I did it 20 years ago in the So. Cal. area. I started at night and on the weekends, while working a 50 hour a week job. My vacations were spent going to CEDIA boot camps and training. Took two years to get traction.

I moved and partnered up with a failing AV company and turned it around. That took another five years. It was the hardest thing I have done in my work career. I made half the money and worked double the hours.

When it's good, it feels great. When things are bad, life can suck. You need to have a lot of cash in the bank. Reinvest in the company for years, and hire great employees.

In CA, licensing and insurance are going to be number one. Relationships are the key to success. They take time to build. I suggest working for a big AV company for a couple of years to get exposure to everything. Make sure this is what you really want to do before making the investment. To have a sizable company, you need to plan on investing $1,000,000, especially if you want to own the building(s). Which I highly recommend! Probably a more if in CA.

It can me done, but it won't be fast, cheap or easy.