California Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Santa Ynez, California

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

What Business Are You Starting?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. If you are struggling with what type of business to start, read Free Business Ideas.

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 How to Start a Bedding Wholesale & Manufacturers Business guide or our How to Start a Printing Press Repair Business guide.

Don't forget that Santa Ynez is the place where you are starting a business. Some businesses will do better in Santa Ynez than others. Study Santa Ynez demographics and do a competitive analysis as part of your startup planning process.

Santa Ynez, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
407
5-9 Employees
93
10-19 Employees
60
20-49 Employees
24
50-99 Employees
0
100-249 Employees
0
250-499 Employees
0
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
3
All Santa Ynez Businesses
587

As a new Santa Ynez entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Santa Ynez 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
1
Architectural Services
1
Bed-and-Breakfast Inns
2
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
1
Casinos (except Casino Hotels)
1
Child Day Care Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Convenience Stores
1
Electrical Contractors
3
Elementary and Secondary Schools
1
Engineering Services
3
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fine Arts Schools
1
Finish Carpentry Contractors
1
Florists
1
Full-Service Restaurants
7
Furniture Stores
1
General Automotive Repair
2
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
2
Glass and Glazing Contractors
1
Grantmaking Foundations
2
Hardware Stores
2
Industrial Design Services
1
Interior Design Services
1
Investment Advice
1
Landscaping Services
9
Lessors of Other Real Estate Property
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
1
Masonry Contractors
1
Museums
1
Office Administrative Services
2
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
1
Offices of Dentists
1
Offices of Lawyers
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
1
Periodical Publishers
2
Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services
2
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
1
Portfolio Management
2
Real Estate Credit
1
Residential Property Managers
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Roofing Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
2
Software Publishers
1
Sporting Goods Stores
1
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
3
Tour Operators
1
Veterinary Services
3
Wineries
5

What About Franchising Opportunities?

Examine a list of Santa Ynez businesses and you may be surprised to see how many franchises there are in the area. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you consider franchising as an option. We have many articles on franchises, such as Opportunities in International 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 Janbury and Exovations. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Tax Preparation Franchises and Child Safety Franchises.

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

Have You Considered Buying an Existing Santa Ynez 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 Santa Ynez.

If you are headed down the path of buying a business, you may want to read this article: How to Buy a Business.

Choosing a Company Name

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.

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: Branding Advice.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Santa Ynez, it's imperative that you check now that your company name has not already been claimed by another California business.

Company Formation in Santa Ynez, California

A critical step is ensuring that your business is formed as a legal entity that is separate from its owners. Among other things, forming a legal entity for the business limits your liabilities.

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

Incorporating is a very common way to legally create a business entity. Of course, you have to decide which type of corporation to form and where to incorporate. Just because 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's a lot to know about forming a company. We recommend you read some of the educational articles about company formation that are availabe on our site, such as ESOP Formation. You should also consider getting professional assistance from your business lawyer. On a final note, since you will be starting a business in Santa Ynez, California, our web page covering Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

What's Next?

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

From this point on, you control your own destiny.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Santa Ynez and elsewhere to achieve real success. We want to be there for you to answer your business questions, whether you are a new Santa Ynez 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 Santa Ynez, California

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

More Business Startup Guides for California

Starting a Business in Santa Rosa
Starting a Business in Saratoga

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

 

 

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