How To Build Stock Footage Library Business

Whether you’re an entrepreneur or an established production company, selling video footage online involves the same principles:
Pick the business model you are comfortable with
Acquire great stock
Use proven footage library software solutions.
Give the buyer more than they expect.
Later, you can expand your business model or launch new brands to cater for different market sectors. But the business is tough enough – so start with what you know and what you are comfortable with.

Standard library business models.
The standard business models, whether its image, motion, music etc are as follows.
Niche / Specialist
Generalist
Microsite
Within each of these business models you have a choice of how you acquire and market the product. Putting acquistion aside for the moment you can sell product
Royalty free
Rights Managed
Simple licence
Discounted
Rights managed and royalty free footage and video.
Rights management for footage libraries is still evolving and, so far, it is less complex than rights management for Image libraries.
However, rights management calculations can be different for each footage library – it’s one way of keeping your competitive edge.
Market Positioning
Once you have decided on the business model and licensing type you then need to work out your market position. For example, in the race to establish market dominance several business models are being tried. Most follow the image library business models; so to sell video online in volume, companies are following the “microsite” model pioneered three years ago by istockphoto.com – who later morphed their model to istockvideo.com.

Istockphoto.com was purchased by industry leader Gettyimages.com after Istock came out of nowhere in 2006 taking all of Getty’s and Corbis traffic and changing the world as they knew it.

The lesson to be learned, if you want to sell low cost video online via the microsite business model, are that you’ll need:
Many thousands of
Good quality video clips
Ready for sale
At low cost
So how do you achieve this? Most businesses will use one or more of the following
Co-distribution deals with other video libraries or content owners
Buy content from video libraries or content owners
Split commission with User Generated Content (U.G.C.) providors.
Once you have decided that microsite is the route for you, you’ll need microsite footage library software; you may need an API module plug-in for shared or co-distribution and you may want a UGC module too. Depending on your planned business size there are 2 flavours of UGC – UGC lite if you have a single editor or an enterprise version for several editors to review new content simultaneously.
So what features should a good footage library possess?

Additional e-marketing features
Admin generated discount codes for fixed amounts or percentages
Admin restriction of publishing privileges
Advanced integrated SEO tools
Advanced search for keywords
Add metadata to clips or to a category of clips
Preview pages
Automatic extract/upload IPTC data
Batch upload entire categories
Browser based admin – monitor your library with easy
Clip bin
CMS integration
Complete content management system
Corporate account financial management
Corporate accounts with credit limits, automatic invoicing and statements
Credit card payment
Display multi-media content – video, audio, images
Dynamic registration system – user profile updates
Dynamic DVD management
End-users can select the number of Images displayed per page
FTP upload
Full user guide and support available
Generate and print customizable sales reports on the fly
Global pricing – set standard pricing across an entire category
Hosted under your own domain name
Hyperlinked keywords – allows keyword search with one click
Import embedded metadata to create hyperlinked field search
Instant digital downloads – fully automatic if enabled
Integration with existing website
Intelligent search engine
Invoice feature which allows admin or end users to print out Invoices
Keyword search logs display searched keywords and frequency
Latest updates desk
Locality recognition to set pricing
Lost password facility
Measure clip popularity/ user behavior
Meta tag management, clip, page and category
Multi-lingual editions
My account – full user purchase history
New User account sign up
One click database output for advertising in online portals
Optional advanced campaign management plug in
Reporting and statistics
Royalty Free pricing
*RSS photo feeds
Send Invoice to customer and admin upon order completion
Send media to a Friend or send an entire clip bin
Shipping
Support for GBP, USD and EUR currencies
Supports PayPal, Protx and WorldPay payment gateways
Unique Design and Development
Unlimited product types can be created
Unlimited users/flexible access rights
Upload from DVD or hard drive
Use as standalone business website
Various file formats
Windows, Mac, Linux compatible
Add metadata to clips or to a category of clips
Additional e-marketing features
Admin generated discount codes for fixed amounts or percentages
Admin restriction of publishing privileges

An Online Business Is Just Like A Standard Business And It Must Be Legal

Something loads of folks falsely believe is that a web based business is a thing that does not require men and women to have to pay taxes. Loads of men and women think that when you work out of your home, it is not necessary to pay any taxes. There loads of folks right now that are turning to the Internet in order to make cash and one of the primary reasons is this misconception. Of course there are other things apart from taxes that you are going to have to take care of for your business, which includes any sort of licenses you might need. When you figure out all that you will need to have, plus exactly how much tax you have to pay, having a work from home business might not seem so fun anymore.

Most individuals who want to start an online business have not had any type of experience in running their own business to start with, which means they don’t know what is involved. I am certain you understand that when men and women do not have any experience in running a business many of them will automatically believe whatever they hear, such as not having to pay taxes on an internet business. Whether you have a traditional business, or if you are running an internet business, taxes are a thing that are going to need to be paid any time you make a profit. There are various excuses folks use for not paying taxes, but the most typical is they’re working from home.

One reason why a lot of individuals do not know much about taxes is mainly because their taxes are withheld by their employer automatically. Another thing you are going to have to bear in mind is the fact that no matter where your business is situated and whether or not it is in the real world or the online world, your taxes depend on your income. It will be very important for you to make certain that you are paying your taxes anytime you are earning a profit because this is required by law. Even if you’re running your business totally by yourself, you still are a sole proprietor and have to register your business, and pay your taxes each and every year. Unfortunately, not everybody has the mentality to have the ability to run a business, especially when they haven’t worked other than for someone else, who was accountable for all of the tax stuff.

Another thing you need to remember would be that the Federal taxes that are going to have to be paid are going to end up being filed differently depending on whether you are incorporated or if you are a sole proprietor. So proprietors are going to be accountable for filing a personal tax return and you’re going to be required to pay out a self employment tax. The way a corporation is going to need to file their taxes will be something which is much different than if you’re a sole proprietor. Simply because there’s so many different ways that you are able to actually wind up filing your corporate income tax it’s going to be important for you to research or seek the advice of a professional.

You need to also understand that every state will have different tax laws, and because of this we suggest everybody talks to an accountant in your state. When you learn everything needed for an internet business, you might determine that it isn’t worth all the hassles.

Choosing Outsourced Accounting Services For Your Business

If you are considering outsourced accounting services, then youve likely arrived at the conclusion that, as a business owner, your time is much better spent growing your business, not fussing with the books. It takes many business owners a long time to come to this conclusion, which can be detrimental to their business. In an effort to conserve finances, owners often bury themselves in excess work that they arent qualified to do. Outsourcing work is a good way to solve this problem.

Why outsource?

When it comes to accounting, outsourced accounting services are the perfect compromise. Many small to medium sized businesses dont have the financial resources to hire a full-time accounting professional to balance their books monthly and file their taxes. In fact, depending on your business, your books may need to be balanced more often and you may also need financial reports and payroll production. Outsourced accounting services allow you to hand this work off to an expert who only works when you need them to, and therefore, you only pay when them when they do the work you assign. No salary.

What are the other benefits?

Your time is crucial to your business. It is up to you to network, find new investors, develop new products and worry about your businesss presence both online and in the real world. When do you really have time to go through receipts or worry about payroll deadlines? You cannot handle every aspect of your business, and while you may think that by doing it yourself you are saving money, the truth is that if you make a mistake, it can cost you money. Outsourced accounting services are the solution you need. Not only will you lose money if you mess up your businesss taxes, but what if you short change an employee? Or miss a payroll deadline? How can you handle the corporate side of your business if youre buried in the books all day?

Its not all about accounting

There are many tasks you can outsource for your business. You can also outsource things like CFO services. The financial side of your business is what fuels your business. You want solid strategic planning and a defined direction for your business. Getting things like outsourced accounting services is just one way to delegate and organize your business plan for success. Outsourcing other aspects is also possible, and most time favorable. Third parties can also assist with raising capital funds and even advise you about how to plan for your businesses future.

Some may see outsourcing as a short cut, but if you are in a position where you are your only employee and your business is not big enough to justify hiring accounting staff, outsourced accounting services only make sense. Dont short-change your business and its success by trying to juggle everything on your own. You want qualified and experienced professionals helping you grow your business. Dont saddle yourself or an unqualified employee with the important accounting needs of your business. Outsource to professionals today.

Ways To Finance Your Vending Machine Business

When starting a business, theres that one big wall that block your way, and thats your startup money. Without money to fund your business, there will be no business at all. So how and where can you get money? Read on to get some ideas on where you can find funding sources for your vending business:

Home Equity Loan
Most people immediately think of getting a standard business loan when thinking of financing a home business or business startup. While this may be appropriate, do not fail to consider using your home as a bank.

Small Business Administration Loan
Banks administer this loan and are more favorable to this type than a standard bank loan because they are only liable for 15% of what they loan (the government carries the other 85%). There are a number of types of documentation required with this loan, but it is certainly worth the trouble if you are willing to follow the process.

Standard Bank Financing
This financial source is probably the most difficult, yet not impossible with good credit and some net worth. Banks typically do not look favorably at vending machine loans and consider them risky because they are not considered a fixed asset.

Invest Your Tax Return Money
For a lot of people, April 15th is bonus time every year as they receive tax returns with earned income credit and deductions for kids. You can use this to slowly build your vending business. Its a great, safer way to build your business.

Family Loan
In some cases, a family member may be favorable to loaning you the money for starting your home-based business. While there may be relationship risks to this setup, it needs to be considered as an alternative to standard business financing. Some family members would rather invest in your business vision and draw a little interest rather than lending it to a bank at 2-3%.

Sell Items You Dont Need
If you badly need to create an income steam, opt for this least popular fund source. How about downsizing your car and investing the money in machines? Why not have a huge yard sale to raise $500-$1000? Why dont you downsize your home and invest your profits in the business? All of us have some money around us in our life that we could put to work.

Lease Purchasing
An option to getting into the vending business is to make an offer to buy an established vending route by lease-purchasing. You agree to lease the route from the seller with an option to buy at the end of the lease period. You invest your profits from the lease period into the purchase of the business or you can continue leasing for the cash flow you are receiving. Remember to get legal help in setting up any contractual agreement like this.

Owner Financing
Not that always easy to find but dont let it stop your from asking the seller of a vending route for it, especially if you have some money to put down.

Home Based Business

A home business (or “home-based business” or “HBB”) is a small business that operates from the business owner’s home office. In addition to location, home businesses are usually defined by having a very small number of employees, usually all immediate family of the business owner, in which case it is also a family business. Home businesses generally lack shop frontage, customer parking and street advertising signs. Such businesses are sometimes prohibited by residential zoning regulations.The prospect of working from home has gained credibility over the years. Home offices can now compete with small commercial businesses and save on rent in the process. Faxes, high speed internet connections, dedicated home telephone lines, and cell phones help to make a home-based business a reality. Earlier home businesses had been where families lived on the second floor of their house while converting the first floor into a store, whereupon close of business they would secure the first floor and retire to the upper floors. This type of home business is still done in some rural areas.The concept of homebased business, as opposed to the previous terminology of “cottage industry”, first appeared in 1978. The phrase was coined by Marion Behr, the originator of a study to find out what businesses women throughout America were carrying on in their homes. The preview edition of Enterprising Women wrote about the search to gather information pertaining to home workers throughout the nation. Numerous magazines and organizations helped to disseminate information regarding the study. Ultimately 40,000 letters were received, many indicating the problems the respondents experienced while carrying on businesses from their homes. The problems were analyzed and confronted in two ways. In 1980 the National Alliance of Homebased Businesswomen was founded to combat the isolation expressed by the respondents as well as to fight the laws which made conducting their businesses difficult. Then Women Working Home: The Homebased Guide and Directory by Marion Behr and Wendy Lazar was published.It contained the stories of many women who ran home-based businesses throughout the country in many diverse fields, as well as information on business formation, conduct and compliance with the law. It sold 50,000 copies. During this time many national magazines wrote about these issues.At the White House Conference on Small Business in 1986, one of the major resolutions was a recommendation favoring lifting restrictions on home-based business..CitiWide

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