University of La Verne SBDC Small Biz Blog

by Joshua Botello  A Sales Tax Permit or seller’s permit is a requirement in California for retailers if you sell a physical product in the state of California. Is that all, you say? California also requires a seller’s permit if you have inventory stored in California, have employees like independent salespeople in California, or if you have a website that sells products in California. So, now that we have that out of the way let's hop on to the computer and get into the application for filing that seller’s permit. Finding the Application Here we are on the desktop, and we are going to head to our browser and type in CDTFA.CA.GOV to get to the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration. So now that we are on the home page we need to navigate to the actual application. So we head to this register button, just below the header and click register. Now we have to go down about halfway down the page to “Register or Apply for a New..” and then Click business activity or lo

Photo by   Álvaro Serrano   on   Unsplash by Joshua Botello On March 19, 2020, the State of California issued a Stay At Home order for all residents and businesses (deemed nonessential) to close and minimize the spread of COVID-19. After approximately 7 weeks the order went into effect -- at the time of writing this article -- many businesses and workers have felt the stress of paying bills, protecting their families and livelihoods. Getting Back to Work Now that the end is in sight and a plan to open up the economy is nearly formed, many businesses will need to be “phased in” to opening back up. However, the riskier “hands-on” vocations will be scrutinized to maintain the safety of patrons and workers alike.  The question is: how can business owners ensure the safety of customers and workers while balancing a healthy financial recovery? Here are some ideas of what that might look like. Social Distancing Business owners will primarily need to protect their customers

by Joshua Botello If you own business and file taxes for yourself or employees, applying for an Employer Identification Number or EIN is required. The EIN is a 9 digit code that is assigned to your business and is used as your file your business taxes and employees file their personal taxes to track their wages. Luckily, this is super easy and free to apply for EIN with the IRS. Check out the full video on YouTube ! Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.

By Joshua Botello Since the advent of the internet and its progression to mass delivery of takeout orders, restaurants and diners have had the opportunity to invest in technology to reach a larger section of customers. Since the coronavirus pandemic started, many business owners have been tested to embrace technology or ignore it. The challenge will be how many businesses will use technology to survive in the age of COVID-19 and beyond. So, here is a list of tips to get your business to “go digital” and live to open another day.  But first...Why is “Going Digital” important? Going digital as a restaurant may sound like an absurd proposition. Besides, many new restaurant owners start their establishments for the ambiance and service for customers.  78% of Millenials  focus more on service and experience than actual food quality. In 2017,  58% of customers  considered delicious food when choosing a restaurant. So what do you do? Customers are still looking for delicious food eve