Buying or selling a California small business is one of the biggest transactions of your professional life, and most owners enter it with a broker-provided template and no legal review. This checklist covers everything from asset sale structure and due diligence to non-compete limits, lease assignment traps, and the closing documents brokers routinely leave out.

Before signing a commercial lease in San Diego, business owners should understand the clauses that can create massive financial exposure later. This guide breaks down 12 high-risk lease provisions — from personal guarantees and CAM charges to relocation clauses and holdover rent — and explains what to negotiate before you sign.

Here is what AB 5 enforcement actually looks like in practice. A California business owner receives an EDD audit notice.

Think Filing a $70 Form Makes You Protected? Not So Fast.

You can form a California LLC online in under an hour. But a quick filing and a real business structure are two very different things — and confusing the two is one of the most common (and costly) mistakes California founders make.

The truth is, the $70 Articles of Organization just gets your name on a list. What actually protects your personal assets, keeps you compliant with the state, and holds up when a bank, landlord, or court scrutinizes your business? That requires a few more steps most online formation guides conveniently leave out.

From choosing the right management structure to avoiding the $800 franchise tax surprise, to understanding why your Delaware “workaround” probably isn’t saving you anything — this guide walks you through the real process of forming a California LLC in 2026, written by a business attorney who sees the gaps every day.

Whether you’re a San Diego founder forming your first company or a consultant finally formalizing operations, here’s what you actually need to know before you file.