10 Steps to Starting a Business in California

Are you contemplating starting a business in California?knows that the flow of customers into their store is
This is a guide to setting up a business in the sunnythe lifeblood of their business. But not all business
paradise of California.California is a fantastic place toowners know where and how to advertise their
start a business, with several enormous cities like Losservices. Here are a few ideas:OfflineSet up business
Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego.in a high traffic areaBe sure your signage on the front
The population and diversity of the state is enough toof your business makes you easy to see. It should be
begin just about any business you could imagine, andbig enough to be easily read from the road, and bright
thrive.Here are a few things you should consider whenenough to stand out from those around it.Your signage
starting your California business:should make it immediately clear, to someone driving
Where in the city is your market demographic?Theby with only a second to glance at it, exactly what
cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diegoyour business does.Yellow pagesBillboardsBus
are enormous, with many different pockets ofbenchesPoster boardsHand out flyersHost groups and
demographics. Even the smaller communities inclubs at your businessAttend local business networking
California like Sacramento, Stockton, Bakersfield andfunctionsLocal newspapers like the la times ( Angeles
Palm Springs are large communities by any other stateCitysearch ( Francisco Citysearch ( Angeles Craigslist
standard. You may want to research in what location( Francisco Craigslist ( can find a version of the above
of the city your particular business would be bestweb sites for almost any of the larger cities in
suited.California by putting the city name at the front of the
What does business space cost in your desiredurl.PPC ads on Google ( or Yahoo ( ads can be
location?Different parts of the city will have wildlytargeted to a very localized area. You can ensure that
varied monthly lease costs. For example, in Losonly people surfing the internet in the Los Angeles area
Angeles, Melrose Avenue or Downtown LA will have(for example) will see your ads. They will appear only
much higher rates than Culver City or North Hollywoodwhen they're actually looking for your product, or
would.reading something similar to what you offer.
What kind of business entity should you form?LearnStay current on your California Tax Laws.One thing
how to set up a California Incorporation ( about placesthat can ruin a new business quickly is falling behind on
to form a DBA, or "Doing Business As".taxes. Make sure you don't make that mistake! Make
Get a Federal EIN numberYou can file for an EIN asa solid effort to understand what you need to know
soon as you get your EIN from the IRS ( or you canabout California taxes - talk to your accountant about
have your incorporator get it when you file yourit!
incorporation.Set up a web siteCustomers expect to be able to
Get a business licenseGet a Los Angeles businessfind you on the Internet.Without a web site, you take
license ( in Google for the term "(city name) businessaway a potentially lucrative advertising avenue (see
license" and you will be presented with results for yourthe Internet advertising tips above).Many places like
particular city.Yahoo ( make it easy to setup your own website, with
Set up a bank accountYou need your EIN andyour own domain name.Find a domain name. I always
Incorporation (or DBA) paperwork before you canuse GoDaddy ( to register my domain names. I've
open a bank account and deposit checks made out infound that DomainsBot ( is a great tool to find a cool
your company's name. Once you have this paperwork,domain name. Once you find it with DomainsBot, you
it's a fairly easy process. You just walk into your localcan register it with GoDaddy.
branch, and they should help you get set up. The onlyThey say that 9 out of 10 businesses fail within the
bank I don't recommend is Washington Mutual, whofirst 5 years. Most businesses are not financially or
wanted original copies of paperwork that the state oflegally ready to succeed. If you follow the simple steps
California had kept. I had the certified copies from thein this article, you'll be better prepared to run a
state of California, but Wamu would only accept thelong-term and profitable business. Los Angeles is ready
originals. I've had better luck with California Nationalfor you - you need to be ready to handle Los
Bank, they have very good customer service.Angeles!Oh yeah, and have fun!Travis Giggy is a
Find an accountantLack of bookkeeping is one of thebusiness specialist and one of the Founders of A
top reasons new businesses fail. As the owner of thewebsite dedicated to reviewing and listing the best
business, you'll be very business running yourservices that provide online legal services like
operations, and the books will fall behind. Be sure to setincorporation, forming an LLC, getting your last will and
up your books, and hire a good accountant at thetestament, or getting a divorce. See our special
outset so that this doesn't become a problem.California Incorporation portal here.
Find advertising spaceAny good business owner