Lately, I've been thinking a lot about starting up a home business. I'm already getting a decent amount of freelance work, and I'm thinking I could quite easily turn that into an actual busines, since I already have lots of the stuff I'll need:
hardware - good computer, monitor, scanner, and tablet (the only thing missing is a good printer, and if need be, I can get actual prints done at one of a few nearby labs for the first while),
Software - Photoshop 7,
Business space - there's enough room in the house to have an area for "business" (i.e. taking orders, showing portfolio, storing records etc.),
and I'll be getting webspace and a domain name as soon as I can here (So far,
NetKnow (http://www.nk.ca/websitehosting.shtml) looks like the most likely possibility for a host), I've pretty much decided on a name (I checked around and the name I'm planning to use along with the domain name are both available to be used), Advertising - there's various low cost of free advertising ways i know of, one of which is the community newsletter which does a feature each month on a home business in the area.Now I'm working on getting a bit of a business plan, and I need to get a price list together eventually. However, of course with a project as big as this, I have a loads of questions:

1. is it a better idea to just work with what I've got and build up from there, or to get a loan then get a good printer etc. and pay all the other start up cost from the loan and pay it back as I get work?

2. For a small home business, is there anything I have to do for registering my business for tax purposes etc.? this is one part of the whole business start up idea i really don't know much about.

that's all I can think of at the moment, but I'm sure I'll remember or discover lots more as this thread goes on. Anyway, I'd really appreciate any advice, tips and
answers to my questions I can get, I really want to get this going eventually, but I want have a very good idea of what I'm getting into and have it all well planned
out first.

- David :)

Hi David,

1. Some members of this site don't like printers at all and prefer lab prints. So, I don't think you have to have a printer to start with. I didn't, but eventually bought the Epson 2200. I love it because I have complete control over the whole process.

2. I'm not familiar with Canadian law, but in the US, you do need to have a sales tax license and/or business license. It varies from state to state. Colorado doesn't have a business license per se, but you do have to register your business with the Secretary of State. And, I had to get a sales tax license as well. The print that I include with my "service" is not taxable, but any additional prints are. (Service is not taxed, "things" are.)

You might look to see if there's anything like the Small Business Administration (here in the US). They have TONS of info on what you need to start a business - in fact, I believe they have a Small Business Startup Kit which tells you everything you need to do to legally start a business. I imagine there is something similar in Canada.

Good luck!!

Jeanie

Hey Jeanie,

thanks, thats exactly the kind of info I was looking for! I'll definitely look into the Small Business Administration and see if there is an equivalent here in Alberta. (I'd be surprised if there wasn't)

- David :)

I see Jeanie already responded while I was writing this -- but hopefully some of the threads listed below will be worth your time. Sure wish I'd had your maturity, ambition, and smarts when I was your age! (That's my last "crack" about your age. ;) )

In my area, I have to register with the city to start up a business. You'll get some good responses from people here already in business, but have you looked at all the old threads in this forum? I remember that Vicki and others posted some good info last year about getting started. You're getting a good start on your preparation before you start -- that's an important step that some folks skip.

Some of the older business related threads:

Advice to the Beginner (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=587)

Dependent on business? (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=961)

Starting a business (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1320)

Life of a Professional Retoucher (http://www.retouchpro.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1737)

:D thanks CJ. yeah, I'd done some reading of posts in this forum, but I'd missed those posts so far. looks like lots of good info there.

- David :)

Hi David,

I think the most important thing you need to do at this point, is to work on a business plan. It doesn't have to be 100 pages long. You can start with a few pages, then you can add to it later, if needed.

Don't know about Canada, but in the U.S., we have free help, through S.C.O.R.E., in setting up a business, and free consulting for small businesses already in operation. Again, this can be found through the Small Business Administration. I've used this service, and it's fantastic. Canada must have something similar, and you should be able to get all the information you need through the program, if it's available. My guess would be that it is.

Good luck
Ed

Just in case anyone is not familiar with the SCORE acronym, it stands for Senior Core of Retired Executives.

Jeanie

David, regarding Loan or No-Loan

Depends on how quickly you ned to be up and running, what kind of income you are replacing from your current job, and whether you can pull off a gradual transition (which I think is the safest way to go into business, but will require working some double shifts) - and as a side note, set your pricing high enough that you will be able to squeek by on a slow month.

Roger

It took quite a bit of searching, but I've finally found a link through the Government of Alberta website with lots of the info I'm going to need: http://www.cbsc.org/alberta/

Ed - yeah, that's definitely the first thing I have to work on, so right now I'm just trying to gather in as much information as possible so I can write up a good one to start with.

Roger - sorry, I should've given more info on that, it was a pretty open ended question. It's definitely going to be a slow transition, I'll be keeping my job (I only work a couple shifts a week anyway) until I'm well up and running just to be able to pay my bills (cell phone, internet etc.) and everything. As for income I'm replacing? well it's not much, it's just a bit over minimum wage. Good tip for pricing, I'll definitely have to factor that in when I'm creating my price list.

- David :)

Glad you found something helpful David. And Roger is right about pricing. If you sell too cheaply, it's kind of hard to up your prices. People will welcome a reduction in prices before they will welcome an increase. Not only that, but if you charge a higher rate, people tend to have more confidence in you. Would you take your car to have an engine replaced to a business that will charge you $25.00 to do the job, or would you trust the guy who wants $500.00 a little more? OK, I admit it -- that's a little extreme! :) But you get the point.

Ed

That's a very good point Ed, I hadn't really thought about it in that way.

- David :)

On the pricing side of things why not offer a
'for the first 50 customers 10% off'
That way the first customers feel they are getting a bargin even if your price is high. You could also get more feed back this way as to acurate pricing.

Clare

I was thinking about doing something like that, and that sounds like a good way of doing it. feedback is what I'm really going to need at first. thanks clare

- David :)

Good luck, David. I would suggest having Quicken in your software collection. I can't keep track without it.

Bob

I have heard really good things about QuickBooks Pro, it's orientated towards business as opposed to personal bookkeeping. You can do a lot with Quicken, but QuickBooks Pro gives you a business structure and capabilities "dialed-in".

Roger

Great information! that's one other thing that I'd forgotten to ask about. At first I was thinking that I'd just do all my records with spreadsheets and paperwork, but now I'm realizing that it would involve a lot of time and annoyance. It would definitely be a better idea to save for a good software package like Quickbooks, MYOB etc.
thanks,

- David :)

Hi David.. I may be resurecting this thread a bit late, but just read it and thought I should share that I discovered this little gem of a book at Chapters yesterday:

The Complete Canadian Small Business Guide

This is THE book to have if you are starting a business from scratch. As I am still getting started too, I find it a wealth of vital info.

I’m not working for chapters/indigo but thought I should mention it’s 30% off right now

worth checking into methinks..

Thanks! that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for, there's tons of books on small business, but I had no idea what's any good. I'll definitely look into that one! (plus I've got a discount account at Chapters, so that makes it even more affordable)

- David :)

David,

I would suggest you register your domain and park it somewhere. Freeservers has a FREE hosting offer that is a good place to start, then when you can, you can upgrade it to a pay service with them as well.

Start doing research on the web for what search engines look for so you can build that into your site.

If you would like some help on getting better rateings for your site, let me know, it is one of the services that I personally offer.

Good luck in your business!!

Paul :wavey:

Hi Paul,
I think I'm actually going to just get the hosting and domain name at the same time, since I want to host them both through the same place (which I've almost definitely decided on) for a couple reasons:
I was looking for a local host, even if they cost more than one from the US, it's easier to deal with them, and I don't have to deal with the exchange rate.
Also, I need a host with some specific features like PHP MySQL etc., and I don't want to have to switch hosts, I want to find a good on and stick with them.
As for search engine ratings, thats one aspect of web design I've never really got into since anything I've done has been just small personal and family sites, so thanks for the tip, I hadn't thought of that and that would be quite a big part of having a succesful website or not.
You'll be ther first person I let know if I need that kind of help! thanks again

- David :)

No problem David,

Glad to help.

One thing to ask your host when you find them is what is there server up time, in the past year, what has been the amount of downtime for any of there servers. What kind of backbone like do they have, do they have multiple connections to the backbone or just one.

These will all effect you when you least want it to.

If you have a fast connection to the internet, this helps too with large file transfers and such.

Your question about printers... I would suggest that you look into a local photo printing house that can deal with digital files and work with them. Inkjet prints fade quickly, I know Epson says there inks are good for X amount of years, but you have to recalibrate your printer EACH time you put in a new cartridge, UNLESS you get them from the same batch and lot number, even then, they do very.

HTH

Paul :wavey:

great tip for questions to ask, I've emailed them (NetKnow (http://www.nk.ca)) a couple times but I haven't asked about that. I checked their uptime on Netcraft, and it looks good and they also guarantee 98% uptime on the servers (they use BSD for the OS). I just noticed on their main page the WorldCom logo so I guess that's who their using for the backbone (but I'll have to email them to find out what kind and how many connections they have, I recall reading OC3 somewhere on the site but I could be wrong)
For printing, I'm still deciding whether to go with a printer at first (which is the most likely possibility), or saving up for a while to get the Epson 2200, because I want to get a good photo printer anyway, and I recallibrating isn't too big a deal for me because it takes up a lot less time then going to a printer each time I need anything done, because of the fact that I can't afford to drive (insurance and gas prices here are just insane right now!) so it'd be an hour or so trip any time I needed something printed which I just do not have time for.

- David :)

these are interesting questions to ask the servers, I'm currently looking for a new server as the one I'm using now is becoming too expensive and unreliable. I've narrowed it down to 3 at the moment and I'm trying to decide between them.

The one I'm leaning towards state
" Our network is directly connected to multiple OC-48 lines and OC-192 lines on the NTT/Verio backbone (the fastest connections in the world). NTT/Verio is the world's largest internet provider. We utilise Cobalt, IBM and SUN Servers, Cisco 7000 Series Routers & Cisco Catalyst Switches"

But all that has me completely lost. So any other questions you can suggest Paul would be appreciated.
Thanks
Sandra

Hi Sandra,

Paul probably knows more about this than I do, but I'll jump in here with what I know anyway :) For the connection, I just did a search on google, and found out that OC-192 runs at 10 Gigabits per second :!: so as long as the provider isn't overloaded with customers, I'd say that you'll get some darn fast service!! all the makers mentioned make good quality servers, but the operating system is the biggest question to ask. I'd go with any of the Unix family (Unix, Linux, BSD) any day over windows, since Unix has the best uptimes I've heard of (years compared to months for Windows servers), also Unix is Apache's native OS and Apache runs best on it, and a far higher percentage of the servers on the internet use Apache than servers that run IIS or equivalent. however, if they are set up well, Windows servers can be very good too, so it really depends on how good the host is for uptime, which you can check out at http://uptime.netcraft.com
I have an uncle who works for the school board here, and they just installed a Cisco router for their huge network, and I was talking to him and he said that Cisco is one of the best companys right now for commercial routers and firewalls, so I think the host you're looking at right now looks pretty good, as long as they have good uptime.
so before you sign up with anybody, a good test is to look them up on Netcraft, and if they have a client list on their site (which any good host should have IMO) you should look at some of the sites to get an idea of the speed of their service. hope that helps you out!

- David :)

Thanks David, I've discovered that they are running Linux OS. They guarantee 99.9% uptime. I would like to see what compensation I would receive if they didn't supply that 99.9%. I'll email them to see what they have to say. I'll look at the Netcraft site to see what they say about their uptime.

Sanda,

One thing I would ask them is about there guarantee, does the 99.9% up time apply to your site, or there servers. I have seen this many times where it applies to there servers. What they are saying with the 99.9% uptime is that in one year, they will not be down any more than a total of 15.25 hours in the year.

Linux servers are a good way to go as they are MUCH less prone to hackers.

I would agree on finding out what the compensation for downtime is, some will credit you for the time down (not much) and others will credit a months service for extended downtime (Hours). This is one place it PAYS to do your homework.

If you have a good connection to the internet (broadband) there are software packages that will watch your site and make sure it is up and available. The software will alert you when your site is down, or when your site is slow.

The OCXX numbers are misleading as far as speed is concerned, it may be the backbone, but there is LOTS of traffic on that pipe. Such as telephone, dedicated company T1,T3's or OCX's. Lots of pipe sharing going on. What doe the HOST connect to the backbone through?? They speak of the large backbone, but it if they only connect through a T3... You get the point...

Hope this is helpfull.

Paul :wavey:

I offer a service to help your site place better in the search engines. If you are interested, please e-mail me.

Thanks Paul, yes it was helpful. I'm working on a major update of my site at the moment, although nothing has changed yet as I want to have it ready for the new server, so when I'm done I may take you up on your offer of help with seach engine placement.

I'm still looking for a new server for my site. I emailed the three I was interested in but two of them are eliminated as I wasn't happy with their responses. Or in one case the lack of response, I emailed the one I was leaning towards three times but still no answer. So that eliminated them, if they can't answer a sales question then they are not going to be too great on a support one. One of them replied quicky and I have since spoken to them on the phone but I still have doubts so I'm continuing my search.

Your right to move on if they can't answer a question in a timely manor. There are so many out there that it is a tough choice.

I am with a host called freeservers.com and have been happy with the service to date (3 years) Have only been down once for a short time, this was 2 years ago, I was created a months service for the outage.

Good luck!

Paul :wavey:

Hi Sandra,

I'm not sure if you're interested in a host this far away from you, but the host I'm looking at right now (a company called NetKnow, website is http://www.nk.ca ) has very reasonable pricing, lots of good features on the servers (like PHP, MySQL etc., the servers are Apache runnding on BSD systems) and they seem very keen, any of my questions I emailed them with were answered in under an hour, I was impressed. on Epinions.com (http://www.epinions.com/inet-Web_Hosting-All), they have user opinions and ratings on webhosts, so that'd probably be a good place to look at.

- David :)

Thanks David I'll have a look at NetKnow. I have been looking at Australian hosts and the problem I seem to be encountering is that I have both the com and the com.au domains and having both pointing to the same site is driving the costs up higher with most servers. it's driving me crazy.

yeah, that can be a surprisingly big part of the cost of being hosted. I've considered getting the .ca domain along with the .com, but I can't justify the cost. one thing you can do though is host the domain with someone besides your actual web host, since there's quite a few "bargain" domain hosts out there.

- David :)

Sanda, as a proud Aussie I personally hate a .com address for an Australian business - but that is just me. I understand that due to web browsers defaulting to .com that it can help the lazy or folk who can't remember the full URL find your site by just entering your easy to remember name.

So my vote would be to save the money and use .com.au - unless you feel that the advantages of .com outweigh the local tag.

Stephen Marsh.

Sanda,

One thing you could do is do a redirect from one registered domain to another. You usually can get away with the cheapest hosting program for the redirect from site.

That would be the least expensive route for you to take. Some of the "free" hosting services will let you redirect, but you are required to allow the "customer" to stay on the page for at least 10 seconds. Some do this and don't have any limits, you can do this with HTML code and the customer won't even know they have been redirected.

HTH

Paul :wavey:

Stephen I love me AU address but it's good business to have both. The com one does bring in business and that's why I use it.

Paul, that's a good idea I'll look into it. Thanks

Originally posted by Sanda
Stephen I love me AU address

LOL - Chuckling heaps...I read that with my best Sutherland shire accent. <g> No offence meant - the above needs to be 'read' with a good Aussie accent!

Stephen Marsh.

lol, I wasn't sure you would pick that up.

I too am starting a home business and have heard that the 2200 is a great printer. I haven't heard any comments on the postscript rip for the 2200.

I had a rip for my 1280 and loved it but they dont make a 1280 rip for OSX.
My dilemma is, I'm being forced to buy a new print just because of the rip. I work in Quark mostly, but sometimes Indesign. Photoshop and Illustrator also. Can anyone out there give me good advice on a printer with color postscript rip that works well for page layout?