Full time staff photographer looking to start my own business

[6Speed]

If you were a seasoned photographer with plenty of technical and artistic skills, and you were starting with a blank slate for a photo business - what would you do?

I'm a full time photographer on staff with a large company. I create photos for their marketing and PR pieces, etc. Since I'm full time staff position I don't have to do billing, contracts, etc., charge for image usage, hourly rates, day rates, etc. This hasn't developed the side of me that needs to know how to run my own business...things like the taxes, managing a website, marketing myself, billing clients accurately, etc.

I may have to move in the next 2 years due to circumstances that have nothing to do with my job. Knowing this I would like to be prepared and have my own business up and going so that when that time comes I'm not running around like a headless chicken trying to figure out what to do.

Should I start by building a website? Hire a lawyer and accountant? Any advice is appreciated.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Build a site and see if you can actually get free lance jobs first. And you dont hire lawyers and accountants, You consult them. Next you need to read up on how to form a basic business plan. Its not hard but you need to sit down and figure out what exactly you are going to do as a photographer. Its a pretty broad market. .

A better idea would be to look for a job like you have now where you plan to move.

 

[6Speed]

Build a site and see if you can actually get free lance jobs first. And you dont hire lawyers and accountants, You consult them. Next you need to read up on how to form a basic business plan. Its not hard but you need to sit down and figure out what exactly you are going to do as a photographer. Its a pretty broad market. .

A better idea would be to look for a job like you have now where you plan to move.

So I'm paying a lawyer for "consulting" but is it insulting to a lawyer or accountant to refer to paying for their services as "hiring?"

Will do on the business plan. Thanks for the tips.

 

[CCericola]

first step is creating a business plan. The legalities depend on where in the world you will be moving too. The U.S. Small Business Administration | SBA.gov is a good resource. Many state unemloyment agencies offer seminars and help starting a new business and no, you usually don't have to be on unemployment to take advantage of these resources. After the buisness plan, it's time to come up with capitol (savings, business loans, investors). You will also consult an attorney and accountant. Many specialize in small business. I would suggest you also keep the lawyer on retainer for contracts and legal help. They will help you register, set up your company type, help you with taxes and insurance. It is really not as hard as people think if you are organized enough not to miss tax deadlines.

But first, get to researching and writing that business plan. If you need to get business loans some fiduciaries require a detailed business plan.

 

[DiskoJoe]

Build a site and see if you can actually get free lance jobs first. And you dont hire lawyers and accountants, You consult them. Next you need to read up on how to form a basic business plan. Its not hard but you need to sit down and figure out what exactly you are going to do as a photographer. Its a pretty broad market. .

A better idea would be to look for a job like you have now where you plan to move.

So I'm paying a lawyer for "consulting" but is it insulting to a lawyer or accountant to refer to paying for their services as "hiring?"

Will do on the business plan. Thanks for the tips.

When you hire them they are full time employees. Consulting is when you consult them as needed which would be what you would do. If you want to walk the walk then you need to talk the talk too. You don't want to sound ignorant when dealing with consultants. They will eat you alive. Getting professional consulting advice is the last thing you do because of the costs involved.

 

[DiskoJoe]

They will help you register, set up your company type, help you with taxes and insurance. It is really not as hard as people think if you are organized enough not to miss tax deadlines.

This is really good advice here. Know what kind of tax structure you are getting yourself into.

 

[CCericola]

I have a sole proprietor dbs under an LLC (NJ regulations). Sole prop for tax purposes. We ran the numbers and filing as a c-corp or s-corp did not make financial sense. My accountant ran the numbers. Basically, as a sole prop I declare all the income on the business returns. As an s/c-corp I would pay myself a salary and tax that. That is very simplified explanation. If you are worried that the people you hire are trying to take advantage of you , you can hire an independent auditor every few years to check up on them. We file joint tax returns for me and my husband, one for my business and one for my husband's business.

You can also decide to freelance and just declare any income on your tax returns with 1099's. Then you are just a contractor and have to take out your own taxes. You file just your own tax return with your freelance jobs and 1099's as your income.

It sounds more confusing then it really is.

 

[Alan_Chapman]

Great advice from Christina, I can help you with the marketing side of the business, also read E-myth by Michael Gerber it's an excellent easy to read guide on the nuts and bolts of running a business, and not the the business run you. Cheers Alan Chapman Photography Marketing -

 

[BlairWright]

The first think I would advise is taking some business classes. Learn the financial side and some marketing. Photography is a very small piece of running a photography business, around 20%, and the rest is running a business.

You need the following skills and this is the order I wish I learned but didn't:

1. Marketing
2. Accounting
3. General business skills (to write contracts and negotiate with customers)
5. Personal skills (to hook business)
6. Artistic
7. Photography
8. Post processing

Best of luck, it's a process... a long never ending learning process.

 

[KmH]

+1 that a well researched and written business plan is a must. Starting & Managing a Business | SBA.gov

Being on staff, it's very likely the copyrights to all the photos you have taken while on staff belong to your employer (work for hire). If so, you will need to have your employeer's permission, in writing, to use any of the photos you made while on staff to promote yourself.

What you have been doing on staff is commercial photography. You have never had to develope a client base, market/promote/sell your services, or handle all the business tasks that come with self-employment.

There is no location shown in your profile. Industry contacts will be critical to starting up a commercial photography business. If you're in Waterloo, Iowa, you'll likely have far fewer industry contacts than if you are in major metropolitan city, like Chicago.

 

[6Speed]

Thanks for the advice guys!

CC - I like the freelance option for the next 1.5yrs and then maybe step up to the next level if necessary? Seems pretty straight forward doing the 1099. I have done this in the past for external work I take on through word of mouth. I have a few of businesses that request me to shoot for them, but I haven't had time to focus on marketing myself while working full time for the company I already work for.

Alan, I will check out e-myth, thanks for the tip! I will check out your site, too!

Blair, knowing that the artistic and technical side of photography is only a small percentage of being successful is a big reason for me reaching out to you guys. I know I have a lot to learn in terms of the nuts and bolts of running a business and especially about how to market myself. I am excited but also it seems a bit scary to let go of my safety net here!

KmH, yes the copyright to all my photos are owned by my employer but I have permission to use them in my portfolio and elsewhere as long as I'm not selling the photos.

I'm definitely not in Chicago and won't be moving anywhere that big, either. In fact we may end up moving to kind of a rural location, but it would be within a couple hours drive to a few medium to large cities. I feel like I could still do commercial work especially if I make a few contacts in those cities. I know of at least one contact at a medium sized ad agency about 3 hours south of here and I know another in a town about an hour north at another agency.


The other side of me working commercially exclusively is that I don't have a wedding portfolio. I know there will be opportunities to expand my portfolio to include those, and I'm not opposed to that by any means, but I guess I'd just like to continue down the commercial path since that is what I've honed my skills on.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Should I start by building a website?

Hell no! I never had one and it was no problem. No client ever asked to see my website... It really depends on the kind of photo you want to do. Retail = yes, commercial = most probably not. Not to mention the cost of it. A pretty website done by someone who can't get it on the first page of a google search related to your type of business is basically useless.

Next, the Business Plan. There is only one reason why it is a must and that is if you need financing to launch your business. No bank is going to give you a big chunk of money just for the fun of it.

Not to say that they are not useful. They are. Especially if you have no or little business sense/experience. It then helps you see reality. And avoid costly mistakes. The writing of a business plan is the best way to make you think things through before you invest any money and maybe decide owning a business is not for you. Frankly, there is no shame in backing off. It is way better to back off then to lose a bunch of money.

I'm working on one myself right now. The fourth one since I started working on my new business idea. The basic idea keeps evolving thanks to the writing of the BP and, in less than a year, the starting budget moved from around $100,000 to now close to 2 millions. And, believe it or not, I've got more backers today than I did at first Not that that should happen with a photo business. All I'm saying is do a BP whether you need it or not. It is worth the time.


The next big one is BE READY TO ADMIT that running a business is not for you. Every one dreams of their own business wthout any thoughts as to the reality of that thought. As we say here in France (land of the 35 hr/week), be ready to at least double your hours. As soon as that is said at least half of the people present walk out.

Business is not for the faint of heart. There's a lot of **** involved and I'm not going to say any more until you tell us where you are located.

 

[imagemaker46]

Learn as much as you can about the business side of it all. As you are already working as a staff photographer, I would sit down and start to pick the brains of the people that look after the business side of the company.

 

[davisphotos]

imagemaker46 has a very good suggestion-assuming you are on good terms with people in the marketing & business side of the company you work for, see if you can get advice from them, and put out feelers to see if they might put your name out there for potential jobs.

Another question-do you specialize in a particular field or type of photography? Most of my commercial work is in the antiques industry, working with antiques dealers, auction houses and museums. It is a very small industry, and everybody knows everybody else. By doing work for a few of the well connected people in the industry, I have built a good reputation in the field.