How to Start Your Own Video Production Company

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

How to Start Your Own Video Production Company

If you are a creative storyteller and know your way around camcorders and film making software, starting your own video production company is a way to not only call your own shots but make a modest income, too. In addition to flexible working hours and diversity of clients and assignments, video production is a business you can launch with a relatively small amount of capital as well as promote easily via the Internet and customer referrals. Prior coursework in screenwriting and film-making is highly recommended along with an internship, apprenticeship or assisting at a local access studio to gain hands-on production experience.

Step 1
Identify what type of video projects you want to produce and how you want to structure your business. Sarah Caldwell, author of "Jump start Your Awesome Film Production Company," explains that you can go solo, form a partnership, become a full-service company or work on a project-specific basis. If, for example, your videography focus is on weddings and special events, you could probably get by with being a one-person operation. In contrast, project-specific contracts such as documentaries or PR campaigns may require you to recruit different talents for short-term assignments. Partnerships are generally practical as a way to pool resources and expand the scope of services you can provide your target demographic.

Step 2
Draft a business plan that addresses your short- and long-term goals for the company, projected expenses for a soundproof studio workspace, equipment, utilities, software, telecommunications, transportation, insurance, payroll and marketing. The more detailed and realistic your business plan, the greater likelihood of receiving grant money, commercial loans and start-up capital from investors to put your dreams into action, says Gunnar Erickson, author of "The Independent Film Producer's Survival Guide: A Business and Legal Source-book." Discuss with your attorney the advantages of being a limited liability company vs. a sole proprietorship to protect your personal assets.

Step 3
Choose a name for your video production company and register it with your state's registrar agency. You'll also need to acquire a business license by paying the applicable fees, posting a doing-business-as ad in the local paper and opening a business bank account. Design a professional website that describes your services, lists your rates and fees and provides sample clips of your work. In addition to shooting live footage for your clients, you may also want to include copying DVD's, creating digital photo albums and assisting in scriptwriting. Use online print companies, such as Vista-print, to create your business cards, postcards and brochure mailers.

Step 4
Promote your video production business by writing articles and blogs, distributing your cards and brochures to local companies, nonprofits, schools and print shops, placing ads in local newspapers, and utilizing social networking channels. Join your city's chamber of commerce and get on the speakers' roster for neighborhood clubs to chat about what you do. Trade banners with vendors in related industries.

Things Needed

Camera equipment
Film editing software
Computer
Lights
Microphones
Tripod
Soundproof studio space
Website
Business cards

References (4)

Resources (1)

U.S. Office of Small Business Administration

Photo Credits

Video Production

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Easy Tips and Ideas to Start Business

Although anyone can start a business, many people fail because of a bad product or improper research. If you want to start your own business, you can improve your chances for success before you even begin. In order to make your business successful, start strong and make sure that your idea will hold out for the long haul.

Have a Good Product

Ensure that you plan to sell something useful. Although you may think that your product is important or special, that doesn't mean the general public will agree. Ask friends, family and strangers what they think of your product. If they don't seem that interested, ask them why. With their suggestions, you can either improve the product or scrap the idea completely. According to Brad Sugars of Entrepreneur magazine, most small businesses fail because they sold a product that didn't have an adequate market. This also applies to small businesses that provide a service. A lawn-care business might be useful for part of the year in a northern state, but it is in-demand year-round in the south. Consider whether people will actually want to use your service and get constructive advice from those not afraid to give their opinion.

Research Local Businesses

Research local companies before starting up your own business. This will not only give you an idea of the amount of competition you will have, but it will also help you price your product or service. If you're looking to start a wedding photography business, you may find during your research that the market is over-saturated in your area. If not over-saturated, you should contact each business and ask them for a price list. Alter your prices so you can stay competitive with the competition in town. Researching similar local businesses will also help you decide where to locate your business location. Try not to start up a store or office close to another business of your type. If your small business is located away from similar business types, this will cause locals to choose you over businesses that are farther away from where they live.

Get Professional Advice

You may know someone who has started their own successful business. Ask him for advice and listen to his stories of how he started his company. You may gain useful advice on the good and bad ways to start a business. Local entrepreneurs can also introduce you to local product providers or advertisers that you may not have met without their help. Accept any advice with open arms, especially if the advice is coming from someone successful in the area.

How to Calculate Business Start Up Costs

Starting a business in no easy endeavor. It takes a great deal of research, perseverance and hard work. While sweat equity will make your small business more successful, you will most likely need real capital to get the business started. Before you start raising capital and/or investing your own funds, the first thing you need to do is determine the total start-up costs.

Step 1

Determine your costs of sales. For most small businesses this means inventory, the cost of raw materials, manufacturing equipment, shipping, packaging, and warehousing. However, not all businesses sell products. In this case, the cost of sales is primarily the direct labor involved in making the sale. For example, to open a small shoe business entails purchasing enough inventory ($10,000) to stock the store.

Step 2

Determine professional fees. Planning your business structure, i.e., limited liability corporation or general partnership, means hiring an attorney. There may also be the need to pay an attorney for help with establishing trademarks, copyrights, and patents. In this scenario, that puts total professional fees at an estimated $20,000.

Step 3

Determine technology costs. Technology can greatly reduce the cost of labor for small business if used effectively. Most small businesses require computers, printers, cell phones, website development, Internet access, software applications, information security, data storage, and outsourced information technology (IT) consulting. If the cost of technology is $10,000 to start, add an additional $5,000 a year for maintenance (hint: maintenance is not included in start-up costs).

Step 4

Determine administrative costs. This varies with business types and may include items such as business insurance, office supplies, product packaging, parking, rent, express shipping, desks, chairs, fax machines, phones, or anything else necessary to operate the business daily. A good estimate for start-up administrative costs would be $5,000 for the first six months.

Step 5

Determine initial sales and marketing costs. Now that you have your product, you need to let folks know about it. Sales and marketing costs generally include marketing materials for presentations, printing stationery, business cards, advertising, trade show events, and public relations. These initial sales and marketing costs can add up to $3,000.

Step 6

Determine the wages and benefits needed to secure a staff. This includes employee salaries, benefits, workers compensation, and payroll taxes. Let's put the cost of wages and benefits estimated at $20,000 for the first three months of business.

Step 7

Add all costs associated with starting the business for a total. Be sure to only include business start-up costs that will be incurred in the first three to six months of operations. For this example, the calculation is: $10,000 + $20,000 + $10,000 + $5,000 + $3,000 + $20,000 = $68,000.

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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

How to Start Your Own Video Production Company

Video Production

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