Just started my own business as a college student

AMWAudioServices · 17th September 2008

An old friend was cleaning up his Outlook contacts when he came accross my name. He remebered that I had gone to Audio Production school, and had done sound-related volunteering for our old church. Since he had been getting a digital audio track based start-up company (sorry, that's all I can say under an N.D.A.) off the ground, and he needed someone to record, edit, and mix voiceovers and music, he called me up.

We talked about his business for a while, and he decided to hire me part-time to be the "audio guy." He wanted to hire me as a 1099 contracter, so I had to get a business liscense. A few weeks later, I have my liscense, my seperate business banking account, and I have sent him my first invoice.

The job is perfect for me since I am a full-time student with another part-time job (remote IT for an insurance company).

- Regular work (10-15 hours per week)
- Everything is remote. I tought him how to record both his voice and the professional voice-over artist we use. He uploads the session (less than 1GB) to an FTP server and I download it to my laptop. (By the way, I live on the other side of the state so remote is the only way.)
- He has asked me to join the "vision team" to develop the product and help set the future course of the company. In return, I get an equity share in the company.
- I don't need to have a seperate studio space since I am not recording, just editing and mixing.
- I don't need the income to pay for my living expenses (I received over $9000 in grants since I was very poor last yearthumbsup) so almost all of the money is going back into the business to cover equipment costs as they arise.

So, as a result of this chance encounter, I now own my own business!

Hopefully, I can find some more gigs like this one when I am finished with school, and eventually get my equipment up to the point where I can start editing/mixing music remotely for an extra source of income.

I am excited!

jeremy.c. · 17th September 2008

nice!
It's good you're doing this with what you have and building, instead of taking out insane loans and banking on a big payoff. Ingenuity and hard work are the only way to succeed in the entertainment business.

AMWAudioServices · 18th September 2008

Thanks

I need to figure out a way to expand my client list considering my sole client called me out of the blue. Any advice?

Recording David · 21st September 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMWAudioServices

Thanks

I need to figure out a way to expand my client list considering my sole client called me out of the blue. Any advice?

Get a website. Then make sure your work is excellent and it will lead to recommendation.

alyricalmind · 21st September 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Recording David

Get a website. Then make sure your work is excellent and it will lead to recommendation.

David beat me to it.... yeah, get a website, post some samples on it, and make sure it looks good... an ugly website never helps your image.

AMWAudioServices · 23rd September 2008

Thanks for the advice. Once I get my equipment squared away, I'll get a website going. Thanks again!

NorseHorse · 24th September 2008

Most of us on-location / remote recording guys have found that having a website isn't very critical. Work is almost ALL referrals.

Congratulations on starting the business!

AMWAudioServices · 26th September 2008

My first day of class for the new quarter was yesterday, and during introductions, I mentioned that I had just started my own business. As it turns out, another student is also interested in starting his own business for his recording studio, so we are planning on joining together for a 1 credit independent study project based around getting our businesses off of the groud without doing anything illegal.

Also, I have learned that my university's College of Business and Economics offers free small business consulting services, andthe Accounting department offers free tax accounting help. Most of the help comes from graduate students - i.e. no C.P.A.'s - but they know a lot more about it than I do.

From what I have heard, they offer these services free of charge to any local small business, even if they are not affiliated with the university. So, if anyone wants some free, more-expert-than-you advice, check in with your local university's business school and see if they have anything to offer you.

Next up, I need to find a graphic/web design student who needs a guinea pig for his/her senior project.

NorseHorse · 26th September 2008

Definitely.

I kept track of my finances to the tune of a 3.00 credit independent study. It was a BIG help. I used the time/motivation I set aside for the project in order to develope GIG SUMMARY sheets to keep track of every single job I do. Then I use the stats to figure out what was most effective, etc

17th September 2008	#1
AMWAudioServices Gear Head Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 30 Thread Starter	Just started my own business as a college student An old friend was cleaning up his Outlook contacts when he came accross my name. He remebered that I had gone to Audio Production school, and had done sound-related volunteering for our old church. Since he had been getting a digital audio track based start-up company (sorry, that's all I can say under an N.D.A.) off the ground, and he needed someone to record, edit, and mix voiceovers and music, he called me up. We talked about his business for a while, and he decided to hire me part-time to be the "audio guy." He wanted to hire me as a 1099 contracter, so I had to get a business liscense. A few weeks later, I have my liscense, my seperate business banking account, and I have sent him my first invoice. The job is perfect for me since I am a full-time student with another part-time job (remote IT for an insurance company). - Regular work (10-15 hours per week) - Everything is remote. I tought him how to record both his voice and the professional voice-over artist we use. He uploads the session (less than 1GB) to an FTP server and I download it to my laptop. (By the way, I live on the other side of the state so remote is the only way.) - He has asked me to join the "vision team" to develop the product and help set the future course of the company. In return, I get an equity share in the company. - I don't need to have a seperate studio space since I am not recording, just editing and mixing. - I don't need the income to pay for my living expenses (I received over $9000 in grants since I was very poor last yearthumbsup) so almost all of the money is going back into the business to cover equipment costs as they arise. So, as a result of this chance encounter, I now own my own business! Hopefully, I can find some more gigs like this one when I am finished with school, and eventually get my equipment up to the point where I can start editing/mixing music remotely for an extra source of income. I am excited!

17th September 2008	#2
jeremy.c. Kills for gear Joined: Jul 2006 Location: Beagle Rock Posts: 4,363 1 Review written	nice! It's good you're doing this with what you have and building, instead of taking out insane loans and banking on a big payoff. Ingenuity and hard work are the only way to succeed in the entertainment business. __________________ It's just a flesh wound!

24th September 2008	#7
NorseHorse Lives for gear Joined: Jul 2008 Location: DC Posts: 2,095 2 Reviews written	Most of us on-location / remote recording guys have found that having a website isn't very critical. Work is almost ALL referrals. Congratulations on starting the business! __________________ http://www.facebook.com/ArtsLaureate I-95, I-64, I-85

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18th September 2008	#3
AMWAudioServices Gear Head Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 30 Thread Starter	Thanks I need to figure out a way to expand my client list considering my sole client called me out of the blue. Any advice?

23rd September 2008	#6
AMWAudioServices Gear Head Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 30 Thread Starter	Thanks for the advice. Once I get my equipment squared away, I'll get a website going. Thanks again!

26th September 2008	#8
AMWAudioServices Gear Head Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 30 Thread Starter	My first day of class for the new quarter was yesterday, and during introductions, I mentioned that I had just started my own business. As it turns out, another student is also interested in starting his own business for his recording studio, so we are planning on joining together for a 1 credit independent study project based around getting our businesses off of the groud without doing anything illegal. Also, I have learned that my university's College of Business and Economics offers free small business consulting services, andthe Accounting department offers free tax accounting help. Most of the help comes from graduate students - i.e. no C.P.A.'s - but they know a lot more about it than I do. From what I have heard, they offer these services free of charge to any local small business, even if they are not affiliated with the university. So, if anyone wants some free, more-expert-than-you advice, check in with your local university's business school and see if they have anything to offer you. Next up, I need to find a graphic/web design student who needs a guinea pig for his/her senior project.