Doing Business In California

Business facts:

California is the largest and wealthiest state in the United States. Major industries include technology (Silicon Valley), entertainment (Hollywood), agriculture/farming as well as millions of small businesses.

Small businesses play an essential role in California’s regional economies and industry sectors, generating an annual payroll of $204.1 billion in 2012.

California is 4^th in the nation with 0.40% of the population starting a new business, over one-third higher than the national average of 0.28%.

Economy:

California’s economy is one of the 8^th largest in the world with a 2013 gross state product (GDP) of $2.2 trillion. New technologies and constantly evolving systems are a cornerstone of California’s global competitiveness. California’s performance on key innovation indicators has consistently ranked the state within the top nations in the world.

Major companies

The state of California is home to many big-name employers, and it’s well-known for tech companies such as Apple, Google, eBay, Intel, Disneyland, Naval Base San Diego.

Small business

There are 3.9 million small businesses in California, making up 99.8% of the state’s businesses. Those companies employ nearly 50% of the state’s workforce.

Silicon Valley has emerged as the destination of choice for establishing technology businesses. Apple, Google, HP, Intel, Adobe, Ebay and many more major tech giants have established their headquarters in Silicon Valley, and they operate from the region with continued business success.

Southern California has a lot going for it as a tech hub. It produces more tech PhDs per year than any other region in the country. The California Institute of Technology—Caltech—generates more patents than any other university in the US, and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) more startups.

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STEPS TO STARTING A BUSINESS IN California

Business Structure

Business Name

Business Registration

EIN Tax Number

Bank Account

Licenses & Permits

Branding & Marketing

Resources

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Step 1: Choose A Business Structure

The most common business structures are sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and a few different types of corporations—the standard corporation (often called a C corporation or “C corp”), the small business corporation (often called an S corporation or “S corp”), and the benefit corporation (often called a B corporation or “B corp”).

The most common business structures are:

► Sole Proprietorship in California:

► California Partnership:

► California Corporation:

► California LLC:

Step 2: Choose The Right Business Name

Choosing a business name is important, you want to make it easier for your customers to remember it, here are some tips:

Avoid hard-to-spell names.
Don’t pick a name that could be limiting as your business grows.
Conduct a thorough Internet search.
Search and purchase a domain name.
Use a name that conveys some meaning.
Conduct a trademark search.

Step 3: Register Your Business

Depending on the business structure you chose you will need to register your business.

For California DBA (Doing Business As) go to:

https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/name-availability/

For Corporations go to:

https://dbo.ca.gov/division-of-corporations/

For LLC’s go to:

https://www.sos.ca.gov/business-programs/business-entities/filing-tips/filing-tips-llc/

Step 4: Obtain an EIN Tax Number

With limited exceptions, most businesses require an Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as a Tax ID Number. An EIN is used to identify a business in its federal tax filings. Without an EIN, you can’t hire employees or open a business bank account.

Click Here to Apply for EIN number online

Get Inspired by these California Startups

Step 5: Open A Bank Account

– Open a business bank account:

Separates your personal assets from your company’s assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

– Get a business credit card:

Helps you separate personal and business expenses.
Builds your company’s credit history, which can be useful to raise capital later on.

Step 6: Licenses & Permits

Now that you’ve registered your business name you need to obtain a business license for your company – this authorizes your company to do business in your city or county. Typically this also involves registering for state taxes and permits (the city may require them as part of the business licensing process).

Here are some links for California Businesses:

Selling products? Check California Resale Permit

Business Licensing for the State of California

Step 7: Branding & Marketing

Your brand is the image customers have of your business, so it’s important to determine who is your audience and what is the message that you want to project. That way, your company’s image will be what you intend it to be. It should be strategic and intentional.

Step 8: Establish a Web Presence

Creating an optimized website helps you to gain important visibility for the right terms. A website is a powerful sales tool and one that allows you to address your customers’ concerns, give them the information they need to make a decision and create compelling calls to action.

In addition to a website, you should also consider other avenues for promoting your business online: