First Time Freelancer's Guide to Taxes
A guide for first-time freelancers navigating taxes and tax preparation.
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Resource Library
Explore Tools and Guides
A curated collection of tools, guides, and reading to help you take care of business.
Launching a venture or going freelance comes with a lot of questions. This library pulls together the tools, articles, templates, and guides to help you navigate the business side of your creative practice. You will find resources covering freelancing and client work, financial management, starting a new venture, and industry reading on trends in the creative economy. All of it is curated for artists, designers, and content creators, and updated throughout the year.
The library is updated regularly as new tools and resources become available. Have a resource you think should be included? Reach out to us at CCE@ringling.edu.
Try searching for topics like freelancing, startup, funding, legal, accounting, crowdfunding, local connections, or business names.
Freelancing
Setting Up Your Freelance Finances: An Action Plan
An action plan for setting up and managing your freelance finances.
View resourceThe Freelancer's Guide to Getting Paid on Time
A guide to help freelancers manage payment expectations and get paid on time.
View resourceContract Creator
A tool to help freelancers create contracts for client work.
View resourceStartup & Business Creation
Why You Should Consider an LLC for Your Freelance Business
An article about why an LLC may be worth considering for a freelance business.
View resourceTechstars Entrepreneur's Toolkit
A toolkit for entrepreneurs exploring startup concepts, planning, and growth.
View resourceUltimate Guide to Forming a Florida LLC
A guide to forming an LLC in Florida.
View resourceIRS Guide for Starting a Business
IRS guidance for starting a business and understanding basic tax responsibilities.
View resourceMaRS Startup Toolkit and Resource Hub with Practical Guides and Articles
A resource hub with practical startup guides and articles.
View resourceLivePlan: Business Planning Guides, Articles, and Templates
Business planning guides, articles, and templates for entrepreneurs.
View resourceStrategyzer: Business Model Canvas and Tools
Tools for business model development, planning, and strategy.
View resourceFunding & Financial
Kickstarter Resources for Art Students
Kickstarter resources created for art students and creative projects.
View resourceKickstarter Creator Handbook
A handbook for planning and running a Kickstarter campaign.
View resourceSBA: Fund Your Business
SBA guidance for understanding ways to fund a business.
View resourceSBA: Additional Funding Opportunities
Additional SBA funding opportunities and resources.
View resourceUS Chamber of Commerce: Small Business Grants and Programs
A list of small business grants and programs from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
View resourceLibrary of Congress: Small Business Financing and Crowdfunding
Library of Congress guidance on small business financing and crowdfunding.
View resourceNASE Online Financial Calculators
Online financial calculators from the National Association for the Self-Employed.
View resourceUpwork Free Business Calculators
Free business calculators for freelance and business planning.
View resourceLegal & Accounting
A Basic Accounting Tutorial for New Small Business Owners
A basic accounting tutorial for new small business owners.
View resourceIntuit Free Resources and Interactive Courses
Free resources and interactive courses from Intuit.
View resourceVLAA Legal & Business Guides for Artists
Legal and business guides for artists.
View resourceLegalZoom Document Templates
Document templates for legal and business needs.
View resourceGYST Sample Checklists, Contracts, and Forms
Sample checklists, contracts, and forms for artists.
View resourceU.S. Copyright Office: Engage Your Creativity
Plain-language guidance on copyright basics for creators, including how to register your work and understand your rights as an artist or designer.
View resourceIP Registration Toolkits
Step-by-step toolkits for registering intellectual property, covering copyright registration for visual art, photography, and other creative works.
View resourceBefore you name your business, check that it's available.
Found the perfect name for your business? Before you make it official, you need to check that it's actually available. Every state requires LLC names to be unique, so if someone else has already registered your name, you will need to choose something different. A quick name search before you file any paperwork can save you a lot of headaches later.
If you are starting your business in Florida, start with Sunbiz, the state's official business name search tool. If you plan to do business in other states, search each state's registry separately since name availability is determined independently by each state.
You should also search the federal trademark database through the USPTO, the federal agency responsible for protecting brand names, logos, and inventions, to confirm no one has already trademarked the name or logo you want to use.
Florida Business Name Search (Sunbiz)
Use this tool to conduct a state-level search for LLCs and trademarks by name.
View resourceUSPTO Trademark Search
Use this tool to run a federal trademark search through the trademark search database of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). This can help confirm whether your preferred name is available nationwide.
View resourceCrowdfunding Platforms
BackerKit
Best for creative products, comics, and games.
View resourceBuy Me a Coffee
Best for lightweight individual creator support.
View resourceCrowdfundr
Best for independent creative projects.
View resourceCrowdfunder
Best for general crowdfunding.
View resourceGamefound
Best for tabletop and game projects.
View resourceGoFundMe
Best for donation-based fundraising.
View resourceIndiegogo
Best for design and product entrepreneurship.
View resourceKickstarter
Best for general creative projects.
View resourceKo-fi
Best for individual artists and creators.
View resourcePatreon
Best for ongoing creative practice.
View resourceSeed & Spark
Best for film and storytelling.
View resourceSwish Funding
Best for creative projects.
View resourceWefunder
Best for entrepreneurial ventures.
View resourceOrganizations to Know
AIGA: Business & Freelance Resources
The professional association for design. Resources on contracts, freelancing, marketing, and self-promotion for graphic and interactive designers.
View resourceGraphic Artists Guild
Serves graphic designers, illustrators, animators, and web developers. Resources on contracts, freelancing, and self-promotion.
View resourceGYST-Ink: Professional Practices Guides for Artists
Artist-run resource hub offering free tools for finding a studio, financial and contract forms, and promotion materials.
View resourceIRS Small Business and Self-Employed Tax Center
Tax guidance, forms, publications, and tools for small business owners and self-employed creatives.
View resourceLawyers for the Creative Arts
Pro-bono legal services and information on intellectual property and starting a business for artists. Includes a weekly helpline for quick legal questions.
View resourceNational Association of Independent Artists
Promotes the artistic and professional success of working artists and artisans across the United States.
View resourceSCORE
The nation's largest network of volunteer business mentors. Free business training and mentorship for small businesses.
View resourceSmall Business Administration (SBA)
Support, guidance, resources, and training for small businesses across the United States.
View resourceU.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Information on applying for U.S. patents and registering trademarks.
View resourceCreative Capital Artist Lab
Professional development resources for working artists, including guides, tools, and programming on the business and career side of sustaining a creative practice.
View resourceLocal Connections
Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce
Links businesses, organizations, and residents together with programs that strengthen Sarasota's economic vitality and business success.
View resourceSarasota.Tech
A free monthly meetup of technology-engaged entrepreneurs and an annual Sarasota Tech Summit in January.
View resourceThe Shipyard
A community-driven talent incubator hosting hackathons and entrepreneurial events, bringing together students, professionals, and industry leaders.
View resourceFlorida Small Business Development Center
Free, confidential business consulting and low-cost training for emerging and existing businesses in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
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