is a co-op a viable business model

[sam_ellis]

I had a thought tonight, artists have co-ops where a few artists share studio space rather than each individual having

their own dedicated space. Could that work for photographers? I mainly do weddings, a friend of mine does family

portraits, another friend does a lot of maternity and newborns, someone else does a lot of seniors. For photographers

who specialize in a narrow segment, could they coexist with other photographers in a shared space or am I crazy for

thinking about this?

 

Thanks for your input,

 

Sam

[mike dixon]

The obvious problem I see is scheduling conflicts among the photographers and their clients. Artists sharing a

studio space along need to agree among themselves; photographers would need to resolve conflicts among themselves

<b>and</b> their clients. There will probably be a much heavier demand for weekend time slots and for times

right after usual business hours because that's when most clients will have free time. It will also be difficult

to schedule clients if you have to call three other people to see if the time your client wants is available.<P>

Another issue to deal with: What happens if someone else's client is late or their time runs long, and their

session spills over into <b>your</b> time?

[reichard]

A co-op is routinely drafted as a 501©3 non-profit corporation. Non-profit doesn't mean that you don't earn money/salary, but establishing such an entity is typically expensive. My family and friends are starting one and our attorney's letter of engagement requested $10,000 in order for the lengthy filings.

 

Unless you just mean a bunch of people sharing space, sure, that works too! Come on over, I have 5000+ sqft of "extra" space!

[sam_ellis]

Thanks Mike, I thought about those issues as well. I see it working out best for people who have different target markets but need access to a storefront as well as studio space on occasion. I picture multiple camera rooms. I would think with software available, you could schedule things pretty smoothly.

 

Reichard- I mean a few people sharing a common space such as a lobby area with separate offices and maybe two or three studios. I'm thinking mall space, stip mall, boutique- that sort of thing.

 

I know it would take the right people to make it work.

[sprouty]

I am a member of a community darkroom. There are more than two dozen members sharing 5 enlargers and two wet spaces. You simply call up and schedule your time with the dark room manger on a first-come first-served basis. After work it can be a little tight on some days but it no one ever complains. I think it's a great system; I'm not sure why it wouldn't work for other types of shared spaces.

[edlynn]

<p>Back when I was in college at Art Institute, everything was shared. And yes, there were headaches. But by having rules, you got around them. Sign in sheets, time limits, etc. are the nature of the beast. Just make sure you don't take on too many members and that there are enough of everything to go around. Not just space, but gear too. You should even think about the fridge space, and the hammock space, and the bandwidth. Make sure there's enough of EVERYTHING to go around.<br>

A tip: One big space can be divided into several spaces with blackout cloth and tape on the floor, and back into a big space any time you need one big space again.</p>