Tips for Starting a Wedding Planning Business

Many individuals dream of owning their own business. The freedom to make your own decisions and run your business how you see fit, along with the great potential to make unlimited income is a very appealing aspect of owning your own company. If you have chosen to follow your dream and start your own wedding planning business, I've put together some tips to make the process a little easier.

1. Planning weddings is the fun part of owning your own wedding planning business, but before you can do that, you need to get the legal matters handled first. You will need to decide on a business structure (Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Corporation, LLC, etc) because this will affect the startup cost of opening your business, the taxes you will pay, and your personal liability for any of the debts the business incurs. If you need more information, visit www.sba.gov. Next, you will need to choose and register your business name. You can search the federal trademark database to see if the name you'd like to use is already registered, and also find out more about electronically applying for a trademark or "Doing Business As" classification. Visit www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm
2. You will now need to decide where you want to do business. Do you plan on running a home-based wedding planning business, or do you want a storefront where people can come to your office and get a professional impression? There are benefits and downfalls to both, including expenses, professionalism, and ease of setup. Whatever you decide, you will need to set up your office space for success. Make sure you get all of the necessities you'll need for creating a successful wedding planning business:
    
   -Computer & Internet Connection
   -Private Business Telephone Line
   -Software (Microsoft Office/Open Office for word documents, contracts & Schedules, Quicken Finances/Bookkeeping Software for accounting & tracking finances, and Wedding Planning Software for tracking each of your clients personal wedding to-do and task lists)
   -Office Supplies (notepads, pens, paper, clips, stapler, empty files, blank CDs, etc)
   -Filing Cabinet
   -Wedding Planning Books & Magazines
3. Talking to an attorney about getting insurance, permits or licenses, and writing out customer contracts will go a long way in making sure you are covered against legal claims. You may find one in your area that charges less of a fee for communicated electronically via emails, but most attorneys will charge an hourly fee to assist new small business owners get on the right legal business path. In the end, you'll thank yourself for spending the little bit of time and money to ensure you are protected against claims from unsatisfied clients or even the government.