It is a very bright idea to start a business in San Francisco. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, San Francisco is a city full of opportunities. The San Francisco Bay Area is the third-largest urban economy following New York and Los Angeles.
Secondly, it is the commercial, financial and cultural center of Northern California. It has the headquarters of famous companies like Levi Strauss & Co, Dropbox, Mozilla, and Wikimedia Foundation.
Thirdly, the city of San Francisco is famous for its tourism. All these factors along with the congenial start-up environment will be a good impetus for you to start your business here in this city.
Here are some encouraging and profit-making business ideas for you to start in San Francisco.
27 Small Business Ideas in San Francisco
1. Open a Quick Service Restaurant
There is a big market for fast food in the city of San Francisco. However, the market is a little competitive. One needs to be innovative and try to create a market for one owner.
For example, one can open a niche QSR offering healthy food items like tossed-to-order salads, grilled sandwiches, blended smoothies, and delicious gourmet hot soups.
Learn More: How to Open a Restaurant
2. Speciality Food Store Business in San Francisco
You can start this business from home. If you have the culinary ability to prepare signature dishes like cakes, cookies, or delicacies of foreign countries like Lebanese or Thai dishes, you can start the business of a specialty food store. You have to be an expert chef and do some promotional work online and offline.
3. Food Truck Business
If you have cooking skills and are a foodie, you can start this business food truck. The busy city of San Francisco would love to have a mobile food truck serving delicious food at their convenient places. You can have local favorites along with Asian or Lebanese cuisine. Keep in mind that the quality of the food you serve should be excellent which will give you more customers and profit.
Learn More: How To Start A Mobile Food Truck Business
4. Beauty Salon
Beauty Salons are always in demand. If you are a trained beautician or want to get trained, you can start this business. You can rent a place to start your salon. Otherwise, you can also provide mobile beauty services at the client’s homes. Both of these business ideas can be successful with good contacts and online as well as offline advertising.
Learn More: How To Start a Beauty Salon Business
5. Beauty Shop
In the same line as the beauty salon, you can start your beauty shop. It can be started as an independent store, or along with your salon. Do good research on the popular brands of beauty products in the area and make your inventory accordingly. Keep herbal and organic products which have a good demand nowadays.
Learn More: How to Start a Beauty Supply Store Business
6. Children’s Activity Classes
If you have experience teaching kids or teachers’ training in your credentials, you can start activity classes for school children during their vacation or on weekends. In these activity classes, you can teach them dance, music, yoga, painting, etc. It has a good income opportunity with little investment as you can start it from your home.
7. Fitness Trainer
Now that everyone wants to remain fit and healthy, you can start your business as a fitness trainer in San Francisco. Being a busy city, it will give you many clients and earn good money. You can go to the client’s place for training or start your training sessions from your home. There is not much investment needed in this business, only you have to be a trained person skilled enough to do the job.
8. Baby Sitting
In a busy and populous city like San Francisco, the demand for babysitting is very high. Therefore, you can get a good income from the babysitting business. It does not need much investment. However, you have to be a child-lover and responsible enough to take care of the little ones in the absence of their parents.
Learn More: How to Start a Babysitting Business
9. Dog Sitting
A large number of households in San Francisco have pet dogs. However, their busy schedule prevents them from taking proper care of their pet. Here, you can take up the idea of dog sitting as a business. It is a low-investment business with good returns. Here also, you need to be a caring and responsible dog lover.
10. Car Rental Service
Being a famous tourist spot, as well as a business center, car driving service has a constant demand in San Francisco. Utilizing this demand, you can start your car rental service business with your car. Enlist your name in directories and online listings to get clients. Keep good contact with tourism and corporate offices.
11. Start a Tourism Business
Tourism is very famous in San Francisco. Therefore you can start your business in tourism. You can work as a tour operator conducting sightseeing and other tours for tourists. You can also arrange tickets, accommodation, and transport for them. If you are innovative, you can organize special or customized tour packages. This is a profitable business idea,
12. Online Retail
Online selling and shopping are the calls of the day. You can start the business of online retailing in the high-tech city of San Francisco. You can sell anything from handicraft items to fresh organic produce, from books to antics online. Set up your online store and do good research on the choices, preferences, and demands of the local people. Advertise your shop online to get more clients both within and outside the city or even the country.
13. Tech Startups and App Development
San Francisco is synonymous with the tech industry. If you have the necessary experience, consider diving into the world of tech startups or app development. Identify gaps in the market, create solutions, and leverage the city’s extensive network of investors and mentors
14. Grocery Delivery
Grocery is an essential part of every household. You can start a grocery delivery service business in San Francisco. Being a busy city, this service will be in demand among busy couples. Along with that, senior adults would also prefer this service to save their time and energy in going grocery shopping. It has almost no investment. You have to advertise your service to a greater number of people both online and offline.
15. Advertising Agency
Being a business and activity hub, there is always a demand for advertising in San Francisco. If you have experience in advertising, you can start your advertising agency providing services like copywriting, preparing print and audiovisual ads, the release of ads, etc.
16. Accounting Services
With so many business organizations and start-ups in San Francisco, the demand for accounting services is quite high. If you are a registered account, you can think of this business area. Under accounting services, you can offer services of preparing books of accounts, maintaining daily accounts, balance sheets, bank reconciliation tax filing, and financial planning.
17. Freelance Writing
If you have a flair for writing, you can do this business of freelance writing. You only need a computer or laptop with an internet connection. Many portals provide writing assignments. You can write web content, blogs, news articles, and other kinds of creative writing. You can do the job in the comfort of your home and get good pay.
18. Graphic Design
If you are trained in graphic design, San Francisco will give you enough opportunities to develop your business as a graphic designer. As a freelancer, you can create the website and ad content design along with the card, brochure, and other business materials. This gives a good income.
19. Bed and Breakfast Business
As the rents in San Francisco are quite high, you can utilize the extra room(s) of your house by renting it out to paying guests or tourists. With the high traffic of tourists and young professionals coming to work in San Francisco, this business will give you good returns. If you can add food services with lodging, you can earn more.
Learn More: How to Start a Bed & Breakfast Business
20. Open a Designer Boutique
Being a cultural hub, fashion is a sought-after thing in San Francisco. Therefore, if you have ideas about fashion design or are a trained designer, you can start your own designer boutique. Not only the residents of the city, but the tourists will also visit your boutique. Focus on publicity and marketing along with online sales for greater profit.
21. Gadget and Appliances Repair
All households use gadgets and appliances and San Francisco is no exception. When these gadgets stop functioning, life becomes awfully difficult. Therefore if you are a trained mechanic, you can start your repairing business from home and visit the clients’ place for repair. Keep space for a workshop, in case you need to bring the gadget for a time-consuming repair.
22. Online Food Delivery
Online food delivery is quite a popular idea worldwide. Get orders from people opting for specific restaurants or food joints, pick them up and deliver the food to the doorstep. Keep in mind that you have to do good networking with the restaurants and be very fast and alert in delivery.
23. Social Media Consultant
If you are active in social media, you can start your business of social media consultancy in San Francisco. The city being a business center, you can work as an image promotor in social media. You can also do the job of social media marketing for business houses and start-ups. Social media being a very effective publicity and marketing tool today, you will get several clients and a good income.
24. Photography
San Francisco has great tourist traffic every year. Therefore photography can be a good business idea for you in this city. Not only tourism, but photography has also good demand for advertising, social and corporate events, etc. If you are a trained or passionate photographer, this business is a profitable one for you.
25. Baby Food
Specially prepared baby food has its demand and market and San Francisco is no exception. You have to be careful about the hygienic standards as well as the organic ingredients of the food. If you need, you can equip yourself with a short course on cooking. Don’t forget to make the food tasty for the little munchkins. It gives you a good profit with little investment.
26. Jewelry Design
Being a cultural and creative center, San Francisco has a great taste for jewelry. If you have formal training in jewelry design, you can start your jewelry shop here. Try to give some special touch to the pieces designed by you and advertise your products online and through printed ad materials. You will get local clients as well as tourists as your patron.
27. Art and Craft Store
San Francisco is famous for its creative lineage. In such a city, you can start your art and craft store and get good returns. You can keep different kinds of handicraft items, pictures, showpieces, mementoes, crafted stationery items, etc. You can collect them from local artists or bring them from outside the state or country. These items will also be a good attraction for tourists.
How to Start a Business in San Francisco
If you are looking forward to starting a business in Texas, there are certain legal steps you need to follow.
- Decide on a Business Structure – It can be a DBA, LLC, or a Corporation.
- Appoint a Registered Agent for company formation and filing purposes.
- Pick a Business Name – Check the name with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and also search whether a relevant business domain name is available or not.
- Register the Business – Check top LLC service providers in the United States.
- Obtain your Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN or “EIN”)
- Register for Taxes
- Create a Business Bank Account.
- Get licenses and permits required to conduct the chosen business. You can visit the official small business government portal of San Francisco City to learn more.
These are some of the popular business ideas you can start in San Francisco. Now, some important queries are answered.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the prospect of San Francisco in my new business venture?
Being a global business center, San Francisco is open to new ideas and start-ups. It has a great workforce with approximately 70% of the population over 18 having some training outside the high school, and nearly 50% speak another language from English. This diversity is certainly favorable.
How is the transportation network in San Francisco?
San Francisco has a very good network of air, rail, and road transport.
Are business ideas related to art and culture suitable for San Francisco?
Certainly. San Francisco is famous for its lineage in art and culture. Therefore any business idea related to art and culture can thrive well here.
These are enough points to get encouraged and start a business in San Francisco.
Editorial Team at 99BusinessIdeas is a team of experts led by Rupak Chakrabarty with over 25 years of experience in starting and running small businesses. Started in 2010, 99BusinessIdeas is now one of the largest free small business resources in the industry.
