University of La Verne SBDC Small Biz Blog

Find out everything you need to start your small business so you can launch your business with confidence. Learn all the steps you need to take to start a business: from developing your plan to market research to filing your licenses in this simple step-by-step webinar, including: Business Planning Business planning resources Get the business plan template (Business Plan Outline)   Financial Projections Training  - Template Marketing Strategies NAICS Code Lookup   LA County Library / Reference USA LA County Demographics Licensing and Permits   Franchise Tax Board - Forms of Ownership LLCs & Corporations Name Search Los Angeles County Name Search for FBN (Sole Proprietorships) San Bernardino County Name Search for FBN (Sole Proprietorships)  Domain Name Search    Licenses & permits lookup Record-Keeping Record Keeping Systems    LA County Library / Lynda.com / LinkedIn Learning Outsourced accounting  ( https://bench.co/ )...

Magic Oil Box, LLC www.themagicoilbox.com/ Alex Cordova is the owner of Magic Oil Box, LLC, a horror-inspired aromatherapy business whose name is a reference to “Buffy the Vampire Slayer '' tv show magic shop. “Working with essential oils, I simply added ‘oil’. So, the Magic Oil Box,” Alex explained. Alex is a 1st generation Hispanic college graduate from the University of La Verne and a member of the Los Angeles LGBT Chamber of Commerce.  Alex was receiving information from several different organizations including NASE and LALCC . Alex received updates on the California Dream Fund, a grant aimed to fund new start-up businesses with up to $10,000 in seed funding. Alex reached out to start working with the University of La Verne SBDC to get help with his business and the Dream Fund Program. Challenges Alex's main challenge was having the working capital to run the business. As the Magic Oil Box was only starting up and Alex was still working a full-time job and doing even...

Hiring your first employee can be a daunting task especially if you have never done it before. In this video, I’ll show you how to notify the state when you hire an employee, what taxes you have to account for, and worker’s compensation insurance. Independent Contractor vs. Employee Before we get to how to set up with the state and in your business we have to cover what an employee is and the difference from an independent contractor. An independent contractor is a person or entity that provides a service but is not an employee. There is a 3 part test that determines if you are really an independent contractor if all of these conditions are met: ​​1.  The worker is free from the control and direction of the hiring entity in connection with the performance of the work, both under the contract for the performance of the work . For example, if I hire a plumber to fix my sink, I don’t need to manage how they actually perform the work step by step. As long as my sink gets fixed, I shoul...