Recommended Reading:

• How to start a home based business series by Globe Pequot Press

• How to write a business plan by Mike McKeever

• Small time operator: how to start your own business, keep your books, pay your taxes and stay out of trouble!  by Bernard B. Kamoroff

• Anatomy of a business plan: the step-by-step guide to building your business and securing your company's future by Linda Pinson

• Legal forms for starting & running a small business by Fred Steingold

• The small business start-up kit for California by Peri H. Pakroo

• Tax savvy for small business by Frederick W. Daily

• California manufacturers register
  

• Legal Guide for Starting & Running a Small Business bu Fred Steingold

• Greening your small business : how to improve your bottom line, grow your brand, satisfy your customers--and save the planet by Jennifer Kaplan

• Small Business Sourcebook
  

Online Resources:

• Business Owner's Toolkit Provides small business owners with a portfolio of information, services, news, forms, sample contracts, checklists and software tools.

• Small Business Planner A product of the U.S. Small Business Administration.

• Small Business Assistance Center Information on starting, running, and closing your business; brought to you by the California Tax Service Center.

• Business.Gov Resources for self-employed and home based businesses.

• BPlans.com Free sample business and marketing plans, articles, and an "Ask an Expert" section.

• Nolo Press  Free legal advice for small businesses. Click the "Business, LLCs and Corporations" link on the menu under Free Legal Information for resources on small business, employment law, and independent contractors.

• Governer's Office of Economic Development Information about starting a business in California.

• CalGold assistance with finding the appropriate permitting information for your business.

• Entrepreneur Read features and columns from Entrepreneur magazine, sign up for newsletters or join the social networking site Entrepreneur Connect. 

• Business Owners Idea Cafe This lively and comprehensive site presents short articles on all aspects of small business or entrepreneurial life. 

• U.S. Census Bureau Provides pertinent demographic and economic data for starting your business.
  

Recommended Reading:

• Finding Money for Your Small Business by Solie-Johnson, Kris

• SBA loans: a step-by-step guide by Patrick D. O'Hara

• Free help  from Uncle Sam to start your own business (or expand the one you have) by William Alarid

• Deduct it!: lower your small business taxes by Stephen Fishman

• Free money and help for women entrepreneurs by Matthew Lesko and Mary Ann Martello

• Financing Your Small Business by James Burk

• Small Business Financial Management Kit for Dummies by Tage Tracy

Online Resources:

• CDFI Fund Community Development Financial Institutions (“CDFI”) provide micro-loans to businesses who often do not qualify for bank loans as well as one-on-one counseling and business development assistance to facilitate credit-readiness.

• Survey of Current Business The monthly Survey of Current Business is Bureau of Economic Analysis' definitive source of information about its economic accounts.

• Setting up a business in California: A guide for investors