How To Incorporate and Start a Business in California (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Over 30 books covering individual states!

How to Incorporate and Start a Business in... covers every essential topic you need to understand to start a business right. Protect yourself and your business with expert knowledge provided in this book. The easy-to-follow steps and worksheets guide you through every aspect of incorporation and starting your own business. This book discusses in detail:

Selecting an operating entity-which one is best for you? Learn the pros and cons of each type:
Sole proprietorships
Partnership-general and limited
"S" corporations
Limited Liability Companies (LLCs)
Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs)

The five necessary steps to incorporation-five essential moves you must know and follow:
Choose a name: learn the legal ramifications of this simple step
Prepare the Articles of Incorporation
Write the bylaws
Hold the organizational meeting
Issue the stock

Raising Capital-Avoid costly mistakes and financing pitfalls that leave other business owners behind:
Identify potential investors
Sell stocks, notes, bonds, or convertibles
Borrow money from banks, credit unions, and venture capital firms

Dealing with the law-Legal issues always come up, so be prepared:
Learn how to arm yourself with knowledge
Handle disputes
Tips to keep you out of court

Preparing Contracts and Leases-Learn the tricks of the trade to save you time and money:
Identify the essential elements
Master unique aspects of your business
Negotiate a lease for maximum benefit, minimum risk

Understanding copyrights, trademarks, and patents-How does this apply to you?
Learn how to copyright material
Identify the key elements of a trademark
Navigate the patent process

Mastering your taxes-Save money by following advice outlined in this chapter:
Choose an accounting method
Keep accurate records
Learn what you can deduct, and what you can't

How to Incorporate and Start a Business in... will also each you how to hire the best employees, extend credit to your customer, acquire the proper insurance for your business, and maximize corporate and executive benefits.

Don't be left out in the cold! How to Incorporate and Start a Business in... How to Incorporate and Start a Business in... will guide you past common snares and pitfalls that hamper the efforts of many new business owners. This book contains dozens of profit strategies engineered to maximize your profit and prevent common mistakes. Plus, this book outlines specific laws and procedures you need to be aware of to do business in your state. It's specifically designed for you. How to Incorporate and Start a Business in... is easy to read, informative, and will save your business both time and money. Use its expert advice to get you started and keep you business on the path to success!

About the Author

J.W. Dicks, Esq. is an attorney and entrepreneur who owns several corporations. He advises small business owners on all aspects of running a company and conducts seminars on financial topics. Mr. Dicks is the author of several business books, including The Small Business Legal Kit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Adams Media Corporation; 1st edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558505865
• ISBN-13: 978-1558505865
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,289,088 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Covers a lot of information, but not very thoroughly, August 23, 1998

By A Customer

The table of contents lists an ambitious amount of material, but the coverage is very general and has no depth. After I read the chapter on incorporating, I didn't know any more than when I started, and my knowledge is very general. This is too light for a person seriously interested in starting a business.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Off To A Good Start..., September 8, 2002

By	William Hefner (EUREKA, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you are clueless as to how to start a corporation in the State of California, this book is a great place to begin.

A few things about the title of the book are slightly misleading, which I will get out of the way up-front. First of all, this book in no way encourages you to start a California corporation on your own. This is not a do-it-youself kit that walks you through the process of forming a corporation. Rather, it is largely aimed at helping you to decide what type of business entity is appropriate for your company, and how to get started. It gives comparisons between C-Corporations, S-Corprations, LLCs, sole-proprietorships, partnerships, etc. It comes to the author's slightly biased (but correct) conclusion that all but corporations are inappropriate for most business use.

Another problem with the title, but which is more of an oddity than a real issue, is that the cover and title refer to forming a corporation as "A Simple 9-Part Program". Once you get the actual book though, you will find that the cover and title vary slightly from what is advertised. It is actually "A Simple 6-Part Program"! I am not sure what happened to the 3 other "simple parts", but they somehow disapperared between the time I ordered the book, and the time I received it! Odd, but unimportant.

One other point, there is not a great deal of information in this book specific to the State of California. Most of it is more general in nature concerning corporations. Also, some of the info is slightly dated, as it was published in 1998. The reference section definitely could stand to be updated with website addresses, rather than just mailing addresses and phone numbers. The vast majority of general information still applies though, and has not changed since the time this book was initially written.

The author of this book is a lawyer, and urges you to go through one when starting your California Corporation. For anyone even considering doing something as foolish as filing to become a corporation on their own, this book will set them straight. The book does help you with may items that you would likely have to pay an attorney extra for though, such as providing templates for many forms, and answering many questions that would cost you big bucks to get your attorney to answer. All in all, it is an excellent value, and will save you quite a bit of time and effort when it comes to finding answers to simple questions as to how to get started. Although you will not really be able to run a corporation after reading this book, at least you know exactly what you are up against, and where to get started. The author's writing style is excellent, and the book was enjoyable enough to read, for such a relatively dull subject.