California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Santa Clarita, California

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

What Type of Business Should You Start?

Choosing a business that is right for you is very important. We recommend that you read Evaluating Your Idea.

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 How to Start a Hospital Equipment & Supplies Retail Business guide or our How to Start a Pictures & Prints Retail Business guide.

Always keep in mind that you are opening your new business in Santa Clarita. Some businesses will do better in Santa Clarita than others. Only by spending some time analyzing Santa Clarita demographics can you decide if there will be strong demand for your business idea.

Santa Clarita, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1535
5-9 Employees
369
10-19 Employees
282
20-49 Employees
225
50-99 Employees
54
100-249 Employees
27
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
0
All Santa Clarita Businesses
2492

As a new Santa Clarita entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Santa Clarita 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
Architectural Services
2
Automobile Driving Schools
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Automotive Transmission Repair
2
Baked Goods Stores
1
Beauty Salons
12
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
3
Bowling Centers
1
Building Inspection Services
2
Business to Business Electronic Markets
1
Cable and Other Program Distribution
1
Cafeterias
1
Car Washes
2
Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Services
1
Child Day Care Services
12
Children's and Infants' Clothing Stores
1
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
1
Collection Agencies
1
Commercial Lithographic Printing
1
Commercial Photography
1
Computer and Software Stores
2
Computer Systems Design Services
9
Consumer Lending
3
Convenience Stores
2
Credit Card Issuing
1
Curtain and Drapery Mills
1
Custom Computer Programming Services
3
Diagnostic Imaging Centers
1
Diet and Weight Reducing Centers
2
Display Advertising
1
Document Preparation Services
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
4
Educational Support Services
1
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Employment Placement Agencies
1
Engineering Services
7
Exam Preparation and Tutoring
2
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
4
Facilities Support Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
6
Floor Covering Stores
3
Flooring Contractors
5
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
3
Full-Service Restaurants
23
Furniture Stores
9
General Freight Trucking, Local
2
General Rental Centers
1
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Grantmaking Foundations
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Hardware Stores
2
Historical Sites
1
Home Centers
2
Home Furnishing Merchant Wholesalers
2
Home Health Care Services
1
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Internet Service Providers
1
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
9
Jewelry Stores
2
Land Subdivision
3
Landscape Architectural Services
1
Landscaping Services
7
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
2
Limited-Service Restaurants
29
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
1
Mail-Order Houses
1
Marketing Consulting Services
4
Masonry Contractors
4
Media Representatives
1
Metal Stamping
1
Motion Picture and Video Production
6
Motor Vehicle Body Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
2
Motorcycle Dealers
1
Museums
1
Musical Groups and Artists
1
Musical Instrument and Supplies Stores
1
New Car Dealers
1
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
2
Office Administrative Services
5
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
3
Offices of Dentists
9
Offices of Lawyers
4
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Other Holding Companies
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
6
Passenger Car Rental
4
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
3
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
4
Political Organizations
1
Precision Turned Product Manufacturing
1
Private Mail Centers
3
Professional Employer Organizations
1
Professional Organizations
2
Real Estate Credit
4
Reinsurance Carriers
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
14
Roofing Contractors
3
Savings Institutions
2
School and Employee Bus Transportation
2
Securities Brokerage
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
1
Site Preparation Contractors
9
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
6
Software Publishers
1
Solid Waste Collection
3
Sports and Recreation Instruction
11
Tax Preparation Services
2
Telecommunications Resellers
2
Temporary Help Services
2
Testing Laboratories
2
Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Toilet Preparation Manufacturing
2
Tour Operators
1
Travel Agencies
1
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
2
Used Merchandise Stores
6
Vending Machine Operators
1
Veterinary Services
10
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Water Supply and Irrigation Systems
1
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
6
Women's Clothing Stores
3

What About Buying an Existing Santa Clarita Business?

We've created a helpful website page for those who want to Buy a Business in California. Follow that link and you can review several good businesses for sale in Santa Clarita.

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

Naming the Business

A good company name can give a big boost to a new startup. It might seem like an easy thing to do, but there are many things to consider when naming a business.

Even if the name doesn't do it by itself, many naming experts believe there should be a story behind the name that ties into your company mission.

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

There's one other important factor when naming a business. Since you are opening a business in Santa Clarita, it's very important that you make sure no California company has already registered the company name you have selected.

Forming a Company in Santa Clarita, California

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. The principal 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 choose 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. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. If you are starting a business in California, it doesn't mean you are required to incorporate in California. As it turns out, 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 Incorporating Online. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Santa Clarita, California, our web page covering Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

The Art of Selling

Being able to sell is fundamental to your business success. Whether you are focused on selling local customers in Santa Clarita or are selling to customers throughout California, the United States or even the world, you have to be able to sell.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

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

How to Improve Your Entrepreneurial Abilities

The best entrepreneurs recognize that they don't know everything.

Given that you are starting a business in Santa Clarita, 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 Santa Clarita networking organizations.

Now It's Up To You

You have a dream -- starting a business in Santa Clarita. 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.

We are here to help Santa Clarita businesses to be successful. We believe entrepreneurship is an amazing engine for job creation in Santa Clarita, neighborhood development and overall economic health.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Santa Clarita, California

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

More Business Startup Guides for California

Starting a Business in Santa Clara
Starting a Business in Santa Cruz

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

 

 

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