Yelp Cliff Notes: We underwent a large multi family…read morerenovation and worked with dozens of contractors- David was worth every penny. Yelp Unabridged Version: The permitting process is a nightmare- from identifying which permits you need to solicit, the unabashedly long lead times, to the lack of instruction- it's nearly impossible to start construction in a reasonable time. David was one of the best contractors we worked with. Our construction vendors were in shock at how fast he was able to solicit approved permits for our large renovation. If you want to save time and money, give him a call. You won't regret it.

Los Angeles Permit Expediter is an essential service if you are doing any kind of permitting in Los…read moreAngeles. Our only complaint is that we didn't hire them sooner. If we had known when we started the permitting process how hard it was to get things pushed through the "system", we would have hired David and LAPE before we even started the drafting process. We are convinced that what took 6 months to get approved (a simple two bathroom TI project) would have taken a fraction of the time with their help. David was patient with us, answered all of our questions and managed all of the moving parts of this process with ease. We highly recommend him and LAPE!

I just thought I would update this. This center is a goldmine of information! It will give you all…read morethe tools and knowledge you need to start or increase a business successfully. The negative reviews I have seen seem to center around money. The SBDC is *not* a grant resource. BUT they have experts that can tell you what grants / loans are out there and how to apply for them. You / your business may not get the money - that's not on the SBDC, that's on you / your business plan and your financial situation. And I'll be honest, white males like me? Not a lot of grants and the SBA has very special financial rules about who gets their money that the experts at the SBDC will explain. But there are programs/grants out there to help lots of underrepresented folks in the entrepreneurial world. And the SBDC team know all about these, the requirements, and how to apply. They are great at describing the "terrain" involved in starting a business and helping you be prepared to maneuver in it (especially all the government requirements at Federal, State, County and City level! UGH!). I'm in the tech field and their web and social media experts leave me speechless in their knowledge - I have learned so much about an area where it is hard to keep up with all the changes and all the ins and outs. They will help your create a REAL business plan - that will give you a realistic view of what you need to survive and thrive, what you need to do: in sales, gross profit, net profit, and what those things are and how to calculate them. No plan survives the battlefield but your chance of surviving is greatly enhanced by planning and doing the work they ask of you. They do this only to help YOU succeed. They will help you create a REAL marketing plan - so you know who your target market is and define it so that it is not too big and not too small; who your "perfect customer" is to really understand how you can best serve them; and the best ways to reach your target market. They will help you understand the differences / pros & cons of different types of entities: sole-proprietorship, LLC, Sub-S, C-Corp (Inc) AND help you to make sure you fill out the paperwork correctly. They will help you set up your accounting system to give you the information you need to understand if your business is succeeding. And they will teach you exactly what that information is and what kind of values / "scores" you need to be a healthy and thriving company. They can help you decide / apply for Trademarks and Patents. They help you with importing and exporting. They can help you understand Angel and Venture Capital investment and what those groups are looking for in a business and how you can connect with them (at least Angel investors in the greater L.A. area). Really, if it is an aspect of business, they probably have an expert that can help. BUT you get what you put in. Commit yourself to learning what you need to learn and doing what you need to do, to start a business. Can they guarantee success? Of course not. But you will be lightyears better prepared to give your business a real chance of success by working with them. And remember ALL OF THIS IS FREE! Paid for by our tax dollars. Anyone would have to pay A LOT of money for the advise this center provides for free. I urge you to see for yourself, I think you will easily understand the benefit of this great organization with truly knowledgable people all wanting to help you / your business succeed.

I own a small business and have found the SBDC to be so very helpful in several areas of my…read morebusiness: Marketing Law Quickbooks SEO Lending Really the amount of help that they have given me would have cost thousands of dollars. Plus - they helped me get a grant and a loan during the pandemic too. The customer service and other staff are amazing. In particular: Deborah Doras Israel Serna Have really been a huge contribution to my company.

We've been working with Ruben for about 2 years now. He has been a consistent source of…read moreprofessional support! Ruben is responsive, empathetic, and extremely efficient. If you have a question, rest assured- he will find the answer! If you are a new entrepreneur trying to navigate the logistics of establishing a business, add Ruben to your contacts! Thank you Ruben!

Ruben had helped me a lot get most of the major paper works done for our new business. He's very…read moreknowledgeable and patiently answered all my questions. He was diligent in following up about the licenses that we applied for. I highly recommend his company, especially if you are a small, new business owner!

Well, I've since realized that Ali is basically an insurance salesman. I bought an annuity which…read moresubstantially underperformed the S&P500 and some REITS that are illiquid and underwater. I would have been better off in index funds I believe now. He's a really nice guy but beware of the free dinner investment seminars. The busier he got the quarterly meetings fell by the wayside and he became harder to reach personally. I am disappointed at the results after ten years.

As a customer, I'll say that I've been very happy with the work they've done. They've gotten me a…read moreconsistent rate of return on tax sheltered and inflation protected investments, so I've definitely made money securing them. I had no idea about these in the past, and thought 5% in a CD is the same as a tax sheltered Muni. If you know what these sorts of things generally are, then an investment advisor isn't for you to begin with. I did not. I do agree with the comments that they could be better with holding meeting times. But when I needed communication, they were quick and helpful - they aren't hard to get ahold of, just hard to set a meeting at times. Overall, I can recommend their services. Yes, I was suckered in with a good dinner. But I lent some trust to them and they've earned my business after it was over. Been with them 3 years now and still kicking.

Dealing with Scot Fagerland was a great and smooth process that I would recommend to anyone looking…read moreto get their idea patented. Dealing was Scot was effortless and made me feel heard. You start by setting up an in person meeting, which I prefer, he can also do zoom/phone calls and e-mails as well. He'll ask questions and walk you through the whole process including getting an illustrator. Once the whole patent package is ready he'll submit it to the Patent Office and then wait to get it issued (this can 12-14months btw). Currently I'm just waiting for mine to be issued but overall dealing with Scot was very professional and I appreciated that very much!

I would absolutely not recommend Scot for any IP services. He nearly cost us our design patent on a…read moreVERY simple design. After receiving our second office action and a 'final rejection' from the USPTO, we could no longer trust in Scot, decided to cut our losses and hired an attorney on upwork who thankfully reversed it, and was issued our design patent in June of 2023. A whole 2 years and 3 months after we initially hired Scot which included rocket docket! Don't be fooled by his so called "competitive rates" because it's still severely overpriced for his level of experience, inattention to detail and lack of due diligence. And let me assure you... the reason for our final rejection was 100% the fault of Scot! So the way I see it, either he purposely sabotaged our case to maximize his gains thinking we'd just continue to pour money into office action, after office action, or he's simply that incompetent... take your pick and that's what you get hiring Scot!

Been with NSBN for over 12 years and the partners and staff are like family. We participate in many…read moreof their events and are proud to recommend them. Very knowledgeable and professional!

Had a horrible experience with this firm....They completed my personal tax returns. I paid for…read moretheir services and their accounting turned my account over to a collection agency....It took me a long time to have it removed. The account was posted on my credit. These guys are crooks stay clear.......

last night our alarm sounded at 11 pm. ACS called me first. which I didn't hear. then my husband…read more ( thank you ). they arrived at the house within four minutes and did a thorough guns drawn check. nothing was found...but wow were they on it !! Thanks to Brian and all guards

ACS has let me down more than once, and I would not recommend using them now or in the future…read more Issues related to their installation were never properly resolved, despite numerous attempts to reach management over the past two years. I pay a significant monthly fee for a system that I often can't even use because the sensors are so overly sensitive that I have to bypass them just to set the alarm. I tried escalating the issue to Vincent, one of the managers, which turned out to be a complete waste of time.

What an awesome company! As a new real estate agent, I needed a website for my newly founded…read morebusiness to successfully launch off the ground. I was referred to this company from a friend and I had an awesome experience and I am very impressed with their work. I worked with Robert, the project manager for my site and Jason, the owner. Both of them were easily accessible throughout the process and weren't bitter that I changed my mind on a few things, half way through the process. I definitely recommend!