Legal Question in Business Law in California

Re: Small internet business startup plan

You don't have to "form" a sole proprietorship. Among the reasons you might want to select a more protected form of business now is, you might do something that would render you personally liable even though you don't have income yet. I urge you to sit down with a lawyer there in Sunnyvale and discuss your concerns.

Re: Small internet business startup plan

When you speak of "forming" a sole proprietorship, I assume you mean getting a city business license for it, and perhaps registering a fictitious business name with the county. Otherwise, proprietorships aren't "formed;" they simply come into being.

My guess is that an activity that doesn't have revenues would not be considered a business by the City of Sunnyvale, but business-license theories and practices may vary from city to city, so the best advice is to go to City Hall and ask a supervisor at the license bureau.

The FBN registration should be done before you start using the name in dealing with the public.