Forming a Foreign Corporation in California

If you own a small business that's booming elsewhere in the United States, you might be eager get an advantage to expand your business at a place where a small business expands real fast. The choice could be California. However, to form a corporation in California, you must be well aware of the filing rules lest the welcoming neighborhood imposes swift penalties for failing to comply with the rules of registering your California foreign corporation.

A foreign corporation in California thus requires filing for a corporation that's registered in any other state or domestic state and is considered to do business in California. It is important to seek assistance and advice from an attorney or appoint a California resident agent to do the filing formalities.

What will you need to receive a California Foreign Corporation?

There are many documents that you have to submit with the state in order to qualify yourself as a foreign corporation in California.

Designation and Statement

As you are ready to register your corporation in California, you will have to draft a document that's similar to the usual Articles of Incorporation that you used to domesticate your corporation in your home state. This document is called the Designation and Statement by Foreign Corporation. The document is basically in the form format which asks you about information regarding your existing business and the new business to start a California corporation.

The foreign form includes the following information:

The name of your corporation as legally mentioned in the articles of incorporation in the domestic state.

The name of the jurisdiction under which your business was initially formed i.e. your domestic state.

The principle executive address of your company office within the domestic state.

The office address in California (optional).

The physical home address of your California resident agent.

Signature of corporate officer.

Good Standing Certificate

It's sometimes also called as the Certificate of Fact or Existence, the Certificate is a document that is issued from the domestic state and shows that your corporation is an active corporation in the domestic state and is in "good standing".

The Filing fee

The registration fee for a foreign corporation in California is $100 where expedited filing options are also available. You can find all filing fees listed in the fee schedule on the Secretary of the State website.

Statement of Information

Not required to be delivered with the registration documents, your statement of information can be submitted within a month of filing. However, many corporations choose to submit the statement with the registration paperwork. The filing process is repeated on an annual basis with the Secretary of the State to keep the information update for your business activities in California.

Is National Electrical Code Compliance Required for LED Signs?

  The National Electrical Code is a vital document with specific regulations on installing and operating many types of lighting, including outdoor LED signs. The guidelines are important for both sign dealers and business owners, as following the standards helps result in a correctly wired and installed LED sign that poses no risk to the property or the public. Learn more about how the National Electrical Code can affect your outdoor LED sign investment.

What Is the National Electrical Code?

The National Electric Code (NEC) is a standard set of procedures governing the safe installation and operation of electrical systems. It is an aspect of the code mandated by the National Fire Protection Association. It is not federal law, but it is used as the governing standard by which most local municipalities align their specific electrical code, though alterations may be made. The NEC is amended and updated once every three years, and most local codes also update their protocols to match.

Why Is NEC Certification Necessary?

If the NEC is not a federal law, why bother complying with the standards? First of all, even though the NEC is not mandated at a federal level, local towns have strict laws governing the installation of electrical systems in all forms and impose heavy fines if an inspection uncovers noncompliance. The business owner will be required to remove the existing wiring and start over.

Second, the NEC is the standardized national way of absolving manufacturers and business owners of liability in case of an electrical fire or malfunction. If an improperly installed electrical system causes damage, injury or death, the contractor or business owner will be held responsible. By holding all work to the NEC standard, this makes liability an impossibility.

Choosing a Sign Manufacturer and Installer

It is important for business owners looking for LED sign vendors to ask specific questions about the installation process, but also about the actual product offered before signing a contract with an LED sign company. One of the standards set forth in the NEC requires all LED sign parts to pass certification from a qualified electrical testing laboratory. The LED sign company should also focus strongly on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's rules for electrical worker safety on the job site. If the company cannot verify the products offered meet the NEC's requirements and does not put worker safety first, move on to a different vendor.

Sign Guidelines Required for Certification

Specifically, Article 600 of the NEC discusses many types of electrical signs, including LED products. The components must be clearly labeled so service and repair workers can view the manufacturer name and trademark. All signs must be placed at least 14 feet above vehicles, and overhead conductors must be placed at least 18 feet above traffic. Many additional rules govern branch circuits, disconnects, grounding requirements, secondary circuit conductors and more. Any inspections carried out during or after LED sign installation will closely examine the compliance with current NEC standards as well as local code.

Efficient Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses

With the introduction of the internet, small businesses are having to put effective marketing strategies in place to help them compete with large corporations on a global scale. Up until a few years ago, companies were all on an even playing field, marketing to local customers in their area. With the internet, it has opened up the trading platform with companies now competing globally and rather than competing against a handful of companies, they are now one of thousands all trying to get their customer's attention.

For small businesses who don't have the resources, hiring an army of in-house marketing agents isn't practical, which is why it's important to find a suitable agency with years of knowledge and experience to help you put an effective marketing strategy in place that can help you grow your business and compete on a global scale against the giants in your industry.

There are some effective marketing strategies that will prove useful in your campaign, helping you reach your target audience, increase your brand visibility and improve your revenue moving forward.

The first is online videos. The demand for online videos is increasing and you find that the younger generation are more likely to watch a video about something they want to know about than read an article or a blog. This means that you need to ensure that your video is out there with all the others for your potential customers to take advantage of. Make use of a professional company who can assist you with your marketing strategy, ensuring that you utilize social media optimization in your online videos to help you enjoy a good ranking when a customer searches for a product or service that you provide.

The second effective marketing strategy that you must take into consideration is to have a website. Don't fall into the trap of using a free website that isn't going to provide you with a professional image. Developing your website should take careful consideration from your customers to the products you supply. It should be easy to navigate, informative and the pages should be fast loading. A website should also be brimming with links, ensuring your customers can get from one page to the next with ease.

Start a blog. Many companies don't realize how a blog can be an effective marketing strategy. A blog enables you to share valuable information with your customers and direct them back to your website to find out more. You can write about trends in your industry, new products in your range or even the services you provide. The aim is to get as many readers on your blog as possible, always linking back to your site. Blogs can become an effective part of your marketing strategy in terms of SEO, search engine optimization, helping you move up the ranks in search results to that front page spot.

Consider local networking groups. In some area networking groups get together every month or every couple of weeks. It's an opportunity to promote your business to other companies in the area and generate some business. You want them to know and remember your name. When they are speaking to someone, you want them to share your information with that person, referring them to you. Networking businesses can be highly effective and you can do this at regular meetings in your local area or you can take advantage of social sites such as LinkedIn, which is networking online.

The final thing you should do when putting an effective marketing strategy together is to take advantage of social media. Almost every person in the world will have a social media account. This lets you interact with your customers daily and promote your brand at all times.

Lessons From The Front Lines: Product Management At Startups

It's an ugly secret of the universe, but as important as we product managers think that we are, most firms don't realize that they need us until they are already up and running. What this means is that as a product manager, if you are joining a startup you're going to be joining a company that has already left the starting line in most cases. I get emails from product managers all the time telling me that they've just joined a startup and they'd like to know what they should do first: work on the product development definition, requirements, roadmap, marketing material, etc.?

My recommendation to them is always the same: stop! Look, the company didn't have a product management position until they hired you. What this means is that things finally got bad enough that they decided that they needed to have someone step in to fix things. As their new product manager, you need to initially focused on solving those problems that have caused them to decide to hire you. More often than not what has happened is that things have gotten out of control: nobody knows what is in the product now, nobody knows what new features are coming or when they will be available, etc.

As the company's new product manager you are going to have to move very carefully. Everyone else is used to doing things their way. You are a new factor. They'll probably initially treat you with respect. However, they are all asking themselves the question "what can you do for me?" This means that you need to identify the problems that development, sales, support are having right now and create solutions for them. By doing this you'll make their lives better and you will have shown your value right off the bat. Both of which are good things to add to your product manager resume.

It's All About Relationships

In a big company, you get things done by knowing who to call. In a startup, you get things done by actually doing them. Yes, having the right set of relationships is important in a big company, but it's even more important in a startup. In a big company if you have a disagreement with someone, then there is always someone else that you can deal with to get what you need. However, that's not the case in a startup. Everyone is important simply because there are so few of them. This means that you're going to have to take the time to build high quality relationships with everyone.

More often than not, the first set of relationships that you'll be faced with building will be with the company's product development team. This can be a tough challenge. The development team feels that they are the ones who are responsible for getting the company to where it currently is. They've decided what functions went into the product and what they looked like. Now you are showing up and telling them that you'll be taking these tasks over. You're going to have to sell it to them as freeing them up to do more of what they do best: develop a great product. Also, you'll take responsibility for any bad guesses.

The other team that will be important for you to connect with will be the sales team. Generally at a startup, the sales team will be fairly small and they will have all come from other businesses. More often than not I've discovered that they all have a relationship with each other - they've worked together somewhere else. When you show up, you'll be crashing their party - they've created their own ways of describing the product and they were probably the ones who created the product pricing. You're going to have to convince them that having you onboard is going to allow them to sell more. Stress that you'll be telling them about new features (that are real, not imaginary) early on in the game and that you'll help them create responses to customer requests for proposal. Show your value and you'll be accepted by the startup's sales team.

What All Of This Means For You

All companies are not created the same. Large companies offer a secure paycheck, job stability, and a chance to advance your career. Startups offer you a high energy work environment, few rules, and the ever present risk of complete failure. If you find yourself as a product manager for a startup, you are going to have to be aware of what you'll have to do in order to be successful - even if it was now covered in the product manager job description.

Knowing what to do right off the bat is one of the most important things that a product manager who is working at a startup needs to know. The good news is that the company ran into a problem that they hired you to solve. What this means is that this problem is exactly what you need to tackle first - don't worry about roadmaps, release schedules, etc. As you solve problems, it's going to be very important that you build relationships with the people who matter. Two groups that will be critical to your success include development and sales. Take the time to build the relationships with them that will serve you well over time.

I've worked for both large, established firms and startups. I like working at startups better even though there is so much risk involved. I feel as though the startup really needs me, my actions have a very clear impact on what and how the company conducts business. However, at a startup the rules for what a product manager needs to do are different. Make sure that you know what you need to be dong and who you need to be working with and everything will turn out to be a success!

Your Happiness Is Your Responsibility

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to... " Remember that song? I sang it often on August 16, my birthday, because actually there was no party. For many years, I would sit back and wait for someone to throw a party for me to celebrate my birthday. That led to many years of disappointment because... not much would happen.

I love birthdays. I love celebrating. And I love it when I can create a special celebration for others. For all the years that I spent sitting back and waiting, bitterness and disappointment would build. Then I came to the realization that if I wanted a special celebration on my birthday, then I would need to plan for it.

And, now, so it is! I do make plans for my birthday and I make sure it is a GREAT day - because that's what makes me happy. I know I'm not the only one who sits back and waits for others to create happiness in their lives. How's that working for you? Didn't work very well for me - and so I changed things.

Here are some of the steps I take now to ensure that my birthday, and any other holiday, turns out exactly the way I would like it to be - so that I am creating the experience and the memories that I want... after all, it's my life.

MARK IT ON THE CALENDAR.
Every fall, I buy a big wall calendar for my office and the first thing I do is mark off my birthday - it's like a national holiday. I never work on my birthday. It's sacred.

START THE PLANNING PROCESS.
Then I start to think about what I want it to look like and feel like on my birthday. What exactly do I want to do? Where do I want to go? Who do I want with me? I take full charge. (I've already started the planning for next year for when I turn 65! It's never too early, LOL!)

TAKE PICTURES.
I love taking photos - I love sharing photos - and I love re-visiting the photos for many weeks and months following my birthday and/or any special occasion. Capture the moments. Then be sure to document them in your Gratitude Journal.

SO WHAT DOES ANY OF THIS HAVE TO DO WITH BUSINESS?

Once I took responsibility for my personal happiness, it just made sense to review other parts of my life, which included the financial aspect. It all goes together. Many of you, as entrepreneurs, are not taking personal responsibility for the finances of your business - you rely on your partner's pay cheque, on your saving account, on your retirement funds or on borrowed funds from other sources.

How to Make Your Business or Organization More Mobile

To be truly mobile in 2015 entails much more than having a responsive Web design that smartphone and tablet users can access on their devices. A responsive, mobile website is just the foundation on which you have to build your mobile marketing campaign, which can include anything from mobile apps to social media mobile ads to personalized and exclusive mobile content and offers. Being mobile this year isn't easy, but 91% of smartphone owners have their device in arms' reach twenty-four hours a day, seven hours a week, which means that if you have an online presence, whether you are a business or an organization, you simply cannot afford not to be mobile. You just can't.

As mobile adoption continues to increase all over the world, there are many things your business or organization can do to become more mobile, more accessible, and at the same time more appealing for mobile users. Here are some ideas to inspire you to become more mobile and stay ahead of your competitors.

Be ready to deal with your customers 24/7

Mobile technology now makes it easier than ever for customers to reach you - your website, your contact form and your social profiles are just a few taps away. This creates a situation in which many of the emails, messages, complaints, customer support questions, calls, and orders you get may come after your closing hours. You can of course ignore them until the next day, but being a truly mobile-friendly business means being able to deal with these as soon as possible. If you have the resources necessary to monitor and to reply to customer feedback even after normal business hours, use them - it will make you stand out from your competitors.

Take advantage of new customer habits

Mobile devices have changed the way most of us search for places where we can eat or hang out, the way we take photos, and even the way in which we interact with our friends on social networks. Just think of how many of us search for bars or restaurants ad hoc based on our current location, how we take selfies all the time, or how often we check our Facebook or Twitter push notifications and react to them as soon as they come.

All of these new habits offer new possibilities for marketers. You can organize photo-based contests in which you ask customers to take a selfie while using your product, you can organize social media quizzes with prizes, you can make sure you're on Google Maps and people who otherwise would have never visited your store may discover it and become your customers. It's crucial to figure out what are the dominant habits among your customers, and tailor your market strategy accordingly.

Provide a Unified App Experience

There is a growing trend across the mobile market for brands to combine multiple apps that serve different purposes into one full-feature app that provides a unified app experience, saving customers the trouble of having to download and use multiple apps from the same brand. Furthermore, more and more brands are striving to ensure that their apps provide the same functionality across different platforms and that they don't miss any features or suffer from any technical issues. Traditionally, iOS apps have been more developed, offering more features and a better overall performance, but now Android apps are catching up both in terms of features and of performance. If your business has more than one mobile app, do consider merging them together. The simpler the app experience is for customers, the better.

Take Into Account Wearable Technology

Smartwatches and other wrist-worn devices, such as fitness trackers, are one of the hottest new technologies, with exciting new products being launched this year by major brands, including the newly-released Apple Watch and the fitness tracker Microsoft Band. Many smartwatches come with WiFi or other connectivity capabilities and can easily connect to smartphones or tablets to enable convenient calling and texting capabilities. In other words, it will be possible for marketers to reach mobile consumers not only through smartphones and tablets, but also through smartwatches. Although the smartwatch platform is not yet 100% ready for marketers, you can still make sure you reach smart watch users by developing smartwatch applications, launching a smartwatch-friendly mobile site, using push notifications, and tapping into connected devices such as smartphones.

The Bottom Line

Becoming more mobile requires analysis, planning, and often an investment of both time and money. It's not easy. But if you manage to provide a wonderful experience for your mobile users, you will tap into an exciting market full of opportunities, and of potential customers. Okay, it's time for you to go get 'mobilized'.