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/ ) Find a QuickBooks Pro Advisor Find a Professional Bu

  In this webinar, we will be covering the common forms of ownership for small businesses and their filing requirements: Sole proprietorships General partnerships Limited Liability Company Corporations Our Guest Speaker, Lucius C. Davis III is the Small Business Liaison in the Taxpayers’ Rights Advocate’s Office. He assists with the development of small business education and outreach programs in order to help business owners better understand their income tax requirements and responsibilities. He also provides information about the Franchise Tax Board’s (FTB) programs and services that are available to them. Prior to becoming the Small Business Liaison, Lucius worked in Collections and in Filing in the Business Entities Section as an analyst at FTB. In the private sector, Lucius owned a small business for 10+ years. Prior to that, he played professional basketball overseas for 13 years. The Forms of Ownership presentation is a discussion of the most common forms of business ownership

By Joshua Botello If you are looking to take content like a blog, youtube channel, or a news company to the next level and turn it into a full-fledged business, there are some specific things you need to take care of. Many content creators start as a hobby but have no idea what it takes to turn their passion into a legitimate business. In this start-up guide, I will show the 5 steps to get your media business started and what you need to know to operate as a legitimate business. So let’s get started. Business Concept The very first step is to come up with a business concept. Many of you watching will already have this down if you have an existing blog or youtube channel. Beyond your concept, you may need to research if this is a sustainable topic that will last or if it’s just a fad. You also want to make sure the content you create is fresh and not being talked about in a saturated space that will increase your competition and make it harder for you to make money once you monetize you

by Joshua Botello Starting your barbershop or salon seems like an easy proposition, especially if you've been in the industry for a few years. The barber and beauty industry is fairly regulated here in California and there are a bunch of hoops that you'll have to jump through to make your dream happen. In this guide, I'll give you a 5 step guide on how to start your barbershop or beauty salon. So let’s go... Business Concept The first thing you're going to need to figure out is what kind of services you're going to offer. Are you going to be offering straight haircuts or are there other services such as shaving or color that customers are going to want? You also have to determine whether or not you're going to be selling products such as hair care products or beard care in your location. When it comes to customers you'll have to decide if you're going to serve strictly men or women or a mix of both. Each type of customer will have their own set of nee

by Joshua Botello Many of our small business owners get intimidated when they are looking to open their business because of the paperwork and cost involved in getting started. In this video, I show you 4 tactics to start your small business for next to nothing so you can get started faster and cheaper. START HOME-BASED SERVICE BUSINESS First, you need to think about what kind of small business you want to start. If you are looking to spend the least amount of money then you want to see about doing a home-based service business. Unlike product or retail businesses, you don't need to buy a minimum amount of inventory and keep it in your garage. This could save you several hundred dollars in inventory costs. All you really need is a computer to do your work or proposals and a cellphone to take calls and make appointments. You can be a blogger, consultant, or photographer and start with no money you have to invest providing you already have the equipment to start. DO BUSINESS IN YOUR O

by Joshua Botello Getting an Alcohol Beverage Control license gives an establishment like a restaurant or bar the ability to serve alcohol to customers. Many new business owners may find this process confusing or never apply for the license because it is so daunting. In this video, I’ll explain what the ABC license is, walk you through the process and stay to the end for help with the application. What is an Alcohol Beverage Control License? The first thing you need to understand is what is an Alcohol Beverage Control license is. The license allows you to sell alcohol from your establishment legally. There are different categories of licenses but are in 2 general groups: On-Sale or Off-sale and the type of alcohol.  On-Sale refers to alcoholic beverages that are purchased and consumed on-premises like a Bar and Off-sale is where beverages are prepackaged and not available for consumption on-premises like a convenience store. Each category defines whether or not minors are allowed on-p

by Joshua Botello Disclaimer: This is not legal advice and is for educational purposes only. If you need help starting a Cottage food operation please consult with an advisor here .  Starting a cottage food business may seem easy to start but you may get in trouble by not understanding the law. The cottage food law in California was passed in 2013 and opened up home bakers to start without the need for a commercial kitchen. There are still many different steps you need to know before you launch. So, in this video, I’ll break down what you need to start your next cottage food small business to see if it is right for you. Business Concept If you are looking to start your own home-based cottage food business you need to understand what you can and can’t make according to the law. If you don’t follow these rules then you will be denied permits to sell anything and could be shut down and unable to operate. According to the law , there are approved foods that can be made and sold from your b

by Joshua Botello Starting a food truck seems to be all the rage now as an alternative to a full brick-and-mortar restaurant. While a food truck might seem like a cheaper alternative to starting up, this doesn’t mean it takes any less work to get your business started. The food truck industry is fairly regulated and there are a lot of things to consider before you get started. In this video, I’ll cover five areas of consideration and answer the question: how do you start a food truck business? Business Concept You need to determine what cuisine of food you want to create for your business. Much like the concept of a brick-and-mortar restaurant, your food truck fare should be based on some concept of cuisine or fusion. The next step is you need to nail down your menu . Based on your cuisine you will need to figure out what food can be made in a small space like a food truck. Now that you have a solid menu, you will need to think about what equipment may be needed to make each item or m

by Joshua Botello One of the biggest questions we get when starting a business is "How do I start an LLC?" Forming an LLC is fairly easy in California and can be done for less than $100 and in about 5 mins if you want to do it yourself. Now before we begin, a small disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. This is for educational purposes only.  Not every business can become an LLC. Professionals like doctors or professional services may need to be formed as professional corporations. If this sounds like you, you should consult with a licensed lawyer to get advice on how your business can be set up.  You can always sign up at lavernesbdc.org/newclient and click get started, to schedule an appointment with one of our business consultants and get help with filing your LLC. With that out of the way let's get into the guide.  Step #1 Forming the LLC The first step we need to take care of is forming the LLC. So head to your browser and type in SOS.CA.GOV. Th

  by Joshua Botello   A Notary Signing Agent or mobile notary is a profitable business that almost anyone can start. Just because it’s easy to start, doesn’t mean it's easy to run. Mobile notaries seem to be popping up everywhere because it's so easy to start but hard to stand out and grow the business. In this video, I'll tell you what you need to know about starting up a notary business to see if it is right for you. Business Concept If you want to be a Notary, you first need to figure out what services you want to offer. Will you be offering signature verification only or will you expand to include Live Scan or other services? Your next step will be determining who your customers are, such as real estate loan brokers, lawyers, school districts, health care, or other professionals. Finally, you want to determine your type of business mobile or office. Many Notaries are mobile and able to charge for travel but you will need to make that decision based on your clientele. Co