Partner with WhereBizStarts

Get in front of every business owner opening in Southern California.

WhereBizStarts puts your services in front of restaurant, hotel, retail, and salon owners the moment they need you โ€” during the launch process.

Pre-qualified
Every lead knows their business type & city
Active buyers
Owners making vendor decisions right now
OC
Southern California focused audience
Apply for a free founding spot โ†’See how it works
Live platform activity
๐Ÿฝ๏ธ
Restaurant owner ยท Irvine
Viewed insurance vendors ยท 2 min ago
โ˜•
Coffee shop owner ยท Costa Mesa
Requested POS quote ยท 8 min ago
๐Ÿจ
Hotel owner ยท Newport Beach
Used startup cost calculator ยท 14 min ago
๐Ÿ’…
Salon owner ยท Huntington Beach
Viewed SBA lenders ยท 21 min ago
๐Ÿ›๏ธ
Retail owner ยท Anaheim
Downloaded launch checklist ยท 35 min ago
Simulated activity based on platform usage patterns
Free to list during early access
Owners are pre-qualified by business type & city
No long-term contracts
Cancel anytime
How it works

Your business, in front of the right owner at the right moment.

We surface vendor recommendations inside the owner's checklist โ€” not as ads, but as the natural next step in their launch process.

1

Business owner selects their business type & city

A restaurant owner in Irvine gets a roadmap specific to their concept, their city, and their permit requirements. We know exactly who they are before they ever see a vendor.

2

Your profile appears at the exact right step

When a business owner browses the vendor directory filtered by their business type and city, your vetted profile appears โ€” not a banner ad, but a trusted recommendation inside a platform they're using to launch their business.

3

Owner submits a connect request

They fill in their name, email, business type, city, and any specific questions. That lead is delivered directly to you โ€” warm, pre-qualified, and actively ready to make a vendor decision.

4

You close the deal your way

We hand off the lead and step back. No platform fees on closed deals. No commission on revenue. Just qualified introductions at a flat monthly rate.

Our audience

Who you're reaching.

Every owner on our platform is actively planning or opening a business in Southern California. This isn't a general business audience โ€” it's people making vendor decisions right now.

๐Ÿฝ๏ธ
#1
Restaurant & F&B owners
Our largest segment โ€” full service, fast casual, bars, coffee shops, food trucks, ghost kitchens
๐Ÿจ
Growing
Hotel & hospitality owners
Boutique hotels, STR operators, B&Bs, vacation rentals scaling up
๐Ÿ›๏ธ
Active
Retail & service owners
Retail stores, salons, gyms, fitness studios, medical offices
๐Ÿ“
100%
Southern California based
Orange County, LA, San Diego, Inland Empire โ€” your actual service area
๐Ÿ’ฐ
Real money
Owners with serious budgets
Owners using our checklist and calculator are sizing real investments โ€” not browsing casually.
๐Ÿ“‹
Active
In planning or opening phase
Every owner on the platform is working through a launch checklist โ€” they are actively making vendor decisions.
Lead quality

These are the best leads you can buy.

A business owner who just selected "Restaurant" in "Irvine" and is now reading the insurance section of their checklist is not a random click. They are an active buyer.

Think about it this way
A new restaurant in Orange County will spend $8,000โ€“$25,000 per year on insurance. If you close one lead from our platform, the listing pays for itself many times over.
What we know about every lead before you receive them
๐Ÿฝ๏ธ
Exact business type
Restaurant, hotel, retail, salon โ€” not "small business"
โœ“
๐Ÿ“
City & neighborhood
Irvine, Anaheim, Newport Beach โ€” your exact service area
โœ“
๐Ÿ“‹
Stage in launch process
They're on the checklist โ€” actively working through their launch steps
โœ“
โœ‰๏ธ
Direct contact info
Name, email โ€” no intermediary, no platform inbox
โœ“
Why WhereBizStarts

How we compare to other lead sources.

You have options for finding new clients. Here's an honest comparison.

WhereBizStartsGoogle AdsYelp / ThumbtackCold outreach
Knows business type before contactโœ“โœ—Sometimesโœ—
Knows specific cityโœ“RoughlySometimesโœ—
Lead is actively making vendor decisionsโœ“UnclearSometimesโœ—
Flat monthly rate (no bidding wars)โœ“โœ—โœ—โœ“
Owner already trusts the platformโœ“โœ—Mixedโœ—
No commission on closed dealsโœ“โœ“โœ—โœ“
Open categories

Categories we're actively recruiting.

We only list a small number of vetted vendors per category so your listing stands out. Some categories are near capacity โ€” apply early.

๐Ÿ›ก๏ธ
Insurance brokers

GL, liquor liability, workers comp specialists

In demand
๐Ÿฆ
SBA lenders & banks

Restaurant & hospitality lending specialists

In demand
๐Ÿ’ณ
POS system providers

Restaurant & retail point-of-sale

In demand
โš–๏ธ
Business attorneys

Entity formation, lease review, licensing

๐Ÿ“Š
Accountants & CPAs

Restaurant & small business specialists

๐Ÿ”ง
Contractors & TI specialists

Commercial build-out & tenant improvement

In demand
๐Ÿ’Š
Payroll providers

California-specific payroll & HR

๐Ÿท
Food & beverage suppliers

Distributors serving OC restaurants

๐Ÿ”Œ
Equipment leasing

Kitchen & commercial equipment financing

๐Ÿ’ณ
Merchant processing

Payment processing for retail & restaurants

Pricing

Simple, transparent pricing.

Founding vendor listings are free. We're building the platform โ€” and we want the best vendors in Orange County on it from day one.

Founding
Founding vendor
Free
Limited time โ€” early access
For the first vendors who join while we're building the platform.
  • โœ“Full profile in vendor directory
  • โœ“Leads delivered directly to you
  • โœ“WhereBizStarts Pick badge eligibility
  • โœ“Featured in relevant checklists
  • โœ“Locked in at free rate permanently
Apply for a founding spot โ†’
Most popular
Standard
Standard listing
$149
/month after launch
The standard rate once the platform is at scale with active founder traffic.
  • โœ“Full profile in vendor directory
  • โœ“Leads delivered directly to you
  • โœ“Business type filtering
  • โœ“City targeting
  • โœ“Monthly lead reporting
Apply now โ†’
Premium
Premium partner
$349
/month
Maximum visibility โ€” featured placements and priority in search results.
  • โœ“Everything in Standard
  • โœ“Featured placement in checklist
  • โœ“Homepage vendor strip inclusion
  • โœ“Priority in search results
  • โœ“Dedicated account review
Apply for premium โ†’
Ready to get started?

Apply for a founding vendor spot.

Founding listings are free. We review every application personally and respond within 48 hours.

Apply now โ€” it's free โ†’

No contracts. No credit card. Respond within 48 hours.

Questions? Email us at vendors@wherebizstarts.com