Small Business Resources

Whether you’re starting from scratch or growing your small business, there are a lot of people willing to help.

Local Resources

• Be sure to check out Rocklin’s Business License Page and Home Business Permit page.
• Get your Fictitious Business Name with Placer County and explore their Office of Economic Development website.
• Sierra College provides credit classes, as well as Community Education classes for small business, along with resources to hire employees and interns for your business.
• The Rocklin Chamber of Commerce can help you find customers and network with other businesses.

Regional Resources

• The Greater Sacramento Area Economic Council is the catalyst for innovative growth strategies in the Capital Region of California. The organization spearheads community-led direction to retain, attract, grow, and scale new businesses, develop advanced industries, and create jobs and investment throughout a six-county region.
• SBA Sacramento Area Women’s Business Center.  California Capital was established as an SBA Women’s Center in October 2012.  We are committed to helping entrepreneurs start and grow their businesses through educational workshops, one-on-one assistance, online learning, and connection with local resources.
• SBDC Northeastern California Network is a collaboration between the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce and the Sacramento State College of Business Administration intended to assist small businesses and entrepreneurs, connect them with access to capital and core business consulting services.
• SCORE Sacramento is the regional branch of SCORE (mentioned above) providing consulting and seminars for new businesses and small business owners take their existing business to the next level – all for free!
• SBA Sacramento District Office covers the 21 North Eastern counties of California. The District serves close to 3.9 million people and has over 200,300 small businesses. Phone: 916-735-1700

Nonprofit Organizations

• SCORE, “Counselors to America’s Small Business.” provides this Small Business Bookkeeping Basics but they also provide free counseling and seminars for small businesses by highly qualified and experienced business executives.

California State Government Resources

• The California Secretary of State’s office provides all the information you need to incorporate in California, along with regulatory links, tax information and more.
• California Department of Tax and Fee Administration has specific information regarding programs they administer, how to register for permits and licenses, and how to file and report correctly.
• The CalGold website is a comprehensive website that assists business owners in finding the appropriate permit information for their business. It also provides contact information for the various agencies that administer and issue permits, including those for cities, counties, and various other departments.

U.S. Federal Government Resources

• Business USA guide to starting a business is provided by the U.S. Federal Government. It starts with a questionnaire and ends with a list of educational resources and government programs you need to know to manage your business and stay in compliance.
• The Small Business Administration (SBA) Guide on Registering a Business by State will help you find state level business authorities for all states.
• The SBA Blog on Starting and Running a Business keeps you up-to-date on new resources, programs and laws that might effect your business.
• Small Business Taxation Forms and Publications on the IRS website will get you started with your federal taxes.