Small Business Start-up Kit for California 
If you dream of starting a business, but fear that without an MBA you'll get lost in the maze of government red tape, here's the handbook you need.
The Small Business Start-Up Kit for California outlines how to set up your enterprise in the Golden State quickly and easily, pointing out the hurdles, fees and forms along the way. Clear and straight to the point, the book explains how to:
*choose the best business structure *write an effective business plan *file the right forms in the right place *price, bid and bill your projects *draft and use contracts, online and off *manage your finances *be prepared for, and file, required taxes *reach customers online *and much more
The 6th edition is completely updated, and includes new chapters on e-business and doing business from home. It also covers the latest California-specific business information, including sales tax rates by county, registration forms and fees. Updated forms and business-planning spreadsheets are included on CD-ROM.
Reviews
Thank you for such a easy to read and understand book!
The only area that I felt it could have explained things more thoroughly was that while it explained how to issue initial shares, it didn't explain at all how to issue any subsequent shares (e.g., in case your corporation was about to run out of money and you (the owner) wanted to buy more shares to inject more capital). It just said to consult a lawyer. So I had to inject more capital via a loan instead. If it's that complicated, then perhaps the author should warn people to slightly overcapitalize the corporation initially.
It also has a wealth of information on running a business, including information on accounting, taxation, and employees. It's well organized and easy to read.
The only gaps are in some of the details on forming LLCs and corporations. The reader is referred to other Nolo books for the gritty details. If you're forming a partnership or sole proprietorship -- probably the most common types for "cottage industry" -- the book is reasonably complete.
She includes URLs to web sites with information - and even tells you what other books to get on a subject she doesn't cover too in-depth. And all the information you need is easy to find.
5 stars!