Part Time Business Questions

Hey guys, still working out some details regarding starting a part time photography business. I have a few questions I'd like your input on.

Business phone. Did you guys start out using your personal cell phone? The bootstrapping part of me says that is the way to go. The client service part of me says no way. I don't want to be answering my personal phone in such a way that either shows confusion to potential clients (Ring..."Hello?") or weirds out folks calling from personal dealings, main job, etc. (Ring..."Thank you for calling John Doe Photography" or something similar). So what do you do?

Address on marketing materials. My business plan does not include bringing clients to a studio or my home. At least not yet. I don't really want to include my personal home address on my business card or website. How would you guys handle this? I am thinking just putting City, State and not defining it more than that.

Free email. I currently have a premium Zenfolio account with a layout that I like. It is not quite ready to share yet for critique but that is a different thread for a different day. My question is about email. I think I should register a domain and redirect it to my Zenfolio page as well as using the email that comes with that domain registration. This would be more professional to me compared to just using the Zenfolio address and a gmail account. Thoughts?

Domain registration and email. Who do you guys recommend for domain registration and an email account? I don't need web hosting at this time, just a custom domain registration and one email account. I want a trustworthy company with good customer service. Price is a consideration but I don't want a cellar dweller that's cheap with no service. Any suggestions?

Contracts. Where are some sources of good contracts for various assignment types? Do you guys write your own? I have John Harrington's book, and plan to have a go at it on my own, but if there sources that would help me get started, free or otherwise, I'd appreciate it.

Credit cards. What methods do you guys use to accept credit card payments? I have started researching several of the smartphone interfaces, but not sure which is best. Are there any that stand out?

DBA. I plan to ask the local county clerk where the DBA would be filed, but just out of curiosity, have you found that a John Doe would need a DBA to do business as John Doe Photography? Would a check written out to John Doe Photography be cashable by John Doe? Any other reason why a DBA would be beneficial if not required?

Accounting. I plan to use Excel for accounting until my first few shoots come through. I then plan to use Quickbooks. Do you guys think this is a reasonable approach? Or should I get Quickbooks from the beginning? Or is it necessary at all?


I am sure there will be more, but those are the questions I jotted down during a brainstorming session late last night. My goal is to begin seeking clients in about 6 weeks or so. I could probably do some earlier than that, but I want to get several items addressed prior to hanging the shingle. Thanks again in advance for your thoughts.

Just my opinion on a couple of things:

Use your cell phone. You can answer with just you name, works for personal and job related calls as well as your business without being awkward for either.

Don't put your home address on anything. Get a PO box if you get much business mail. This is what most (or at least many) people do for even a full-time business run out of their home. You don't need people showing up on your doorstep.

You should probably get a domain name for Zenfolio & email - just more professional, shouldn't cost that much. I've used Go-Daddy for domain name, it was painless, but I suspect there are cheaper and better services.

I've owned a business for over 20 years with its own name (not mine) and have never registered a DBA. Just an oversight when I started out, something I was supposed to do. The only problem I've ever had was a bank wouldn't open a business account for me - although I've hade business accounts (currently 3 accounts) with two other banks with no problem. I have no problem depositing checks made out to me personally. Probably not something you need to worry about until you actually see the business taking off.

Good Luck!

Thank you tomj. I believe that is all good advice and I plan to use all of it. I think I will go ahead and do the DBA thing even though it probably won't hurt anything if it was an oversight. Thanks again.

bmaxphoto wrote in post #15540887
Free email. I currently have a premium Zenfolio account with a layout that I like. It is not quite ready to share yet for critique but that is a different thread for a different day. My question is about email. I think I should register a domain and redirect it to my Zenfolio page as well as using the email that comes with that domain registration. This would be more professional to me compared to just using the Zenfolio address and a gmail account. Thoughts?

Domain registration and email. Who do you guys recommend for domain registration and an email account? I don't need web hosting at this time, just a custom domain registration and one email account. I want a trustworthy company with good customer service. Price is a consideration but I don't want a cellar dweller that's cheap with no service. Any suggestions?

If you just need email hosting now, I'd recommend Google Apps:
http://www.google.com …pps/business/pr​icing.html

$5 per month per user. I use it for several of my small businesses.

For domain registration, GoDaddy is probably one of the most popular. Google for coupons, you may be able to find some that can help you save some money for new domain registrations.

aIpha wrote in post #15541670
If you just need email hosting now, I'd recommend Google Apps:
http://www.google.com …pps/business/pr​icing.html

$5 per month per user. I use it for several of my small businesses.

For domain registration, GoDaddy is probably one of the most popular. Google for coupons, you may be able to find some that can help you save some money for new domain registrations.

Thanks. I am actually on the phone with GoDaddy right now. I believe they are having a 30% discount 'sale'.

So with the Google Apps deal, do you actually register a domain? How do they do a custom email if not? I am not sure I understand how that works, would you mind expounding on it a bit? Thanks!

bmaxphoto wrote in post #15541734
So with the Google Apps deal, do you actually register a domain? How do they do a custom email if not? I am not sure I understand how that works, would you mind expounding on it a bit? Thanks!

Sure. So hosting (web and email) is completely separate from domain registration. You can register a domain with one provider then get hosting with a completely separate provider. In fact, you can get domain registered with company A, web hosting with company B, and email hosting with company C. But most provide all theses services since they all go hand in hand.

So for you, you can register a domain with GoDaddy and then just point the "mail server" part to Google. This is often called MX (Mail eXchange) domain record configuration. Here's actually Google's documentation on it:

http://support.google.​com …wer.py?hl=en&an​swer=33353

My answers are as follows:

Business phone - I got a new phone for it. Studies show that potential customers respond better to businesses that seem like actual businesses. Calling your phone and hearing "This is Mike" versus "You've reached Mike Wallace Photography" will give them confidence in you and your business.

Address on marketing materials - I got a UPS post office box. Those post office boxes have street addresses (the address of the UPS Store with a suite number equal to your box number). Again it helps present a professional image.

Free email - Got a domain with Smugmug hosting and an email that goes with my domain. Again more professional. You also get a free email address when you register with GoDaddy but you should get a second. I find you want an info (info@johndoe.com) that they send their inquiries to and then a second for yourself (john@johndoe.com) for when you are actually working the customer.

Domain registration and email - I did GoDaddy. I do GoDaddy for all my websites.

Contracts- legalzoom.com should have something for you to start with but I wrote my own, had my attorney touch it up, and then I kept the same terms but dumbed them down. I wanted my contracts to read plain language and my voice, not be all legally.

Credit cards - I very rarely charge a session fee due to some advice I got from a Part Time Photography blog that I like and trust. Most of money comes from that avenue (or will when I officially start the business in March). However for sessions larger than 5 people, which includes weddings, I do charge a deposit which is nonrefundable (tho I credit half that deposit to buy images). So I got credit card processing from GoDaddy. I take cash, credit card and paypal. Intuit also offers credit card processing.

DBA - I went with a LLC and registered in the county, city and with my HOA (its required here).

Accounting - Quickbooks all the way. You can start with the online one. Get the online one here: http://quickbooksonlin​e.intuit.com/finance-accounting-solutions/ and if you want stay with it a while for $12.95 a month. I'll give you a hard truth in the form of a question regarding this: If you aren't serious enough about your business even if its part time, why should your customers be. Your billing, invoicing, expenses, etc. are critical to your business and this is not a place to skimp.

Hope this help.

Addiction2k wrote in post #15542086
My answers are as follows:
Hope this helps.

Wow. Thanks! This is great information. I know I said before that I would answer my own phone in a way that works for all situations, I am really feeling drawn toward getting a separate phone. I doubt very seriously that people will be calling me for the first few months, as most of my business will probably be through cold calling local businesses, etc. If I can get a few paid gigs under my belt, get my insurance for the year paid for, I don't see why a separate phone for business use would cause much financial heartburn.

The UPS post office box, contracts info, and accounting software recommendation are a big help. Thanks again!

bmaxphoto wrote in post #15543192
... I don't see why a separate phone for business use would cause much financial heartburn.

The UPS post office box, contracts info, and accounting software recommendation are a big help. Thanks again!

No problem. On the second phone issue depending on the type of phone you have you can simply add a second line for it. If not take one of the cheap "get a phone free" phones and do that. You really only need texts and calls, no data to start.

You've got to walk the balance between seeming as professional as you can and keeping your costs low as you can but the phone is worth it especially if you are going to start with cold calling. If you have to leave a message for a business owner and he hears "Hi Its John Leave a message" on what seems to be a personal phone and it will drive your response rate waaaay down.

The one thing I want to bring up is the situation where using your current phone can work is if its acceptable that all the calls go to John Doe Photography. So if you can answer every phone number you don't know with "Thanks for calling John Doe Photography, how can I help you?" then you can just use the phone that you have.

I'm answering these questions with the key words "part time" in mind. The answers would be different for a full-time business.

Business phone. Who the heck needs another phone? I just use my cell phone. Since it's always with me, I don't miss calls. But I do always answer in a professional tone, "Hello, this is Curt" whenever I don't recognize the caller ID.

Address on marketing materials. City and state is fine, until someone needs to mail you a check.

Domain registration and email. Having your own domain name for web site and email not only looks more professional, but allows you to switch vendors without client confusion. And it really doesn't cost much.

Credit cards. You may be able to avoid this by letting customers order through Zenfolio or Smugmug.

DBA. It helps in the credibility department. The process/requirements vary by state and location.

Accounting. QuickBooks is awesome, but just like a fancy camera, it's only useful if you have the skills. If you don't have a working knowledge of accounting principles then work closely with your accountant to get things set up. If transactions aren't posted properly, the QuickBooks reports will be complete garbage. For example, if your state has a sales tax on products but not services, then you need to post sitting fees separate from print sales. The nice thing about QuickBooks is it's pretty easy to fix the stuff you mess up (call me the voice of experience on this).

Side note: Anyone who starts a business should take an accounting class. This stuff is as important as knowing which button to push on the camera.

Either way, get an accountant. They will save you more than they cost.

Business phone.

Google to the rescue, except this time it's free.

https://www.google.com​/voice

You can get a free google voice phone number which you can then have them forward all calls to that number to any phone number of your choice. So when your client calls your GV number, you can have it call your cell phone.

What's even better is that you can set it so your cell phone shows the GV number as the caller ID so you'll know someone is calling your GV number as opposed to your cell phone directly.

aIpha wrote in post #15545008
Business phone.

Google to the rescue, except this time it's free.

https://www.google.com​/voice

You can get a free google voice phone number which you can then have them forward all calls to that number to any phone number of your choice. So when your client calls your GV number, you can have it call your cell phone.

What's even better is that you can set it so your cell phone shows the GV number as the caller ID so you'll know someone is calling your GV number as opposed to your cell phone directly.

This is what I do, as well. You can get the caller's ID in the app or on the web. And, when you get the account, you put in your area and it gives you a list of numbers to choose from, or you can search for a particular string of numbers you want and it will tell you what is available using that string.

Business phone - I use my cell number, but if you're wary of that, just use Google Voice and forward to your cell. you can also set D-N-D times and a unique mailbox.

Address on marketing materials - I don't think I've ever put my address on marketing materials, just the city I'm based in. The only time I've given out my address is when there's a check coming in, which I don't mind sending to my home. Then again, my place requires a key to get in and a key to get up the elevator, so I'm not too worried about random people knocking on my door.

Free email - I use my own domain, but I think Gmail is generally acceptable as a free email solution. It also gives you access to Google+ as an option for social media. If you're going google voice, it makes a lot of sense to just tie everything together.

Domain registration and email - I bought my domain with GoDaddy, and host with AngryHosting which is run by a friend of mine and has some great low-cost solutions.

Contracts- legalzoom.com is a great start, but I'd suggest finding a lawyer if you get to the size where you need contracts.

Credit cards - PayPal has worked for me, although I tend to get paid by checks more than CC's. If you need a consumer facing solution, I'd suggest Square (which you can get for free if you go to their website).

DBA - Generally not needed if you are just using John Doe Photography (and your name is John Doe), but may be needed if you use something other than your name. I always include "please make payment out to John Doe" on all of my invoices and have never had a problem.

Accounting - I haven't needed to use Quickbooks as I have relatively low volume (I just use excel invoices and a folder for physical receipts at home), but definitely never a bad idea to keep all your bookkeeping in 1 place.

Business phone. Google Voice. its free and you can make it ring any phone you want it to. Even 2 phones at once! And you can keep the number if you move, change cell numbers...etc...etc... And you can make calls from any munber and have that number show up in their caller id.

Address on marketing materials. I dont have my address on anything. But I dont maintain a studio either. I work out of my house and 9-% of what I shoot is on the customers property or on location.

Free email. Get the domain and the email that comes with it. It is to cheap to worry about.

Domain registration and email. There are several good choices. I have been very happy with GoDaddy.


Credit cards. I use Square. Free card reader and decent fees. Can be used with just about any smart phone or even an ipad.

DBA. You do not need to file a DBA if your full name in in the companies name. The only point of a DBA is so the government knows who owns the company. This is separate from a business liscence.

Accounting. Its always a good idea even if it is a simple program. I used to use Microsofts Small business accounting programs as it was free. But it was discontinued a few years ago. But you can still find it and use it on Windows XP and older.

Business phone. I can add a line to my current plan for very limited cost. I think I will go this route.

Address on marketing materials. UPS Store Mail Box Services. Very reasonable cost and much more feature-rich than a simple P.O. box.

Free email. I can add additional email accounts to the GoDaddy domain registration for less than $3/month. I think this route, through one provider, makes the most sense to me.

Domain registration and email. Definitely going with GoDaddy. Seems to be the standard provider, prices are decent, and service was top notch when I called to ask a few questions.

Contracts. For the type of work I am doing, the scope and scale of the business, and the type of clients I plan to pursue, I am confident I know enough about contracts (architect primary career...) to write my own. If the thing grows and gets more complicated with different clientele, I'll consult an attorney to double check things.

Credit cards. My aunt uses the Square Up service and is happy with it. I think I will go this route purely through her recommendation and the one above.

DBA. Local bank requires a DBA form to open an account in the business name. I am going to go ahead and dot the i's and cross the t's.

Accounting. I think the entry level version of Quickbooks makes the most sense to me. I am very conservative when it comes to risks associated with taxation, so skimping here and attempting to do it myself with a lackluster tool in Excel is not appealing.

Thanks again to each of you for your input. You have helped clarify my thinking and direct my continued research. I will be back I am sure with additional questions as this process unfolds.