Tuesday, 3 June 2008

Getting Finance for a Photography Business

Do you want to own an Photography Business but your worried you can’t raise the finance needed for paying rent on a building if necessary, stock and equipment including cameras, films, books, sofas, drapes etc. insurance, marketing your new shop/business, accounting for your business and payroll if you intend to employ staff as well as taxes you will have to pay for your business. There will also be other hidden costs along you journey of setting up your business or expanding your photography business.

The first place most people will look for finance is a bank for a bank loan, the problem with bank loans is that the bank will want you to put some of your own money down as well as charge you high interest rates which most start-up businesses and businesses that are struggling will find hard to pay back. Below are some ideas where you could get finance for your new photography business:-

• Your Savings
• Friends and Family
• Bank Loans
• Credit Card
• Home Equity
• Business Angels
• Venture Capitalists

Before you think of contacting a bank for a loan, venture capitalist or business angel investor for finance backing you should have a well laid out business plan. You need to be able to show them that you have every avenue covered from what happens if your business loses money in the first year and what you would do, to what kind of service will you offer your clients, will you do wedding photography if so will you just be doing the photographs or will there be another photographer also will you offer packages including albums, will you do portrait photography will this be in your home, your shop location or in the family’s house will they have the choice and also will you do commercial photography for shows, marketing new products etc.

Business Angels help new businesses with the help of finance and business advice, as they have been there and able to advice you on the best methods to bring in customers look after your customers as well as making a profit. They will also help businesses that are struggling to keep afloat with the help of finance and advice when most banks etc wouldn’t take a bit of interest. They are most likely to be entrepreneurs that have a successful business of their own and they will use their money to help your business succeed and make returns on their investment.

Venture Capitalists help larger businesses with problems of finance, they will offer financially help and advice but will be more of a silent partner than a business angel who will get more involved.

If you’re struggling to write a business plan for your photography business to show to business angels, venture capitalists, banks then we can help by tailor making your own business plan for your individual business.

So if you want financial help to start-up your own Photography business or want financial help for your business, angelstartups is here to help. We are able to advice you on the best way to finance your business and put you in touch with business angels or venture capitalists to help your photography business mature.

For all your Raising Finance needs visit Angel Startups.

How To Start Business: Turning A Dream Into Reality

If you are looking to start a business, you need to put together business plans before you begin. By creating business plans, you can slowly turn your dreams of business ownership into a reality.

How To Start Business Tip #1: Decide The Purpose Of Your Business

The first step in starting your business plans is to decide the purpose of your business. In other words, what product or service will you provide? If you have long been dreaming of starting a business based on a particular idea, you might already have much of this step completed. For example, you may want to start your own restaurant. Now, you need to decide on the specific food you will serve.

Tip #2: Study Your Market

When finding out the specifics of your business, you need to study your market. If you have your heart set on starting a Mexican food restaurant, for example, you need to discover whether this type of restaurant will succeed in your market. If it already contains many Mexican restaurants, your restaurant may not work. On the other hand, your Mexican restaurants may offer a different style of food the market wants. So, study your market to find out if your business idea is feasible. If the market does not support your idea, go back to the drawing board and dream up another one.

Tip #3: Plan For The Future

Next, your business plan should include plans for future growth. Do you eventually want a chain of Mexican restaurants? If so, where would you like to expand? How many restaurants do you want to own? What is your time frame for expansion? Although you may not reach all of these milestones within the time frame you have created, it is helpful to have a plan in mind to help keep you on track and focused.

Tip #4: Consider Finances

Your business plan should also include information on your finances. It should include where the money will come from for your start up costs and how much money your business should make. In addition, your plan should include how much money you will reinvest into the business to help it grow.

Tip #5: Get Help

A well-laid out business plan can make or break a small business. To ensure that your business plan covers the basis, it is helpful to get a business book that walks you through all steps. It should explain how to create a business plans and how to monitor it to make sure your business is on track.
Article Source : Business Startup articles

StartBusinessInfo.com is devoted to articles on the subject of starting a business . You can learn more at Start Business Information.

How to Start a Hairdressing Business

The first and most important decision to make when thinking about opening your own hairdressing business is whether to start completely from scratch, or simply take over an existing salon. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and the pros and cons need to be carefully considered and weighed up before approaching a bank or a Business Angel investor for the necessary capital.

The next step will be to decide the way in which you will run your business, in terms of the number of staff you will employ, and whether they will be individually ‘running’ their own business, by hiring out a chair to them and letting them build their own client bases or whether it will be on a more ‘first come first served’ basis, where by customers simply use which ever stylist is free at the time. The current market needs to be assessed to see whether there is a need for a particular type of salon, i.e. male/female or unisex. If there are limited services in the area for men, then it may be worth thinking about opening a gentlemen’s salon; this would then have implications on the staff you hire, and any specialist stylists.

Many modern salons are not just about hair, so a new business might have to think about whether to incorporate a beauty salon on the premises, offering extra services such as manicures, facials and sun beds.

As with all new businesses, the market research must be thorough, to ensure you know as much about the current market situation/trends as possible. A key aspect of any hairdressing business is the location of the salon. Sales could be affected by the number of potential customers who walk past the store on a daily basis, so if you are largely relying on non-appointment making customers then a busy location is likely to be the most successful. After location, the pricing issues should be resolved. Are you offering a premium service or a low-budget cut? The price needs to match the type of service you offer so that it covers all the costs sufficiently.

Any business which is selling a service, rather than a physical good, relies heavily on their reputation as business. Customer satisfaction has a huge influence on customer loyalty, and building a loyal customer base who will keep coming back to use your service is what it is all about. Therefore, to ensure you can get the financial backing of any potential investors you need to be able to prove that you will have the ability to attract and retain your client base. To do this, you need to have clear unique selling points that differentiate you from your competition - this could mean a themed salon, carving a niche market, or introducing competitive pricing strategies.

Business Angels will always need to see an extensive business plan, which has been thought out ad thoroughly researched. They will be very scrutinising, and your business plan needs to be able to hold up to intense questioning. Remember, Business Angels are funding your project with their own money, and are not likely to part with it and invest into your business if you have not invested your own time and effort into getting the plan right.

Angel Startups, home to all your Business Startup Needs.