what steps do i need to take to get a company started help please

[Redgum]

From first hand experience EXIF data will not serve the purpose either because it can be removed or altered. In court my team spent a day and a half proving we had the right to take the photo (and video) in the first place.
Despite a contract the corporation argued because their logo/TM appeared in the photo, that photo was free for their use. They were willing to pay for others. We settled out of court. Hence my remarks about ownership being an expensive business and diplomatic solutions far wiser.

[Erin]

ok first step is making a company name
2nd registering an abn
3rd registering business name
4thregistering url and buy hosting am i correct with these also do people know costs of all this thanks in advance for any or all the help u can give

Up until recently, I used to register company and business names and do all sorts of stuff with that... here's general info I can give you.

Please note, this is general advice only, not legal advice. Always seek professional advice before starting a business... anyway...

Companies and businesses are very different things. You want to do the latter, rather than the former. You're not a corporation.

If you're using a name anything other than your own name for trading purposes, you will need to register your business name with the governing body in your state. You CAN, however, use "Your Name - Trading As Your Business Name" and not have to register a business name. (Rules may have changed in the last three years, though so check this out for yourself.)

You really only need an ABN if you're going to be turning over more than $50K a year. Unless you're earning that significant amount, you do not need to charge GST and therefore have no need to register for it. Most people get them for wholesaler discounts and whatnots and of course to get a .com.au address (as opposed to just a .com).

You can buy domains from most hosts as part of a package, but it's worth your while doing a heck of a lot of investigation. If you're planning on claiming your costs for tax purposes, you will need to make sure you purchase Australian hosting as well as domain registration. Domain Central is the cheapest I've found for Aussie domain names, about $40 for two years registration with a com.au address.

Unfortunately Australian hosting is exxy compared to our USA counterparts. However there are deals to be had. You'll be looking, on average, about $10/month for hosting on a very basic plan with most hosting companies.

BEFORE ALL THAT, HOWEVER...

Seek business advice - most states have this facility available - as to the legalities of what you need to start a new business including insurance, GST, necessary contracts, etc.
Write a detailed business plan including your (realistic) goals.
Seek financial advice as to the costs involved and how to offset any or all costs against your tax.

Remember you will lose money before you make money. You will need to invest in marketing and advertising. There's lots of free ways to do this but there's the option of paid ads in relevant magazines, newspapers, events, etc. However in order to do this you need to invest time, most importantly, to getting a great portfolio out there.

[Redgum]

Can I suggest that there is a rather lengthy thread on this very issue elsewhere in the forum. Rather than repeat ourselves a quick search will bring forth the answers on setting up a business.

[ScottM]

Haven't worked as a professional photographer - obviously lol - but have worked for myself in IT as a sole proprietor.

I agree with the other posts though. I looked into both being a sole proprietor and as a company, and decided for my purposes that a sole propreitor was better for me.

A few points to consider:
insurance - public liability, professional indemnity, and worker's compensation. Certain components will need to be paid by yourself or the 'business' and be shown to undertake some work.
income - with a proprietership you're allowed to 'withdraw' from the 'business' at any time, but this it's complicated when operating as a business and needs to be better tracked and recorded.
expenses - with a company your processes need to be tighter, and have certain 'company' policies in place. The documentation requirements are somewhat higher.
reporting - with a company you do need to report to the ASX a balance sheet and a profit/loss statement.
BAS - this was the killer for me when working for myself, and led me to obtaining a full time employed position. The ATO will require you to declare _expected_ income in the prior quater, and to pay tax effectively in advance. If you're running as a company, reporting and payment is more infrequent. So if your income is more irregular, including waiting and waiting and maybe even waiting for payment, you'll probably pay out of savings rathert than an everyday-type business account. And the ATO's projections are never correct...
superannuation - if operating as a company, you will need to set yourself up as an employee. In which case the company is required to pay superannuation for you. If a sole proprietor, this is your responsibility.

You do only need to have an ABN if you're earning more than 50k per year. I think you probablly need to do some _realistic projections_, seek _professional advice_ and work out what would be best for yourself _long term_. (As implied, I considered it best for myself to get out of what I was in, primarily because of the ATO, about 4 yrs ago.)

Happy to provide more info, but not 'advice' as that's an accountant/specialist's domain

Good luck either way

Cheers,

Scott.

[maccaroneski]

Careful readers, there is some dodgy advice in this thread.

From the NSW Department of Fair Trading (and I believe this legislation is duplicated in all other states):

Under the Business Names Act 2002, if you choose a name for your business that is not your own name then you must register the name with the Office of Fair Trading. For example, if your name is Julie Smith and you are trading under ‘Julie Smith’s Salon’, registration of that name is compulsory.

Further, from the ATO:

All businesses with a GST turnover of $75, 000 or more must register for GST and will need an ABN to do this.

Note that turnover is a separate concept from taxable earnings.

[Erin]

Thanks for the clarification, maccaroneski. At the time when I was in the industry, it was permissible to have a trading name in line with your real name. And it looks like the turnover has gone up $25K. Cool.