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Treating your business like a business
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AP Photo: Rich Pedroncelli
If you want your publishing business to be taken seriously and treated like a legitimate business, you should take the proper steps to run a business equipped with any and all required licensing. Some, but not all, of the business licenses which may be required to run a publishing business out of your home would include fictitious business name, business license and seller’s permit. As this article is addressed to Los Angeles County residents, I will be speaking specifically about LA County. Los Angeles County of California has a very extensive website which is very easily navigated to find just about anything you are searching for in the way of licensing and requirements. Links to LA County’s website will be included at the close of the article to help you along with this process.
Fictitious Business Name or FBN is the step a person goes through to secure the legal rights to their business name. If your name is John Smith and you would like to call your publishing company Rocket Publishing, you first want to make sure that no one else has a business by which they own the legal rights to that name. If it is available, you want to secure the rights so that years from now, once your business is booming, someone does not come along and start calling their business Rocket Publishing. Los Angeles County has made it very easy for you to accomplish both of these steps.
A Fictitious Business License will also be necessary for setting up business and banking accounts in connection with your business. This step should be taken before securing a business license, if needed, and a seller’s permit. You will want your business license and seller’s permit to be listed under your business name.
Los Angeles County’s website has a list of business activities for which a business license is required. Publishing is not on that list. However, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. As I am not an attorney, I recommend that you call the licensing department and ask if your business will require you to have a license. Make a note of who you spoke with, and the date and time of the conversation. Always document business phone calls with this information.
According to LA County’s website, pamphlet BOE-400-SPA Rev 1 (7-05),
You are generally required to obtain a California seller’s permit if you sell or lease merchandise, vehicles, or other tangible personal property in California. A seller’s permit allows you to sell items at the wholesale or retail level. If your sales are ongoing, you should apply for a "Regular" permit. If your sales are of a temporary nature (90 days or less), apply for a "Temporary" permit. You cannot legally sell taxable items in California until you have been issued a seller’s permit.” The application is available on-line where you click and fill in the required information. A copy cannot be saved to your computer so be sure to print an extra copy for yourself to keep. Then, just return the application to the office closest to you. You are encouraged to call the office you wish to visit to verify their business hours.
Taking the proper steps to set up your business will go a long way toward saving yourself stress and headaches later. As I mentioned before, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
For more information:
LA County Fictitious Business Name Search
LA County Fictitious Business Name Licensing
LA County list of businesses which require a business license
Board of Equalization Seller's Permit Application
E-mail: valcinebrown@yahoo.com
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