California Business Startup Guides

Open a Business in Taft, California

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

Taft, California Demographic Information

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

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

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
1815
5-9 Employees
615
10-19 Employees
450
20-49 Employees
300
50-99 Employees
90
100-249 Employees
60
250-499 Employees
15
500-999 Employees
15
1000+ Employees
0
All Taft Businesses
3360

As a new Taft entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Taft 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
Automotive Glass Replacement Shops
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
4
Beauty Salons
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Civic and Social Organizations
3
Commercial Lithographic Printing
2
Community Food Services
1
Convention and Visitors Bureaus
1
Credit Unions
1
Digital Printing
1
Discount Department Stores
1
Drilling Oil and Gas Wells
2
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Electrical Contractors
4
Environmental Consulting Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
3
Florists
1
Food Service Contractors
1
Full-Service Restaurants
10
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
1
General Automotive Repair
4
General Freight Trucking, Local
1
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Hardware Stores
1
Historical Sites
1
Homes for the Elderly
2
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
3
Investment Advice
1
Janitorial Services
1
Limited-Service Restaurants
11
Locksmiths
1
Machine Shops
2
Meat Processed from Carcasses
1
Motorcycle Dealers
1
New Car Dealers
2
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nonresidential Property Managers
1
Office Supplies and Stationery Stores
1
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
3
Offices of Lawyers
1
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
1
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
1
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
2
Photography Studios, Portrait
1
Pipeline Transportation of Crude Oil
2
Ready-Mix Concrete Manufacturing
1
Residential Remodelers
1
Savings Institutions
1
Security Guards and Patrol Services
1
Shoe Stores
2
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
1
Solid Waste Collection
2
Temporary Shelters
1
Testing Laboratories
1
Tire Dealers
4
Tobacco Stores
1
Used Car Dealers
2
Used Household and Office Goods Moving
1
Used Merchandise Stores
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
2

What About Franchising Opportunities?

As you drive around Taft, it becomes clear that purchasing a franchise is a common way to get started as an entrepreneur. Is there a franchise opportunity out there that makes sense for you?

Most business experts recommend that you look into purchasing a franchise. This site has dozens of articles on franchising, such as Buying a Franchise. 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.

Sample franchise opportunities include Rent-A-Wreck and Country Clutter. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Food and Drink Franchises and Insurance Franchises.

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

Selecting a Name For Your Venture

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.

Pick a company name that isn't too generic. If you do a search engine search for your proposed name and a billion results come up, you may want to reconsider the name. It's much easier to come up in the search engines when your name is fairly unique.

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

On a final note, given that you are planning on starting a business in Taft, it's imperative that you check now that no other California company is using the business name you want to use.

Company Formation in Taft, California

A critical step is ensuring that you form your business as a legal structure. Doing so will separate you from personal liability for business debts and obligations.

The entity you form can be a corporation, LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership or other structure.

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. Just because you are starting a business in California, you don't necessarily have to incorporate in California. In fact, you can incorporate wherever you want. For example, it's very popular to incorporate in Delaware, and incorporating in Nevada has become very trendy as well. Don't forget, though, that you will have to register as a foreign entity in all states that you do business in.

There's a lot to know about forming a company. To learn the fundamentals of company formation, browse articles on our site, such as Nevada Incorporation. You may also want to seek the advice of an attorney. Finally, if you are starting a business in Taft, California, our information on Incorporating in California may be a useful resource if you decide to incorporate in California.

Do You Need a Business Plan?

A business plan is vital to the health of your new business. In effect, a business plan describes what you plan to do with the business and how you plan to do it. Failure to write a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

Before you start writing a business plan, we suggest you skim Business Plan Contests. A great resource for business planning assistance is the free counseling sessions provided by your local SCORE chapter in California.

Bring in Revenues

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

Good selling involves demonstrating that your wares meet your customer's needs. Let us help you refine your selling techniques through our many useful sales advice tips.

Anticipating Prospect Responses is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Next Steps

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

Owning your own business will be a daunting task, but you can do it.

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

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Taft, California

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

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