Advice on Setting Up Business

StompToWork

Hi folks,

So, I was hoping to make a little extra money by selling some of my Landscape work, and by offering out my services for portraits and event photography.

I have joined Zenfolio, so that takes care of the landscape stuff (bang it up there, and see what happens, essentially).

However, I have two unknowns that I was hoping the folks here might be able to help me out with.

1) I want to use my own domain name for my Zenfolio site. I went onto Register123, and picked the domain name I liked. However, the T&Cs started going on about business or natural person, and I didn't want to continue until I was clear about what my obligations are there.

2) For those who may have already started a small photography business, can I ask advise on the best way to incorporate the business? Have you gone the Limited Company route, or simply as Sole Traders?

Any help here would be much appreciated.

Thanks.

Corkbah

to be honest the put it up online and see what happens approach doesn't work.


if you want to sell you must learn how to find a market and convince that market they need to buy your product - sell yourself …. your work and your price.

do you have a USP (Unique Selling Point) ? what differs you from any of the hundreds/thousands of images of the same area ?

are you planning to offer free postage/packing ? is your product cheap enough to entice a buyer - without selling at a loss ? …. do you plan on selling print only or mounted/framed prints… what about digital downloads - there's different vat rates for selling digital only !! … another thing to consider …. VAT ?? if you are going to register sole trader or Ltd company …. if you are VAT registered you can claim any work related VAT expenses off - but have to charge VAT on any sales and pass that money on to the government.

do you intend doing the website yourself ? do you know anything about running a business ? do you know much about running a website ?

There is a lot more to earning money from photography than putting the images online and hoping they sell - you may need to spend a couple of hundred on advertising or seek all the sources for free online/radio advertising ?

seek local cafe's to display your works - with a view to selling …. you'll have to give them a share of the sale, and you'll have to get the image printed/mounted/framed.

going Ltd company versus Sole trader is fairly straight enough … Ltd company needs 2 or more people to set it up - you are given complete limited protection in the event things go tits up - so you don't risk loosing your home etc, Sole trader status you are liable for losses and have to give personal guarantees.

As regards the website situation ….. you should be in a position to register the website name under a discretionary name (personal use) … it can be a personal project to display your work, if you opt for the business registration then you will need to be fully registered with the CRO and revenue - and there's no point until you are up and running…..also VERY IMPORTANT declare all sales/profits to revenue - you'll be surprised at the amount you will be accused of owing by revenue in the event of an audit - they work on a worst case scenario and its upto you to prove otherwise….in saying that they are nice to deal with if you are not lying or hiding anything from them.

ditpaintball

On the company front... start sole trader for now. Less Hassle and commitments. If you decide after 6 months that it is not for you and you want to quit, you can do so easily.

But before you do anything... spend a few weeks putting together a business plan for your self. You can't do anything without a plan.

pullandbang

StompToWork wrote: »

I have joined Zenfolio, so that takes care of the landscape stuff (bang it up there, and see what happens, essentially).

Best business plan ever! Now sit back and reap the rewards.....:rolleyes:

StompToWork

pullandbang wrote: »

Best business plan ever! Now sit back and reap the rewards.....:rolleyes:

Thanks so much for the helpful and informative response above. Rolleyes right back at ya!

colblimp

As a professional photographer that took the plunge in February this year, my advice to you would be - DO NOT BECOME A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER! PM me if you want to know anything else. :-)

magicbastarder

StompToWork wrote: »

Thanks so much for the helpful and informative response above. Rolleyes right back at ya!

it's not unfair though.
you're not going to make money unless you try. because there are plenty of pro photographers putting in a hell of a lot more work than you seem to be willing to, and they're the ones who will sell.

PopeBuckfastXVI

I have joined Zenfolio, so that takes care of the landscape stuff (bang it up there, and see what happens, essentially).

I followed that plan, let me tell you the nothing just rolls in, daily.

AnCatDubh

do it, but before you do it, do this:

ditpaintball wrote: »

spend a few weeks putting together a business plan for your self. You can't do anything without a plan.

because if you don't then this:

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

I followed that plan, let me tell you the nothing just rolls in, daily.

and be realistic with yourself too i.e. don't trust yourself because we all can be the most devious of b*stards when it comes to convincing ourselves to do something that we think we want to do. These are harsh words. I wish at one stage in my life someone had said them to me. That being said, I and many others live to tell the tale so yeah, do it...

1) I want to use my own domain name for my Zenfolio site. I went onto Register123, and picked the domain name I liked. However, the T&Cs started going on about business or natural person, and I didn't want to continue until I was clear about what my obligations are there.

You are probably talking about a .ie domain which is way more restrictive than .com's .net's etc... Assuming it is a .ie, you can find out their naming policies on their site here https://www.iedr.ie/quick-guide-to-registrations-policy/

ScumLord

I would say photography would be a particularly hard area to get into. The markets just to saturated now that there's so many amateurs low balling the people that know what their doing.

As I see it you have two types of people, the majority think a picture is a picture and are happy as long as everyone is in the photo and smiling. They won't ever see the value in hiring a professional and probably wouldn't be able to make the most of the content provided to them.

Then you have the people who do appreciate quality photos and they're not going to take a risk on some unknown, they will be willing to spend that bit extra on someone with recommendations and a reputation. Photographers like that can provide their own promotion and being popular a company would get an extra promotional boost by being associated with the photographers own promotion material.


You really do have to have some sort of plan of attack that will make you stand out from the crowd.

StompToWork

Thanks for all the advice (almost) everybody!!

Just to clarify, I may have put too much emphasis on the Zanfolio/landscape side of things. As it happens, I have setup my .ie domain, configured the site, and I have to say that I have had a couple of considerable sales already.

As for getting into the actual business itself, this is probably the real area I was looking for advice on. To reiterate, my real question is about starting the business, and whether people have experience of doing that as setting up as a sole trader, or as a Limited Company? ( I assume Sole Trader is the way to go).

As for the business plan, and the USP (which I believe I have), with all due respect to all, I will look after that!!

Farmlife

If your in the PAYE system you can make money and declare it at the end of the year once it's under a certain amount. I think social welfare have schemes where you can declare if you make money from one week to the next.

Try this way out first before you jump too far in. To be successful at the start photography is just 5%, the other 95% is business. Find your market and spend your time cracking into it. No one Googles "photographers in the area", people listen to there friends and book on recommendations

Corkbah

StompToWork wrote: »

Thanks for all the advice (almost) everybody!!

Just to clarify, I may have put too much emphasis on the Zanfolio/landscape side of things. As it happens, I have setup my .ie domain, configured the site, and I have to say that I have had a couple of considerable sales already.

As for getting into the actual business itself, this is probably the real area I was looking for advice on. To reiterate, my real question is about starting the business, and whether people have experience of doing that as setting up as a sole trader, or as a Limited Company? ( I assume Sole Trader is the way to go).

As for the business plan, and the USP (which I believe I have), with all due respect to all, I will look after that!!

unless you have another person you can't do the Ltd company thing …it requires a min of two directors.(I think)

it offers more protection in terms of your personal assets and you as an individual are not held accountable (in the event loads of debts are run up)

given you are starting small - sole trader seems the right way to go, think you might need to register a business name with the CRO before your .ie domain will be granted (if you are using the domain as a commercial business you should have registered it as a business user and would require documentation from cro/revenue/accountant/solicitor to prove you are a legit business, if you registered it as a discretionary name under personal then you may loose it if you are operating a commercial business)

I had photoshop.ie registered before but because I was not operating a shop and didn't have the supporting documentation required - I lost the domain name.

most important of all is to declare all sales to revenue (if you don't and they find you - they'll assume the highest selling amount on a daily basis unless you prove otherwise …either way - you get landed with a bill for everything, and face prosecution, as you are more likely to be a sole trader you will have to file tax returns yearly and if you register for VAT or if you are charging VAT on your sales then you must make returns - failing to file returns is an offence.

StompToWork

Thanks Corkbah, that's excellent. FYI, I registered my .ie domain as a future business concern. I was able to set it up as a private individual, but I was able to cover myself by stating it was going to be a business in the future. They seemed happy with that. I was told I could use the domain straight away, and to just inform them when the business got up and running, at which time I would need to submit all the business-type details to them.

Seemed pretty straightforward really.