How to make company name 'mine?' starting business...

[keri4140@yahoo.com]

Hi everyone

This is the first time for me on this board~ I have read through a few postings and it sounds like everyone is very helpful and resourceful!

I am in the early stages of starting my photography business - primarily infant/children/family photography -maybe a few weddings but we'll see...

i was just wondering if anyone knew what to do first.. i have just decided on our company name - i imagine i need to buy that domain name but what do you need to do legally to copywrite it etc.?

if you have your own photography company - what did you do in the early steps legally?

thanks in advance

keri

[saturnin]

i assume u have registerd your business with your state? Thats a crucial step.

[Mike R]

If you register with your state as a Sole Proprietorship, Your personal assets can be at risk. It would be better to set it up as an LLC, even then there are thing you must do to actually protect your personal assets such as Be properly Insured,properly funded with a separate Business checking account. There are other things to do also to demonstrate that it is a "real" business and not just a way to cover your personal assets. Talk to an attorney and a CPA, at least a CPA.

[Graphyfotoz]

Maybe these past threads MIGHT be of help?
Make for some interesting reading anyway!

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=125878&highlight=starting+business

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=253333&highlight=starting+business

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=98744&highlight=starting+business

[Julio]

Names aren't copyrighted, they're trademarked. ;)

[jra]

Welcome to the forum! The first thing you should do is visit your states web site and search for a "small business package" or something along those lines. You'll need to register with the state and then you'll most likely need some type of state vendors license (I imagine things will differ from state to state). You'll also need to apply for a federal Tax I.D. number. I recently started my first business and it's honestly quite a pain (but I absolutely hate paper work). You'll quickly learn that running a photography business is more business than actual photography, especially if you don't currently have the budget to outsource accounting, advertising, taxes, etc... All that said...my small photography business is very rewarding and I wish you the best of luck!

[Beka29]

Keri,

I am in the same position as you right now - I want to do have same type of photography business (babies, kids and families) and I need to get the legalities sorted out. I have a list of things that I need to do, and while my legal list doesn't have everything, here are some things to think about:
business license
taxes
insurance - liability, equipment, etc.
legally sound contracts, model releases, etc.I have no idea how to protect a business name. That's the next step for myself as well, I suppose!

[BaliHai]

Start with your state, in PA it is a web site open for business, it walks you through the steps for setting up the business in your state including state sales tax. At this time if you are not using your own name you will need to register for a fictious name this takes a few weeks to get approved. Check your local area to find out if you need a local business liscense I had to go through Properties and zoning for this. Also check around there are small business programs that can get you pointed in the right direction, some are free, some aren't but they are helpful. In PA there is the SBCA which is free and run by a couple of universities in my case Gannon. SCORE is another resource. Find the accountant, keep start up records, have a business plan. As for web sites we had to play around with the business name to get a domain name that was a .com or .net as a lot of names are all ready taken.