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How can I incorporate my business in California?
What are the steps necessary to incorporating a business in California? Where do I start? Do I need any professional assistance?
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3 Answers
If you don't know any thing about the process, still I believe you can do good without professional assistance. All you need to do is to follow certain steps carefully. The most important part in all this would be reading carefully the conditions. Still if you feel that you require an assistance then you should consult a lawyer.
To incorporate your business, check out California business portal. Submit your name (subject to availability) along with article of incorporation and you shall get the local business license.
I went to my local library and took out the book "How to Form Your Own California Corporation (Book with CD)" by Anthony Mancuso Attorney (Author). After reading the book, it became clear that I needed to understand the tax implications, as they applied to my specific situation.
My regular tax guy was on vacation, but I just knew he wasn't returning my calls. So, thinking I would need to find a new tax person, I made an appointment with someone a friend recommended. This guy advised me that I needed to incorporate. However, when I realized that the cost to prepare my taxes would quadruple, I took pause.
When my tax guy finally returned, he laid it all out for me and it was pretty clear that incorporation is completely inappropriate for me at this time. I know exactly when it will be time to consider changing my business structure and I'll time it accordingly. I'll also decide at that time, the most appropriate structure to use (LLC, etc.)
I recommend getting all your ducks in a row, by educating yourself on State & Local Government websites and contacting your local Small Business Association. The SBA provided me with a retired executive (volunteer SCORE counselor) who advised me exactly as my tax guy did.
So, this is a good way to double check any advice you get from an attorney or tax professional. All of this cost me zero dollars and saved me thousands.
I think the best online source is the CALGOLD www.calgold.ca.gov website.
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