I picked a name - now what?

[private]

Ok guys,

So, I picked a name and bought the domain name. Its Pixie Memories. Now what do I do?

P.S. Someone is asking me to do a wedding and I am scared ____less! I am actually trying to talk them out of it and that is making them want me more...argh But I could use the money to my some cool stuff

[lputman]

I would first ask, what is your intent, what's the business plan?

[private]

Well, the intent is small kids and their families (mostly candid) and also photos they can hang on their bedroom wall. (cuz those are just as fun )

As far as a business plan, I was going to first get some business cards but I will need a logo and then work on the website - either order...

And what I told a friend of mine to do and it worked for her (she just opened up her own studio after a year!), was put my business cards where moms hang out. Give "free" sessions to neighbors... As you can see, its all off the top of my head, I need to write a lot of this down...

PLUS, the wedding scares me and its really not what I want to focus on.

I wantto be up and running by Jan 1st...I hope...

[lputman]

Get your logo done and build your portfolio.

For your website, are you going to use something like zenpholio or smugmug? Or do you want to do it yourself? Or, are you going to use something like wordpress (blog based), which man folks use and create very nice business sites with?

[dakwegmo]

Originally Posted by private

Ok guys,

So, I picked a name and bought the domain name. Its Pixie Memories. Now what do I do?

P.S. Someone is asking me to do a wedding and I am scared ____less! I am actually trying to talk them out of it and that is making them want me more...argh But I could use the money to my some cool stuff

You'll need to check the laws in your state, but you will most likely need to register Pixie Memories as a Fictitious Business Name (i.e. it's not a real person's name) and probably get a business license. Check the website for your county and secretary of state, they'll likely be good starting places.

As far as what to do with a website, it really depends on how you intend to use it. There are a lot of different options, but if you could describe or list how you intend to use the website that might make giving advice a little easier.

I.e. do you just want an online brochure, do you want a gallery that you can update regularly, do you want a private area for your clients to login and proof photos, do you want clients to be able to order prints directly from your site, etc. etc?