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.
Rating: 4 / 5

I am a SCORE counselor (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) who typically does face-to-face counseling sessions three nights a month. It would really be neat if my clients would read this book BEFORE they came to their session with me because they would pretty much be “educated customers” ready to ask educated questions. Our sessions would be so much more beneficial.

My favorite chapters were:

1. Initial business concerns

2. Your business’ structure

3. Business start-up details

5. Sources of business assistance (SCORE is mentioned here)

7. Your smart business plan (and a good sample plan is included)

8. Obtaining the financing you need

The book is weak when it comes to how the Internet can be used in corresponding, hiring, and marketing. But this is just one example of how googling keywords and concepts found in the book will make the book more complete. Don’t treat the book as authoritative on the law. It isn’t. Nor was it ever intended to be. It is light on tax information as it relates to small business.

I was particularly impressed with the material presented in Chapter 2: Choice of Legal Entity. That subject is sorely ignored in most small business books, and it is critically important. It is a subject I regularly must spend a great deal of time discussing at my SCORE sessions. This book does a pretty good job on the topic.

Chapters 4 and 9 through 12 are easy to find fault with. The topic of each could fill a book. But having these topics covered definitely will help a budding entrepreneur know some of the issues they raise.

I would have liked the book more if Chapter 6 (marketing) had been less superficial. When I read it I got the impression that the author was more a public relations expert than a marketing expert. I generally categorize public relations as a subset of marketing. Marketing includes advertising, public relations, and a whole host of other promotion techniques. I did not get this message when I read the book. I also would have liked the book better if the Internet, email, and Web sites had been discussed more. But there are many books on those subjects. Therefore, I can’t complain too much about the limited discussion of computers.

When you read this book it may feel a little like it was produced on an assembly line. Maybe it was? There are 50 versions of this book sold; the only state I haven’t found a copy for is Montana. Content is king, and this book has it. 5 stars!
Rating: 5 / 5

I am a SCORE counselor (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) who typically does face-to-face counseling sessions three nights a month. It would really be neat if my clients would read this book BEFORE they came to their session with me because they would pretty much be “educated customers” ready to ask educated questions. Our sessions would be so much more beneficial.

My favorite chapters were:

1. Initial business concerns

2. Your business’ structure

3. Business start-up details

5. Sources of business assistance (SCORE is mentioned here)

7. Your smart business plan (and a good sample plan is included)

8. Obtaining the financing you need

The book is weak when it comes to how the Internet can be used in corresponding, hiring, and marketing. But this is just one example of how googling keywords and concepts found in the book will make the book more complete. Don’t treat the book as authoritative on the law. It isn’t. Nor was it ever intended to be. It is light on tax information as it relates to small business.

I was particularly impressed with the material presented in Chapter 2: Choice of Legal Entity. That subject is sorely ignored in most small business books, and it is critically important. It is a subject I regularly must spend a great deal of time discussing at my SCORE sessions. This book does a pretty good job on the topic.

Chapters 4 and 9 through 12 are easy to find fault with. The topic of each could fill a book. But having these topics covered definitely will help a budding entrepreneur know some of the issues they raise.

I would have liked the book more if Chapter 6 (marketing) had been less superficial. When I read it I got the impression that the author was more a public relations expert than a marketing expert. I generally categorize public relations as a subset of marketing. Marketing includes advertising, public relations, and a whole host of other promotion techniques. I did not get this message when I read the book. I also would have liked the book better if the Internet, email, and Web sites had been discussed more. But there are many books on those subjects. Therefore, I can’t complain too much about the limited discussion of computers.

When you read this book it may feel a little like it was produced on an assembly line. Maybe it was? There are 51 versions of this book sold; one for each state and the District of Columbia. Content is king, and this book has it. 5 stars!
Rating: 5 / 5

If you are contemplating starting a business/corporation in Nevada you will not go wrong by reading this book. It’s a winner.

The Small Business Legal Kit is a great companion to this book and should be in your financial library as well.
Rating: 5 / 5

There is a wealth of information in this and others in the “How To” series and ideal for anyone who wants facts and useful information.
Rating: 5 / 5

I am a SCORE counselor (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) who typically does face-to-face counseling sessions three nights a month. It would really be neat if my clients would read this book BEFORE they came to their session with me because they would pretty much be “educated customers” ready to ask educated questions. Our sessions would be so much more beneficial.

My favorite chapters were:

1. Initial business concerns

2. Your business’ structure

3. Business start-up details

5. Sources of business assistance (SCORE is mentioned here)

7. Your smart business plan (and a good sample plan is included)

8. Obtaining the financing you need

The book is weak when it comes to how the Internet can be used in corresponding, hiring, and marketing. But this is just one example of how googling keywords and concepts found in the book will make the book more complete. Don’t treat the book as authoritative on the law. It isn’t. Nor was it ever intended to be. It is light on tax information as it relates to small business.

I was particularly impressed with the material presented in Chapter 2: Choice of Legal Entity. That subject is sorely ignored in most small business books, and it is critically important. It is a subject I regularly must spend a great deal of time discussing at my SCORE sessions. This book does a pretty good job on the topic.

Chapters 4 and 9 through 12 are easy to find fault with. The topic of each could fill a book. But having these topics covered definitely will help a budding entrepreneur know some of the issues they raise.

I would have liked the book more if Chapter 6 (marketing) had been less superficial. When I read it I got the impression that the author was more a public relations expert than a marketing expert. I generally categorize public relations as a subset of marketing. Marketing includes advertising, public relations, and a whole host of other promotion techniques. I did not get this message when I read the book. I also would have liked the book better if the Internet, email, and Web sites had been discussed more. But there are many books on those subjects. Therefore, I can’t complain too much about the limited discussion of computers.

When you read this book it may feel a little like it was produced on an assembly line. Maybe it was? There are 50 versions of this book sold; the only state I haven’t found a copy for is Montana. Content is king, and this book has it. 5 stars!
Rating: 5 / 5