Template: business setup checklist, from pass letter to first invoice
In one paragraph
One page, in the order the dependencies run: entity, name, CSLB issuance package, tax registrations, bank and books, insurance, city, first-job readiness. Each line carries the deadline that governs it and the lesson that explains it. Print it, tape it above the desk, and cross off in ink. The worked example beside it is a sole owner in Los Angeles going from pass letter to first invoice in five weeks.
The rule
The deadlines on this checklist are the statutory ones: 90 days from the CSLB notice for the fee, bond and workers' compensation document (B&P 7074); 40 days from first use for a fictitious business name statement (B&P 17910); 90 days from the articles for a corporation's or LLC's first Statement of Information (Corp. Code 1502, 17702.09); the 15th day of the 4th month for an LLC's first $800 (FTB); a timely business tax renewal to keep the Los Angeles small business exemption (Office of Finance).
Why it matters
The order matters as much as the items. The bond is bought in the entity's name, the EIN needs the entity's formation date, the bank needs the EIN and the DBA filing, the insurer needs the bank account, and the customer needs the certificate of insurance. Do them out of order and each one waits on the one you skipped.