The Curmudgeonly Professor

Framed Photos of Poppies and a Yellow Lily from Peppermint Tulips Photography

My daughter wanted to frame a couple of my prints to sell at her women's club charity silent auction.  I sent her these two prints, which she framed and sold.  The poppies are from the Alpine poppy fields.  These prints and a zillion others are available from my photo galleries, linked at the right under Peppermint Tulips Photography, or you can access at dmblood.zenfolio.com  I just wanted to show these two off and I hope you like them.  My biggest problem now is that I have literally thousands of similar photos and not enough wall space to show even a tiny fraction of them.

  

Second Thoughts About Going into the Print Selling Business

Attempting to sell some of my photography prints seemed like a good idea--in theory.  After starting the business process, I'm not so sure.  I should have known better.  We operated two book and gift stores in Fort Collins a few decades ago, and we owned 30 student apartments in Laramie.  All of that was enough to sink us.  However, I figured my startup costs for selling photo prints would be close to zero.  I have several thousand prints that would look nice on someone's walls.  Then I started applying for licenses.  I registered with the Utah State Tax Commission and they want you to send in all kinds of forms whether you have income or not.  At least filling these forms out should be a piece of cake.  Then the City of Riverton hit me up for 50 bucks and the State of Utah hit me up for a whopping $198.  The City of St. George will likely extract another pound of flesh.  Let's see, to break even, I'd have to sell 10 prints at 30 bucks each.  So far I have sold zero after 3 months.  The thrill of entrepreneurship is waning, fast.  But, who knows?  I might sell one or two prints in the next year and can cut my losses.  At least I can't lose megabucks as I have sadly done before.  I haven't stimulated the economy, but I have enriched state and local government coffers.

The Curmudgeonly Professor Continues Entrepreneurial Quest, Gets Business License

In furtherance of my quest to sell photo prints, photo cards, and the like, I finally faced up to applying for a Utah state business and sales tax license.  The online form went on forever and ever and ever.  There was no suitable category for my little business so I checked "professional, scientific, and technical services."  If you check retail, you have to say what kind of store you have.  I have no store.  I had to swear I would not charge admission or fees, that I won't charge for dry cleaning, repairing, and renovating property; that I am not a restaurant (although my wife won't fix my lunch); that I won't sell fireworks or X-rated stuff or tobacco products; etc., etc. etc.  As the King of Siam says.

I am now registered with the State of Utah and have a temporary license so if anyone even thinks of turning me in be assured I am now legal as far as the State of Utah is concerned.  However, I must obtain municipal business licenses in Riverton and St. George.  I know I must do this because Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Fife raised heck (hell) with one poor guy who didn't have a business license in Andy Griffith's pre-Matlock days.

I had to estimate my first year's annual sales and the lowest category was $16,000.  I wanted to fill in the more accurate estimate of $10, but there was no place to do it.  Sorry, Utah, I will not sell enough stuff to raise enough sales tax to erase your deficit or increase the lowest-per-student education spending in the nation.

Now I am working on my photo note card addition to the Zenfolio portfolio site.  If you haven't visited the Zenfolio site, go to dmblood.zenfolio.com, or click on the Peppermint Tulips link at the left.  Then run the slide shows.  I just got another batch of Zenfolio magnetic prints and they are absolutely stunning.  Meanwhile, I continue to update my current series on how to avoid doing stupid things if you want to be an entrepreneur, since I have already done all of them.

Check out my Photo Galleries on Peppermint Tulips Photography

Click on Peppermint Tulips on my blog list at the right and check out the photos.  Click on a gallery, then click on slide show to see the photos at their best.  The site is still under construction but you can get the general idea.  Some sites, like family sites, will be open to everyone and can be copied or printed at vendor prices.  Other prices are set at approximate competitive rates.  The price lists are not complete.  So come back frequently to check on new photos.