreneurs

Lists of Venture Capital and Private Equity Firms

Franchise Opportunities

Contributors

Business Glossary