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So, did an "Open Day" for the public to come in and have their portraits done. The aim of it was to:
Had several people come in, and it was generally good.
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A couple of MUA's from Knightstone got in touch.... Here's the results. Some experimentation... A few "finance" sources, for start-up loans. However, I'm not looking at financing as an option at the moment.
www.startuploans.co.uk/?msclkid=b9197f5a273b18ee2ee723df32140209&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PX%20%7C%20UK%20%7C%20Pure%20Brand&utm_term=start%20up%20loan%20company&utm_content=UK%20%7C%20Pure%20Brand%20-%20Exact This also has some free PDF's on the site. www.business.natwest.com/business/business-banking/business-lending/small-business-loan.html?extcam=N_PPC_Bing_Bus_Loan_1322713155354937_82669678124704_%2Bstart%20%2Bup%20%2Bloans www.nationwidefinance.co.uk/business-loans/ Nice little article on starting a business for the over 50's.
startups.co.uk/starting-a-business-in-your-50s-is-easier-than-you-think/ Because I work in different environments, my workflow has to reflect that flexibility.
The very first step in the workflow is to decide which aspect of my Business is involved: Is it Paid Work? Is it speculative work? Speculative work is always on an ad-hoc basis. And idea will come to me, I will decide to pursue it, and work accordingly. It may be purely for projects, a speculative agency application, or a piece of work destined for publication later, etc., but these will be less formatted than if a customer actually contacts me. The checklist with Speculative would look something like:
With a Paid / Commissioned work, the regime is stricter...
While there are numerous "ways" of publishing your work, I am a firm believer in electronic means.
I have published several eBooks, and - of course - the postcard version of "Weston - Out Of Season". I'm currently marketing images through ZenFolio, so we'll see how that transpires. What a nightmare this is. From "Bloke with an iPhone", to Seasoned Pro, the rates are almost always the key to getting the job on SME and below. LondonFreelance.Org has a page dedicated to it at: www.londonfreelance.org/feesguide/index.php?section=Photography as does the NUJ and a myriad of other organisations. Here's some rates from various photographers. www.northlight-images.co.uk/commercial-photography/commercial-photography-prices/ www.gregharding.co.uk/about/charges-licensing From these, and other sources, I've pitched myself at a "medium" level... VAT and COPYRIGHT
VAT: The Threshold for Vat currently stands at £85,000 p.a. TURNOVER. https://www.gov.uk/vat-registration-thresholds Photography tends to be a high profit margin form of business, (Once you have purchased your equipment, there is only small residuals, no purchases of raw materials, etc.) so I’d say I would be on £65,000 profit before VAT became an issue. Happy Days. The basics of VAT are you must charge an extra 20% on top of your rates. This would all be dealt with by my accountant. COPYRIGHT: Copyright is an important issue. You own the copyright the moment you click the shutter (Or activate the scanner, etc., etc.). Breach of copyright is a fearsome threat to businesses, as they’re never quite sure how much they will lose in a case, so they tend to be more stringent… The stealing of images from FB, websites, or elsewhere by individuals is more rampant, with the “right-click” brigade the most common problem. A problem I saw, when researching “copyright” is companies offering to “Protect your work” for a fee. This is unnecessary, but seems to be a profiteering scam set up by many places/ (https://www.protectmywork.com/) All you really need to know (In the UK) is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ip-crime-and-enforcement-for-businesses-and-consumers www.copyrightservice.co.uk/protect/p16_photography_copyright Registering as Self Employed.
We discussed the various avenues open to us. https://weston.sharepoint.com/sites/UCWFdAPhotographyinPractice2017-19/_layouts/15/WopiFrame.aspx?sourcedoc={54f864de-ceec-452b-8457-ed895f26bf88}&action=view&wd=target%28_Content%20Library%2FDeveloping%20Professional%20Practice.one%7C02c719e3-d417-4e89-92fc-1542418ddc7f%2FRegistering%20Self-Employed%E2%80%A6%7Ce9c9bc52-0585-4409-b95b-261bf8ef0bff%2F%29 We were asked to do a 400-600 word discussion on this: My decisions on this are as follows: I will go ahead as a sole trader. I have been a LTD company before, but that was industry driven (The IT industry uses only LTD or Umberella workers.) I personally found the process cumbersome and time consuming. While it has advantages (Protection from personal debt, etc.), it is simply not for me. ALSO, the use of “Ltd.” at the end of any business documentation implies a certain status, and that is not always popular in the fields of photography and creative arts. Therefore, I will be Doug Stevens Photography, sole trader. I’ve put out a request to the Media guys for a “branding” exercise,” but so far nothing has been returned. I already had two business cards, reflecting my two identities: Doug Stevens Photography, and Skookian. https://doug-stevens.weebly.com/journal/developing-professional-practices-business-cards I’m fine with Skookian. The website associated with “him” needs to be re-vamped, but the business card is quirky and effective. Doug Stevens Photography needs a rebrand, but I’m not getting anywhere with that. I’ve simplified the look of my website, and ordered up some more simple business cards. I’ve already engaged an accountant, and when the time is right (Depending on other business interests) I will register as a sole trader. This will more than likely be an amalgamation of two or three business ideas, not solely photography. HE.LP
I’ve used the HE.LP on several occasions. Primarily, I’ve used it for Harvard Referencing, and asking questions about essay writing, but also eResources. |
Well. Here goes. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
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