Sessions College for Professional Design® has just announced new scholarships for recent high school graduates to promote the benefits of learning design online. Sessions College will provide two (2) Graphic Design degree program students and two (2) Web Design degree program students with $2,000 each toward their tuition at Sessions College.
An online degree program in design at Sessions College gives students the scheduling flexibility to fit it into any schedule without sacrificing other responsibilities, such as a job. Because the degree programs were developed specifically for online delivery there is no compromise on the quality of the education delivered. Students at Sessions College learn from working, professional artists and designers who are trained in best practices for online education.
Sessions College is fully accredited and has been a pioneer in the online teaching of visual design since 1997.
The prospect of opening a retail location for your business is exciting. It could be the next big step needed to take your business to new heights. There are many details to prepare for, and it will require most of your time to manage the store. It’s important to learn as much as you can about how to operate a retail location for profit. Here are 4 tips to think about before you open your doors.
Tip #1 – Write a Business Plan
You should not open a retail location without a business plan. Unlike an online business where you can lower your overhead and therefore afford to make some mistakes, a retail location can go under if you make a few errors. One way to avoid that is to have a detailed and well thought out plan. Most entrepreneurs associate writing a business plan with asking the bank for money. The main reason for a business plan is to understand your business model, and to direct your business to success.
Tip #2 – Choose the Right Location
It’s all about location when it comes to a retail location. You could have the greatest store, but if it’s in the middle of nowhere, you won’t get as many customers. Choosing the right location is complex, and it involves many issues for you to consider. Some of them include:
Property taxes
Zoning laws
Local population
Surrounding retail businesses
Foot traffic
If you don’t have experience in this area, then hire a consultant to help. It can make a difference in the failure or success of your business.
Tip #3 – Understand Your Lease Agreement
If you’re leasing a location, it’s important to understand your lease agreement. You’re not renting an apartment where it may not matter if you have to move out due to a breach of the agreement by you or your landlord. You’re running a business, and if you’re evicted from your retail location, you may lose a good portion of the customers you worked hard to gain in that area. Hire an attorney to review the lease agreement with you, and understand your obligations under it before you sign it.
Tip #4 – Find Complimentary Retailers
You can benefit from the foot traffic from an already established business if it compliments yours. Customers will come to your retail location out of sheer curiosity and to learn more about what you have to offer. The owners of those stores may also be willing to work with you on co-marketing efforts. For example, other retailers may recommend you to their customers for the products that you offer and they don’t. You should do all that you can to network with them and figure out ways to attract their customers to your store as well. Make sure that those retailers are not in fact your competitors.
You should launch a marketing and advertising campaign months before you open your retail location. Don’t just rely on putting up a sign to attract your customer base.
Launching a graphic design business is not for everyone. You might prefer to work as a freelancer instead, and have another company deal with the hassles and finances needed to operate a business. There are major differences between these two paths, and understanding those differences can spare you a lot of headaches. Here is what you need to know about these two options:
Self-Employment Taxes
As the owner of a graphic design business, you can expect to pay self employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This consists of Social Security and Medicare tax payments, and the rates do change. You will need to pay the rate for the tax year based on your earnings on a quarterly basis in most cases. Freelancers don’t pay self employment taxes, but the income is added to the overall personal income and taxed accordingly. The other thing to note is that the IRS won’t let you claim that you’re a freelancer in the same line of work for long. For example, if you work as a freelance graphic designer for one year and plan to do so the following year, the IRS may consider you self-employed anyway, and you’ll have to pay self-employment taxes.
Income Stability
One of the main reasons why people put off their dreams of working as a graphic designer is the fear of losing a steady paycheck. There are no income guarantees when you work as a freelancer, but it can be a more stable option than launching your own graphic design business. For example, you can apply for freelance jobs that promise a steady flow of work, and try to get hired by as many clients as you need to help you meet your monthly living expenses. As a brand new business owner, you never know when you’re going to land your next client and where your work will come from. Once you establish yourself though with steady clients, you may have the opportunity to earn much more as a business owner, and have the assurance of steady income.
Work Life Balance
You may choose a freelance career over a graphic design business any day because of work-life balance issues. You work much fewer hours as a freelancer because you don’t have to do everything else that is required of being a small business owner. You don’t have to spend nights and weekends trying to land more clients, completing bookkeeping tasks, making sales calls and collecting your accounts receivables. Your family needs and other responsibilities may not allow you to dedicate so many hours to the work. If that’s the case, than freelancing is a more flexible option.
Less Selling Required
You can’t escape selling yourself altogether as a freelancer, but you’ll do far less of it than if you operated your own graphic design business. The majority of your sales as a freelancer occur when you pitch your talents and skills to potential employers. Once you’re hired, then very little selling needs to be done. You’re always selling as an entrepreneur though, which can be overwhelming if it’s your area of weakness.
It’s important to consider these issues when making your decision to start a graphic design business or a freelance career. You may decide to launch a freelance career first and then segue into a business after you build your reputation.
Search the web and you’ll come across many myths about copyright laws for a graphic design business. It seems like everyone is a legal expert, and some people have come up with creative but dangerous advice for what you can and cannot do with other people’s work. Saving on legal costs is a legitimate concern, especially when you’re starting out and have limited funds. Making copyright blunders could end up costing you a lot more money though, which is why it’s import to avoid ideas that are not grounded in legal reality. Here are just a few:
It’s Yours to Use if It’s on the Web
Copyright ownership entitles the owner to the exclusive right to use, control, license, sell, reproduce or distribute the works that they create or purchase from other creators. You cannot use works published on the Internet by others without permission, because you would be violating their rights. The only exception to that rule is if the work is in the public domain. These are works that are no longer protected by United States copyright laws, such as works created before 1891. You may be sued for copyright infringement if you’re not very careful about this. Find out what you need to do to obtain permission to use photos, graphics, images, videos or any other created work to avoid making a copyright blunder.
You Own the Copyrights if You Designed It
The issue of whether your graphic design business or your client owns the copyrights in the graphics you create is determined by the contract. Most clients will want you to sign a “work made for hire” agreement so that it’s clear that they own the copyrights in what you’re commissioned to create. If you end up in court without an agreement, the court determines whether one exists by verbal agreement or implication. Leaving it to the court to arrive at your intent and the understanding between you and your client is risky. You should lay out your relationship in writing and include clear language on who owns the copyrights to the graphics that you create.
Graphics on Sharing Sites Are Free to Use
Some photographers and graphic designers will post their photos or graphics on sharing websites in order to sell them, or published on websites in exchange for image credits. These are not always “free to use.” You will have to agree to a license in some instances. For example, you may have to agree to notify the creator when you publish it, and include the creator’s byline. The only exception is when the author gives permission to the public to use the work at will. The website may also enter into such an agreement with users, and your only obligation would be to verify the terms and guidelines put into place by the website owners.
One copyright blunder could result in the need to fold your graphic design business, because you were unable to pay for litigation costs. The smarter option is to learn as much as you can about copyright issues that affect your business and avoid legal pitfalls.
