Want to be a street vendor? LA library system offers online guide to help get you started

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- To be a successful street vendor, you have to have the right permits, health certificates and a good sense of how to manage your money. If you're just starting out, you may not know where to start.

Fortunately, the Los Angeles Public Library system has set up a website to help.

The website has been up for a year and includes everything you need to know to become a successful street vendor. You can find short videos on running a business that are available in both English and Spanish.

Madeleine Ildefonso, the managing librarian for the city's public library system, said a few hundred vendors have already used the website and its services.

"We worked directly with street vendors to develop this program, and so what it encompasses are recorded presentations on how you get your permits, how you obtain your California public health permit, California sellers permit, the city of Los Angeles' business tax permit," she explained.

Along with managing your business, the website also features a tutorial on how to deescalate tense situations as more street vendors have become victims of crimes, including vicious attacks and robberies - some of which have been caught on video.

"This is really more about what are the tendencies about preservation on the street for yourself using those principles of bystander intervention, so you're going to be very aware of your situation," said Ildefonso. "You're going to understand when you might be able to say something or when you take a step back."

According to data from Economic Roundtable, there are approximately 50,000 microbusinesses or street vendors in L.A.

The beauty of this website, according to Ildefonso, is that anyone from Southern California can access the information and use it. She said she has had vendors from across the country also access the website.

To learn more, click here.