Starting Over

[Alan_Chapman]

I’d be talking to an attorney(you will need contracts) and an accountant to make sure it’s all set up correctly then start a marketing plan 12 months is long enough, more than that and your just guessing .
Don’t get too stuck on a Business plan (unless you want to borrow money) a 12 month budget, (predicted profit & loss) most accountants will have a template for you to fill in the gaps. You need to know how much it will cost to stay in business plus 30% contingency.
Then work out how many shoots you have to do to cover it. Then stick to the budget. I would outsource everything that isn’t photography related EG accounts, legal and business process, check out www.elance.com or www.odesk.com it’s very cheap to have all your accounts done in India and get a virtual assistant. You need to drive your business and marketing strategic direction but you can outsource the boring leg work. Get loads of education in Marketing it will make or break you.
You seem very switched on I’m sure you’ll do well

PS I just wrote this post yesterday "The 3 biggest mistakes people make when starting a photography business"

 

[rub]

Makes sense to me! My [unsolicited] suggestion would be to leave the photography side of things alone for a little bit, and spend some time and money taking business ed and entrepreneurship classes at your local adult ed faciltiy.

^^ 100% agree. And once you have jumped through the hoops for getting your business registered locally/federally etc, rebrand yourself with a new logo, marketing materials, name, everything. Its not to hide who you are or were, but to show the world that you have your shiat together and are coming FULL FORCE.

Good luck

 

[imagemaker46]

Sounds like you have started to put a good plan into motion. I wish you luck in re-creating yourself into a better photographer and the good things that follow.

 

[Imajize]

I think you had it right the first time. No need to plan it out. Just go. You'll learn and evolve and design your business from raw experience. That's worth a lot more than taking business classes. Getting paid to do what you love, on your own terms, is the end-goal. It sounds like you're there, and you did it almost naturally. I read the book "Rework" by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson which marches to the beat of a different drum when it comes to running a business.

That aside, you'll need at leas some striation and organization. You ought to get some software to track your expenses (I use Quickbooks for Mac, it kicks butt). Also, it's great to get website if you don't already have one (wordpress is pretty user-friendly, and it's free), and that's about it. I make all of my actionscripts from scratch (because I like the complexity and the challenge) but I don't look down on anyone who uses pre-made photoshop actions/filters. Some of them have good value.

Just my 2¢