Small Business: Industry: Music & arts
Finding alternative revenue streams is a necessity for business owners trying to weather the recession.
Kyle, Sarasota, Fla.
We’ve run a dinner theater for three decades, and make most of our money during the tourist season between Thanksgiving and Easter. The rest of the year our audience is local residents. We’ve been operating at a loss for the last couple of years, and are unable to get a bank loan. We own the land and the theater building, and have put them up for sale with no success. We even closed the theater for two months this summer to save money. We don’t know what to do.
Not sure if you’re underpaying or overpaying? Third-party salary surveys can help.
Thomas, San Francisco
I have a video production company with five full-time editors. I'm always stressed thinking I'm either overpaying them and I'm going to go broke, or underpaying them and am going to lose them and/or they're going to get resentful. Because of this, I realize I manage them nervously, which is not good management. How does one determine pay parity? I would like to pay them fairly so I can stop worrying and pay and manage them with confidence. Read more…
Jesse Placencia, Photogenic Arts, Fort Worth
I own a small photography business and I am looking to try and reach a large market cost effectively. I have tried sites like Craigslist.org and placing ads in newspapers but it's just not working. When using Craigslist, people are too cheap and when using newspapers advertising costs are too expensive to keep the ad going consistently. I was wondering if anyone out there can help me find a new way of marketing my services or suggest an old way that works. Surly I have not thought of everything?
An entrepreneur's query: Can I write off expenses for a roving business office?
Jim Fong, State College, Pa.
I am thinking about purchasing an RV to use as a business office as I travel around the country for a few months to gather information to write a book. Can I only write off the mileage, or can the purchase of the RV be depreciated just like any other vehicle? I certainly don’t want to draw the attention of an audit, and I want to do this honestly and ethically. Read more…
Dayzon Johnson, CEO, Ice Cold Music, Clarksville, Tenn.
I own an independent record label that I started two years ago. It's growing quickly, and I'd like to get a bank loan to help me expand. But I have a bankruptcy on my personal credit record. Will this make it impossible for me to get bank credit for my business?
Should this owner seek out international investors to grow his business?
Jean Luc Gaudry, Los Angeles
I have a unique music Web site on which one can find listings of shows, bands on tour, clubs and venues. I have two questions. I am looking for some investors – what are the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make when they decide to add an investor to their company? Also, I want to set up a company in Europe and eventually have my Web site branch out all over the world. Is it better to have different investors on each continent? Read more…
Translation software may have let you down, but there are other options for crossing the language barrier.
Sid Smith, The International Art Materials Trade Association, Huntersville, N.C.
As an avid reader of Fortune Small Business, I zeroed right in on the March 2008 story “Goodbye Language Barrier?,” only to be disappointed in the answer, that current software packages are still very poor in doing electronic translations into other languages. As an association for manufacturers and retailers, we have members all over the world, and our Web site and e-mail lists are the only practical way to reach most of them. How are other companies, organizations and Web sites translating large amounts of information into several different languages? Can it be done inexpensively? Read more…
An Indian textile business checks with Ask FSB's experts for advice on international expansion.
Abhiram, New York City
I have a handloom and textile business in India and I would like to start an import/export business in New York City this year. Can you suggest a good book on how to get started and be profitable? I want to start with the least burden. I want insight into the problems, and also I’d like to read real-time scenarios. Read more…
Our experts suggest fixes to make a Web site usable by visually impaired Web surfers.
Linda Rhodes, Express Framing and Stained Glass
I operate a small framing and stained glass business and art studio in a rural area of West Virginia. I want my Web site to be accessible to the entire community. Recently, a severely visually impaired individual inquired about artwork in our gallery. We fall short when it comes to making our site and our gallery more friendly and accessible to the visually impaired. Please take a look at our site and give us some feedback. Read more…
Reader Claire wants to sell her piano school. Do you have any advice for Claire? Share it here.
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