How To Register A Photography Business In California

Open a business checking account.

How to register a photography business in california. You can register your business with the state of california here. If you are in the us this is a great resource to let you know which pertain to your photography business. The california business investment services unit provides tailored site selection services for businesses real estate executives and site selection consultants. This may sound easy and convenient but it also means that you have unlimited personal liability for the actions of your business and this includes the actions of your employees or. I ll be honest with you.

What you name your business will become the brand image so choose a name that fits the type of photography you want to do. Register your photography business with the state of california. I l o v e the business side of photography business. Register your business entity. You need to register a dba with your secretary of state.

Tempting as it may be you can t just create a logo in photoshop elements print up some business cards from vista print and create a wix website though many do. Find out about taxes and hire an accountant. Generally all businesses that wish to conduct business in california need to register and form their legal entity with the california secretary of state s office file appropriate taxes register as an employer and obtain business licenses and other permits from appropriate cities or counties. The most common mistake for beginners is to operate a business as a sole proprietorship meaning there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business. San diego california requires the following licenses and permits as a photographic services business.

You will need to open a separate bank account for your photography business with your new business name. Sales and use permit business tax certificate and many others. If you want to take kid portraits you can have a whimsical name but if you want to do business photography or weddings you ll want something that sounds professional or elegant. I love wheeling and dealing hustling writing and even the idea of how to start a photography business has me pumped up enough to write about 3 000 words on it. A brief overview of the following types of legal business structures available in california can be found on our entity types website.

Choose a business structure. A dba just means doing business as it usually only costs 25 and is a simple one page form where you say that jim harmer is doing business as jim harmer photography or improve photography or whatever business name i chose. There s a part of business that even i the photography business guy hate. If you want to be a legal and legitimate business here are five things you need to do. However with a photography business it s really important to have someone on your side who knows the ins and outs of tax law as it pertains to businesses.