How to Startup a Photography Business
So, you want to be a photographer? Maybe travel the world, photograph super models and expensive things? First take these less sexy but important steps to get your startup running:
Legally become a business (LLC)
Actions:
Apply with the Corporation Commission (for your state, link is for AZ). I thought this would be the hardest and most difficult hurdle, turns out to be quite easy. In Arizona there was a one page form to fill out and submit with a ~$100 fee.
Ask about the tax laws in your state. In Arizona I’m a Retail business and pay monthly sales tax on the whole invoice. The Revenue department has a horrible website (duh. It’s the govt.) but there is help at the State building and they told me what I needed to do in about 5 minutes.
Order some business cards
Actions:
These are your tickets to working your ass off for the first 2 years, also they point people to you. They grant you access to all the business networking, handshaking and introductions you can handle, from conferences to even god forbid the Chamber of Commerce.
Your cards don’t need to be fancy, just informative. (Obviously style is always nice too, and I am confident yours will be better than mine on first try). Give them to everyone that asks what you do. I started with 500 cards and just about figured out what to say when asked “What do you do?”, by the time I handed out the last one. No need to plan an answer before it happens, as you have 500 chances to practice and get it right.
Online portfolio
Actions:
Buy a domain. Put up one or more pages of content, photos, words, contact info. Obviously there is a whole rabbit hole of bullshit that I stepped over but essentially that is all you need online.
We are lucky to live in a time where there is virtually no barrier to entry. You don’t need expensive prints, books, direct mailers etc. You can stake your claim in the digital world, sometimes for free, and point people to it.
Also we are incredibly burdened by the fact that there is essentially no barrier to entry. There is more crap out there than you could sift through in a lifetime, so stand out. Do something interesting, special or game changing.