What Have I gotten myself into? Tips for starting a photography business

So I have spent hours and hours on this website and still have to tweak and twist it! It really has been an undertaking to try to start a business. I will say I have had some nice encounters with people though. When I called the State office about business licensing and tax ID's, I got some of the nicest people! Shocking  since it was a state department! Much better than dealing with the DMV, that's for sure!
This is more of a diary posting at this point, but maybe one day someone will find some solace from me sharing my experiences. Trying to balance the work that still needs to be done on the business end, with trying to finish post processing on a wedding, and entertain a 6 year old nephew who is spending the day has been fun, maybe?  

My tips when trying to start a photography business: Allow plenty of time. You can't do everything in a day, a week, or even a month. Take one thing at a time. (I need to use my own advice here). 
1. Find out about the legal stuff. Call your state business licensing office. They can walk you through it all. North Carolina requires a business registration and tax ID. They also require a "privilege" license for photographers that is renewed each year.
2. Develop a system for tracking expenses, invoicing, and tracking receipts at the beginning before you have your first paying customer. 
3. Develop a system for cataloging and tracking photos. 
4. Have a backup  of all your files (external hard drives).  I have had too many times when the PC crashes and I think I am not going to be able to retrieve data. I have learned my lesson.
5. Make sure you have a pricing structure set, and do a lot of  research about your policies and how you want to run your business. While your policies can change and be added to, you don't want to make it all up as you go along. I have found a lot of good information about what to include by reading other blogs, participating in discussion on FaceBook groups and looking at others' photography contracts. 
During all this I have been building my portfolio, shooting, shooting, shooting. 
​Here are some shots I have had a lot of fun with over the past couple of months.
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