Establishing a small business is no easy feat. I’ve spent countless hours reading up online and have even attended a course through the Small Business Administration in an attempt to educate myself on all that needs to be done to legally establish Kari Campos Photography as a business.
Because I know how difficult it is to weave one’s way through all the information out there, I thought I’d share as I go. DISCLAIMER: Each state is different and has it’s own rules and regulations. Please don’t base your business decisions solely on mine as outlined. In no way am I guaranteeing that my way is the “right” way, as I’m sure there’s no one “right” way anyway.
It should be noted as well that these steps have taken place after a lot of prerequisites, such as deciding to be a sole proprietorship over other types of businesses, determining what I want to shoot, developing a draft business plan, and thinking my way through a lot of other decisions that need to be made.
So here goes…steps I’ve taken on the journey to establish Kari Campos Photography:
- Registered KCP through the county clerk/a.k.a. “Doing Business As”; this involved a trip to the bank to get the registration request notarized and a small registration fee of $5 in my county. Early January 2011.
- Received next steps from the county. I have to publish my “Doing Business As” Notice in a local paper for three consecutive weeks. Upon completion, the newspaper will send the county a confirmation, and they in turn will send me my registration. Mid-January 2011.
- Registered for a Federal Tax ID Number–a rather painless online process. Mid-January 2011.
- Research contracts and looked at samples from other photographer’s websites. Began constructing my own. Mid-January 2011.
- Hired a graphic designer to create a new and very much improved logo for my business. In Process. Mid-January 2011.
- Contacted my aunt, a CPA to get advice on whether to hire an accountant/CPA for my business. She provided encouraging words and didn’t think I’d require an accountant/CPA. Recommended that I purchase Quickbooks (on the list of to-do’s). I ordered a book on basic bookkeeping. Mid-January 2011.
- Finalized my pricing with the help of Stacy Reeve’s “Pricing Guide”. Late January 2011.
- Researched online gallery/proofing options. Registered with InstaProofs due to no monthly/annual fee (fee based on sales). Began setting up site. Late January 2011.
- Began designing my new website by purchasing a ProPhoto Blog. Early February 2011.
- Registered my business online with the Illinois Department of Revenue. Early February 2011.
Stay tuned as I update my steps along the way. You can find this post in the future under the “For Photographers” tab.
