I have always wanted to start my own business. Over the years I have created plans in my mind for everything from fly-fishing shops to appraisal services. That's the problem though, I have never taken the next step of actually doing something with my mental plan. Will this time be any different?

Fellow Blogger FMF posted recently about turning a hobby into Income. This article inspired me to take the next step and put some ideas down on paper.

I have always been into photography & framing. In college, I spent an entire spring break driving across North Carolina taking pictures. Some of these are matted and framed in my office now. I feel this is something I could turn into a revenue stream -- Here are my initial thoughts.

• Companies always need stuff framed -- certificates, artwork, magazine articles, even the first dollar they make. These are simple to mat and frame. I'd love to tap into that local market.


• There are tons of small consignment-type art shops around. These shops feature local goods such as hand-made pocketbooks and candles. I believe matted photos of local scenes would fit very well into their product mix.


• I'm a huge sports fan - and there are many folks out there like me. Like me, I'm sure they would like their sports memorobilia framed and matted.


• For general decorating purposes, I think I could price lower than a framing shop or one of the arts & crafts stores, like Michaels or A.C. Moore.


• I already have a professional mat cutter and have started researching options to buy matboard in bulk, and a distrubutor for custom sized frames & glass.

I'm not sure that this is the right time for me to start my own business. This definitely wasn't in my list of June Financial goals and I have my hands full with the upcoming wedding. But I am satisfied with having some ideas on paper, that's a good first step.

Next I can put some of the material from my MBA Entreprenuer Seminar to good use and work on a plan.

Thanks for reading!mortgage calculator