Advise on how to start a video production company

...this is what I did...

Come up with a name for your company. Go to City Hall to see if you can HAVE the name, meaning make sure no one else has it. Then get a DBA certificate. Doing Business As. I can't tell you how much junk mail I get now, and I am the only employee (sort of). This will cost you Less that $20. No kidding....

I am planning on becoming a LLC. Limited Liability Company. This means that if something happens in the course of your doing business, you won't necessarily be broken, they can't take your home, your car, your possessions, etc. But you have to do this through a lawyer I believe and it costs alittle money. About $200 from what I gather.

I am sure there are other ways of doing this but for just me, this is working for now...

--spinner

Start small and keep it simple. Shoot live events and edit them. Unless you're rich, don't go for an office and the extras that come with it. (Unless your house is a mess, then get some space.) Make sure you have money for advertising. Treat it like a business. Don't jump on any job, make sure you can make a profit and you can handle the job.

Scott

Actually you should check county clerk too... In my town there is no license necessary to do business BUT the county requires you to pay $5 for the DBA. However, you have to put an ad in the paper for 2 weeks stating that "who ever" is doing business as "business name". That could cost you the most.

To register one of my businesses I found a little town paper, within the county, and put the ad in there. Total cost, including the license was $47. The hard thing was remembering to send in taxes every quarter... lol.

With al LLC, you don't really need a lawyer. You could fill out all the articles of incorporation and that yourself. However, it might be better to just pay a lawyer to do it.

you have to put an ad in the paper for 2 weeks

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Really? Is this nation wide or just Illinois? I've never heard of this one. My wife is DBA, I'm DBA and we both did it exactly like spinner said (minus the LLC part).

And I just noticed spinner is a Michigander too.

Not sure how it is for you Yanks but us Limey's have to register with a bunch of guys called 'Companies House' where we can set up as a Sole Trader or a Limited Company (Limited Companies are more complex - need memorandums and secretarys and stuff) So it's fairly easy. Would be interested in what happens in America though as I'm sure I'll end up there some point, either that or above the border in Canadashire.