Now It's Official

After months of planning and business conceptualization, SOLANO 888 PRODUCTIONS Event Design & Coordination is now finally OFFICIAL! Yes, official as in recorded and filed at the Los Angeles County office as a partnership business as of today (March 24, 2010). I am very happy to have my hubby (Dennis Solano) as my business partner. :)

I can't believe that this is actually happening. My dream is now turning into a reality... It all started as a part-time gig for almost 2 years here in Los Angeles, CA. Thanks to my old job at Splendido Taal Golf Club in Tagaytay (Philippines) as Marketing Supervisor for giving me great wedding and event inspirations since 2006. Who would have taught that I'd end up doing weddings as a career??

I have learned a lot of technical and legal stuff today about putting up a new business in LA. First is the difference between a County and a City Hall.

If you’re residing in the City of Los Angeles and basically starting from scratch, you have to go to the LA County located at 12400 Imperial Hwy, 2^nd Floor, Norwalk, CA 90650 to file for your fictitious business name. I suggest that you download and fill-up this form online: http://www.lavote.net/GENERAL/PDFS/FICTITIOUS_BUSINESS_NAME.pdf before proceeding to the office to save time. The form will cost you $23 for one name and $4 for every additional name/ business partner. After filing for your business name, you will be advised to have your business statement published on local newspaper within 30 days for general circulation, that is four (4) times or once a week. Publishing fee would normally cost $80- $100 for 4 circulations. After completion, an affidavit showing the publication of the statement shall be filed with the county clerk within 30 days. The clerk would hand-out a list of publishers for you to choose from. Just beware of solicitors in the area because they are not County employees.

Next step is the business license. This one is filed at the Los Angeles City Hall located at 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Make sure that you bring your certified Fictitious Business Name Statement. Business license fee ranges from $150- $200 depending on the type of business. In my case, I hired someone to process it for me for an additional $25 on top of the license fee of $195 since I didn’t have much time to go back and forth, the County and the City Hall.

Upon receiving your DBA (Doing Business As) a.k.a. Fictitious Business Name statement from the County clerk, you will be eligible to any bank of your choice to open your business bank account. I’m still figuring out which bank has the best benefits and interests. But I would suggest that you go for Citibank, Bank of America or Wells Fargo. But before heading to the bank, you may need to apply first for your EIN (Employer Identification Number) online: http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98350,00.html. Make sure that you print out the confirmation letter and bring it with you to the bank together with the other documents.

Once you have completed all the necessary paper and documentation, you’re all set to go and operate. I was actually advised that I can officially start doing business today since I have the certified copy of my DBA already. Now this is a CELEBRATION! Cheers!!

In a nutshell, this is history for Solano 888 Productions. March 24, 2010 -- the official birth date that will be celebrated in centuries. This is a start of a legacy that will be passed on to our future kids, grand kids and the entire SOLANO clan. To this day, I say, "Solano 888 Productions will be BIG & GREAT someday".

- Jonah Solano

Owner, Solano 888 Productions