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Welcome to How to Register a Business Name in California, presented by StartingYourBusiness.com.

This video is a part of a series of videos on starting a business in California.

After deciding on the legal entity of your business, it's time to decide on a name

for the business.

While it's not required, we would recommend checking to see if there is a trademark protecting

the name you want to use.

Here's a quick guide to check.

First, go to the United States Patent & Trademark Office at uspto.gov.

When you get to uspto.gov click on Trademarks.

You can learn more about trademarks here but to search names that are currently trademarked,

click on the Search Trademark Database.

Next click on Basic Word Mark Search.

In the Search Term field type in the business name you want to use.

In this example, let's enter Mr. Handyman and click submit.

There are a number of listings that come up.

There are a few causes of concern with this particular name that would likely want you

to have a legal professional review before registering your name.

The names that are longer but include Mr. Handyman are probably safe.

The names in this column that are dead are likely safe too as the previous registrant

did not renew their name.

Now here is a live listing for Mr. Handyman to be concerned about.

You can click on that listing to see more information about it.

Now, in some cases a name that is trademarked can still be used.

Trademarks are grouped in categories in what the USPTO calls classes.

In this example, Mr. Handyman is registered under the Home repair and general maintenance

services under goods and services.

You could potentially register Mr. Handyman if your business operated outside of home

repair and general maintenance services.

If you do a search and your name you want is registered, you may want to consider getting

professional help.

If you don't, you may invest a lot of time and money establishing a business name that

you may have to abandon.

Once the trademark search is out of the way, the process of registering a business name

will vary depending on the type of organization chosen.

For sole proprietorships or partnerships there are two options.

One is to operate under the owner's full first and last name, like John Smith.

This type of name does not need to be registered.

Most businesses will however want to operate under a trade name like John Smith's Handyman

Service, Mr. Handyman, and so on.

The term trade name is sometimes referred to as fictitious business name, doing business

as, DBA or assumed name.

Applying for this type of name allows your business to legally operate and transact business

with a name other than your personal name.

To register a business name for a sole proprietorship or partnership, file the Fictitious Name Filing

with the County Clerk's office in the county where the business is located.

Expect to spend around $50 to register the name.

To register a name for a corporation or LLC, you must have a unique name at the time of

filing.

To check the availability of names, visit the California Secretary of State's website.

For the link, visit our site at StartingYourBusiness.com/california.

While nobody else can form a corporation or LLC with your business name in California,

someone else could still legally use your business name.

Regardless of which entity you use to register your business name, registering does little

to stop anyone from using your name.

To keep others from using it, consider getting a trademark.

For more information about registering your business name in California, check out Startingyourbusiness.com.

If you liked this video on How to Register a Business Name in California, be sure to

watch the others in the starting a business in California series.

Starting a business can be difficult, but you don't have to do it on your own.

The StartingYourBusiness.com site has lots of information to help get your business started

and we have experienced business advisors ready to answer your questions at no cost.

For more infomation >> How to Register a Business Name in California - Starting a Business in California - Duration: 4:38.

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Cannabis quality control: Is California ready? - Duration: 2:44.

For more infomation >> Cannabis quality control: Is California ready? - Duration: 2:44.

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Types of Business Organization in California - Starting a Business in California - Duration: 9:10.

Welcome to this video on the Types of Business Organization in California, presented by StartingYourBusiness.com.

This video is a part of our series of videos on starting a business in California.

Choosing the way your business is legally organized and structured is a fundamental

step of starting a business and one to start thinking about early because it impacts the

process of naming the business, applying for licenses and permits, and how the business

is taxed.

The business organization is the legal framework of an entity that is engaged in commercial

activity.

There are four primary types of business organization that a small business owner will choose from

which include the sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation or LLC.

Each entity has its own set of pros and cons and each has some considerations that may

make one better than another for you and your business.

The considerations include the cost of forming the entity, liability protection, ability

to get investment, tax burden, administrative requirements and the complexity of formation.

It can be a little overwhelming and confusing to pick the perfect entity for your business,

but keep in mind, that the entity you choose today does not have to be a forever decision

as you can change to a different entity later on.

The first entity that we will cover is also the most simple, which is the sole proprietorship.

The sole proprietorship is basically an individual who decides to go into business for themselves.

There is no separate legal entity as the business is tied to an individual, making the business

and the individual the same legally.

Since there is no state filing for the sole proprietorship, a major pro for this entity

is that it is easy, fast and inexpensive to form.

There is no sharing ownership, which means there is no board of directors or shareholders

to be responsible to and the taxation is relatively simple as the profits or losses flow to the

owner's personal tax return.

While there are several upsides to the sole proprietorship there are several downsides

and the biggest is unlimited liability and here's why.

Since the business and the owner are considered the same legally, should the business get

sued, the owner's personal assets are potentially at risk.

The risk of being a sole proprietorship really goes up if the owner has significant personal

assets or has employees who could cause the business to get sued.

There is also limited access to capital.

This just means that unlike the partnership, corporation or LLC, there aren't other people

that you can have invest in the business.

Last, the sole proprietorship has a limited life, so if the owner passes away or decides

to get out of business, that business essentially ceases to exist.

This isn't a major concern for many businesses, but if there are contracts or licenses that

the business relies on, the sole proprietorship may not be the best choice.

Forming a sole proprietorship is pretty simple.

Since there is no official state filing, you can decide to go into business right away

as a sole proprietorship and be in business.

We will cover other details for starting a sole proprietorship in later videos and at

StartingYourBusiness.com that may have to be done like registering a business name and

applying for licenses and tax numbers.

The next entity is the partnership, which is a business owned by two or more individuals.

The partnership is very similar to the sole proprietorship in that there is no legal entity

and the owners have unlimited liability.

The good things about the partnership are that it is easy, fast and inexpensive to set

up with no filing or fees to set up with the state.

There are also more people involved which means there is more talent and funds to put

into the business.

Like the sole proprietorship there are significant downsides with the primary one being unlimited

liability, but this time, if one partner makes a bad business decision, every other partner's

personal assets are at risk, making the partnership riskier than the sole proprietorship.

Another partnership con includes sharing of control.

Since partnerships are usually informal and very little is in writing, disagreements can

occur that can be devastating to the business.

A partnership can also be difficult to get out of, should the remaining partner not be

willing to buy out the departing partner.

Just like the sole proprietorship there is no official filing for a partnership with

the state.

We will cover some of the other possible requirements that a new partnership may need to do in later

videos and at StartingYourBusiness.com.

The corporation is the third of the four business entities and is completely different from

the sole proprietorship or partnership because now we have a legal entity that is separate

from the owners.

While the corporation sounds like it is something for a large business, it is really just a

filing with the California Secretary of State.

Corporations can be owned by a single owner or multiple owners.

The corporation has several pros, especially now that it is a distinct legal entity and

the owner's personal assets are separate from the business assets.

Another pro is that the corporation has unlimited life which could be useful in situations where

there are key contracts or licenses held by the business as the business can essentially

live forever.

The corporation can also sell shares of the business and raise money from investors instead

of relying only on debt like a sole proprietorship or partnership.

There are a few downsides of the corporation which include the cost of formation and increased

administration.

The corporation costs $100 to form in California in addition to a minimum annual tax of $800.

In addition, there are a number of administrative duties such as an initial board of directors

meeting, shareholders meeting, taking minutes at the meeting, issuing stock certificates

and writing the bylaws.

There are three ways to form a corporation in California.

One, you can do it yourself.

On the California Secretary of State's website, you will fill out and file the Articles of

Incorporation.

Since there are a number of administrative duties that need to be done right, if you

plan to do it yourself, be sure to do your research before filing.

Second you can hire online companies that specialize with forming business entities.

Startingyourbusiness.com has a list of companies that provide this service.

What's nice with these services is that in addition to making sure all of the legalities

of forming the corporation are covered they also send alerts whenever reports are due,

so you have one less thing to try and remember.

The one-time fees for these services usually start around $50-$150 plus the state fees.

Last you can hire an attorney.

This is going to be the most personalized service, but also the costliest.

You will want to go this route if your assets are substantial or want to work one-on-one

with someone to form the corporation.

Expect to spend a minimum of $500-$1,000 for a simple corporation.

The last entity that we will talk about is the Limited Liability Company or LLC.

Just like the corporation, the LLC is a legal entity that is separate from its owners and

is a filing with the California Secretary of State's office.

LLCs can be owned by a single owner or multiple owners.

The LLC costs $80 to file the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State,

plus the $800 annual tax.

The LLC shares all of the pros of the corporation like being a separate legal entity, unlimited

life, and raising investment capital, but with the LLC, you don't have to hold meetings,

take minutes, and so on, making the LLC much easier to run than the corporation.

There is one potential downside to the LLC which is that every state has its own set

of LLC laws so if you have a California LLC physically doing business in another state,

the LLC may not be the best entity for your business.

The process of forming a LLC in California is similar to forming a corporation.

You can do it yourself by filing Articles of Organization or you can get guidance from

a professional to make sure it's done right.

Check StartingYourBusiness.com for more details and a list of formation companies.

There is a lot to think about before deciding on the right legal entity that best fits your

personal situation and business needs, so be sure to do some research before jumping

in.

At startingyourbusiness.com, we provide a free printable comparison guide with some

of the pros and cons of each entity to help you compare them all.

If you liked this video on the Types of Business Organization in California, be sure to watch

the others in the starting a business in California series.

Starting a business can be difficult, but you don't have to do it on your own.

The StartingYourBusiness.com site has lots of information to help get your business started

and we have experienced business advisors ready to answer your questions at no cost.

For more infomation >> Types of Business Organization in California - Starting a Business in California - Duration: 9:10.

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What Business Licenses are Needed in California - Starting a Business in California - Duration: 3:03.

Welcome to our video on What Business Licenses are Needed in California, presented by StartingYourBusiness.com.

This video is a part of a series of videos on starting a business in California.

Starting a business in California may require licenses or permits from a variety of several

city, county, state and federal agencies.

This video is a brief overview of the most common licenses, permits and registrations

a business may need, but may not be all of the ones needed for your business.

More detailed information and links to all of the agencies mentioned in the video are

on StartingYourBusiness.com.

The first registration you may need to get is the employer identification number, sometimes

known as an EIN with the Internal Revenue Service.

This is a unique identification number for a business, much like what a social security

number is for a person.

Businesses that are required to register include sole proprietorships with employees, partnerships,

corporations or LLCs.

If you are a sole proprietorship with no employees, you can simply use your social security number.

You can apply directly at irs.gov and there is no cost to get one.

This number takes about 5 minutes to get and we have a video on how to get one.

Next, there is no general state business license in California but, there are some industries

that are required to register.

A variety of businesses and professions in the state are regulated such as auto repair

shops, cosmetologists, pest control and many more.

Also at the state level, the California Department of Revenue requires businesses selling products

at retail to obtain a Seller's Permit.

Most services aren't taxable but some are.

For more information about what is taxable, visit our site.

Last, at the local level, some municipalities may require a business license or have requirements

for certain professions, zoning, construction, signage, liquor licenses, etc.

Make sure your business secures all licenses in advance of finalizing a location as some

will take some time to get approval.

Finding the correct person to talk with in your community may take a few calls, but just

start by contacting your town's mayor, city hall or economic developer and let them know

you plan on starting a business and need to know how to register.

Don't be worried in calling as they want to help bring in new businesses since businesses

bring jobs and tax revenue to the community.

For more information on how to get a business license for your business in California, check

out Startingyourbusiness.com.

If you liked this video on What Business Licenses are Needed in California, be sure to watch

the others in the starting a business in California series.

Starting a business can be difficult, but you don't have to do it on your own.

The StartingYourBusiness.com site has lots of information to help get your business started

and we have experienced business advisors ready to answer your questions at no cost.

For more infomation >> What Business Licenses are Needed in California - Starting a Business in California - Duration: 3:03.

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Liberal California Democrat Leader Drops Surprise Public Resignation — Leaves Jerry Brown Stunned - Duration: 3:35.

The epidemic of revelations of alleged sexual misconduct by celebrities and politicians

is incredibly disturbing.

And whenever the dust finally settles, it will be hard to find any real winners.

Those who were truly abused will find a sense of justice when appropriate penalties are

imposed against their abusers.

Yet, tragically, they were still abused.

There are other problems.

Given that such abuse seldom leaves physical evidence, there is the problem of determining

guilt.

People remain innocent until proven guilty.

It's getting that proof that is the problem.

Sometimes it exists and is credible.

Other times it is absent or has been discredited.

And anyone who would take advantage of a situation to make exaggerated or false accusations needs

to be dealt with harshly as well.

Into this mess has been thrust yet another politician.

Democratic assemblyman and majority whip in California, Raul Bocanegra, has resigned over

allegations of sexual harassment.

He has resigned his position as majority whip effective immediately, and announced his resignation

from the California assembly.

Not only that, he has suspended his reelection campaign and stated that he will not be a

candidate for office.

Sounds pretty serious.

And Jerry Brown can't afford to lose this liberal in the General Assembly!

"Assemblyman Raul Bocanegra, the Democratic majority whip in the state assembly, will

also not be campaigning for re-election in light of a Los Angeles Times report about

six women alleging the assemblyman sexually harassed them, the outlet reported Monday.

"The LA Times planned to publish the report soon and handed their findings Friday to Bocanegra

for a statement on the allegations.

The assemblyman said he was resigning and declining to run again in order to prevent

another "costly special election in Los Angeles.

"'It is because of my deep commitment to you, residents of the 39th Assembly District,

that I have made the decision to resign from the State Assembly, effective September 1,

2018, and immediately resign my leadership position,' he said in a statement.

'I am also suspending my campaign and will not run for re-election.'"

So far, Mr. Bocanegra has appeared to be cooperative and contrite.

"'I believe rather than adjudicate these allegations in media reports, there should

be a formal investigation into these matters,' he wrote.

'I am committed to full cooperation.'"

So he says, and perhaps it's true.

One must not attach any sense of political victory to such an event.

These accusations against politicians, if true, represent a blot against vital American

institutions.

No one is a winner.

And we have already had far too much politics injected into these cases.

Some of us recall Hillary Clinton's vicious attacks against the women who accused Bill

of sexual harassment and assault during his first campaign for president.

"Bimbo Eruptions," they were called.

Allegedly, she orchestrated a whole team who were prepared to spring into action as soon

as any such claims were made.

That she now speaks in behalf of those she previously attacked is sickening.

This is the sort of politics that should be avoided.

For one thing, the matter is too serious to be dealt with in such a way.

And again, there can be no real winners.