Doing business with the state of NJ

[Willmac1.wm]

Ok I'll start by saying I don't really plan on opening a business I have a good paying job and don't have time to go full out. Long ago I used to install police car graphics for a company that doesn't do that kind of work any more. the township called me directly to see if I wanted to install the graphics one a few new cop cars for them. Now the catch. I'm not a business owner like an LLC or DBA. So I would some how need a BRC business registration certificate to do business with the state. Does any one know how to go about doing that without having to set up a full LLC I just rather prove the extra money on my own income. The state department that wants me to do the work said they can add me to the payroll but they can only pay 12.50 an hour because that's what they are aloud to pay a temp employee and that's not even worth me driving to the shop and turning on the equipment. if I set this up right I can set my own price. Any advice would be helpful.

 

[chrisphilipps]

You should be able to register with the state as a sole proprietorship. You can read about the requirements here and it looks like you can register your business with NJ here.

 

[Techman]

Ok I'll start by saying I don't really plan on opening a business I have a good paying job and don't have time to go full out.

Then why not pass this job along to a full time sign person who needs the income and does thsi for a living?

 

[DRamm76]

Stay where you are.
I've seen people come to me who love this industry, respect it and have a PASSION for making money doing what they love.
Then I see other people just buy a printer because they think you just sit back and hit print and get rich.
Wanna know who lasts more than 5 years?

 

[Willmac1.wm]

I hope I did it right. I didn't file for a FEIN I hope that's the right route. Like I said I'm not planning on getting big. I just want to do a few contracts a year for a Township making and installing police and fire graphics. They normally get about 3 new cop cars and both boats normally need new letters after the summer cops smash them up.
I plan on just declaring the income and additional income on my own taxes.

 

[CrAkD]

everyone is so negative about people making extra money. are you that bitter? Theres more than enough work out there for everyone. Just gotta go grab it.

 

[Willmac1.wm]

everyone is so negative about people making extra money. are you that bitter? Theres more than enough work out there for everyone. Just gotta go grab it.

I'm not paying any attention to the negativity. No one knows exactly what I'm dealing with. I created the original graphic for the cop cars in the Township in 2006. I've installed them every year since then except for two years. I was in the militery from 2008 till 2013 and when I took leave and came home I would take the time to either install or make extra sets for the shop mechanic to install but they didn't fair to well. The police department wants the two cars the mechanic installed redone as well as two new cars and two boats. I used to do it for the 12.50 an hour that I mentioned before but with a wife and kid and a career to manage it's hard to find the time to make such little money. So the shop manager for the police department said if I had a registered busness I could set my own price.

 

[Techman]

everyone is so negative about people making extra money. are you that bitter?

Bitter has nothing to do with it.
Nothing wrong with making a few bucks either.

It gets real old looking at over $100 grand in equipment in the shop. Paying several thousands in property inventory taxes on that stuff each and every year that goes towards paying for those 4 cop cars... Then going to bid on jobs only to find out some 18 other onesy twosy's dabblers with no idea on how to even get a business license illegally running out of the house. All of which are working in other jobs with a nice life underbidding and driving down the real value and income of those who do this work professionally.

 

[CrAkD]

Bitter has nothing to do with it.
Nothing wrong with making a few bucks either.

It gets real old looking at over $100 grand in equipment in the shop. Paying several thousands in property inventory taxes on that stuff each and every year that goes towards paying for those 4 cop cars... Then going to bid on jobs only to find out some 18 other onesy twosy's dabblers with no idea on how to even get a business license illegally running out of the house. All of which are working in other jobs with a nice life underbidding and driving down the real value and income of those who do this work professionally.

That sounds pretty bitter to me. I'm a registered business but have a full time other career and work out of my house doing printing on the side. I hope to make it full time at some point but no rush. It's a free country we have the right to do that. I'm sure you are top notch at what you do with lots of experience but there's always a young kid around the corner looking to learn and make a buck and not charge thru the nose to do it either. That's life. No need to be bitter.

 

[catldavis]

Bitter much? I agree with CrAkD. It never ceases to amaze me that some think unless you run a full time shop you're working "illegally" out of your home and you don't/can't have the "experience" to do any jobs in a professional manner. Just an FYI, in most jurisdictions you can run a part time shop out of your home with a variance, special use permit or just a business license. Furthermore, as it sounds is the OP's case, you gain experience in the industry and then gain full time employment elsewhere and perform sign work on a part time basis.

That sounds pretty bitter to me. I'm a registered business but have a full time other career and work out of my house doing printing on the side. I hope to make it full time at some point but no rush. It's a free country we have the right to do that. I'm sure you are top notch at what you do with lots of experience but there's always a young kid around the corner looking to learn and make a buck and not charge thru the nose to do it either. That's life. No need to be bitter.

 

[Gino]

First of all..... thank you for your service.

There is nothing wrong with making an extra buck, but to outright tell us you don't intend to do this fulltime, you don't want to go through the nonsense of setting up legally and you don't want to work for the state part time, just rubs most hard working sign people the wrong way. While we all have to, you wanna skirt around it.

I understand at one time you were invovled, but since their own people can't do it and they don't want to pay you how you want to be paid.... why not offer them some fulltime sign people's names ??

My thoughts..... set up properly or don't do it at all. Afterall, isn't that partly what you fought for ?? Doing things the American way ??

 

[Willmac1.wm]

I'm not trying to skirt the system. I'm just not trying to open a CORP or LLC. I just wasn't sure how to set it up correctly and obtaining a business registration certificate to fulfill the state requirements. I'm not trying to do anything against the law that's why I'm asking my question to people who have done the process before.
How is running a busness out of a home office against the law. I dont do the installation at my house. It should be the same thing as a mobile detailing business or a contractor who does his work from the truck. I know a lot of contractors that don't have shops and just work out of a box truck.
At least I'm not selling copyright logos on eBay and not claiming the money. I'm just trying to do the job that I've been doing for years and the police department likes my work and knows what to expect. Should I take my designs and prints that I worked hard on and just give them over to a bigger shop because I'm such a nice guy. Or the bigger shop can try to remake my design as close as they can and most likely won't be perfect so the new cars won't match the old ones.
Oh I forgot about the comment of under bidding. I'm trying to set this thing up correctly so I don't underbid. Underbidding would be me taking the part time gig getting payed 12.50 an hour and lettering the 4 cop cars and 2 boats and me getting payed what 200 maybe 250 by time I cut out the letters mask them clean the cars and degrease and install. I work fast and get a job done so I'm not going to try to milk it to make more money. Now that's underbidding. The township wins because they payed 250 for the same work a shop would charge 1000 plus for.

 

[Gino]

For one thing, I didn't say or insinuate anything of the sort. You are the one who said you didn't want to do certain things, not me. I just repeated what you had already said. You sound passionate about your sign affiliations, so why not start a regular business ?? That doesn't equate to not running the show from your house or apartment. It just means setting all your ducks in a row like any other business and not flying under the radar.

I guess my next question would be...... if you aren't set up to do business, do you have any cutters or printers ?? If not, how are you producing these graphics you created ??

 

[Willmac1.wm]

For one thing, I didn't say or insinuate anything of the sort. You are the one who said you didn't want to do certain things, not me. I just repeated what you had already said. You sound passionate about your sign affiliations, so why not start a regular business ?? That doesn't equate to not running the show from your house or apartment. It just means setting all your ducks in a row like any other business and not flying under the radar.

I guess my next question would be...... if you aren't set up to do business, do you have any cutters or printers ?? If not, how are you producing these graphics you created ??

Most of my comment wasn't directed to you. There was some one else that was saying I should just pass the job onto a shop with high overhead because that's the right thing to do. I filed with the state as a sole proprietor under my own social and not a FEIN. It's not so much flying under the radar as I was trying to describe my wind set. That I wasn't trying to open a shop and I'm not really trying to out bid jobs. I do alot of my own hobby stuff around the house with a old Graphtec but in the case I would use the townships Graphtec that they had when I worked there that no one bothered to learn how to use after I left. They have a shop and my old office has remained the same since 2006 and no one uses it other than me when they ask me to do work for them. With budget cuts in 2007 they layer off a bunch of people including me in the sign shop so no one touches it. Then I joined the militery.

 

[J Hill Designs]

you dont have to be a corp or LLC to do business. just set up a DBA, get a business license, and boom. sticky ricky just opened shop.

 

[Techman]

Should I take my designs and prints that I worked hard on and just give them over to a bigger shop

While you have some sweat in those designs.. They are not yours. They belong to the company where you once worked.

 

[Techman]

One more thing.

In most places running a business out of the house where one is manufacturing items is against most zoning laws. So it is not just a matter of getting a business license to be legal.

 

[CrAkD]

One more thing.

In most places running a business out of the house where one is manufacturing items is against most zoning laws. So it is not just a matter of getting a business license to be legal.

Yeah we get it. You have a lot of overhead so we should all just pass along all business we drum up to you. Wouldn't want you to go hungry.

 

[Gino]

Yeah we get it. You have a lot of overhead so we should all just pass along all business we drum up to you. Wouldn't want you to go hungry.

There are rules, codes and policies set in place for a reason. Some to protect your neighbors from a horrible business setting up next door to you or to prevent traffic hazards when manufacturer Turing out of your bouse. Many people commit insurance fraud when something happens and want the insurance company to pay for their home-based business which was never properly set up. There are many things a legit business owner must do, whether he/she are operating out of a bedroom, basement or separate building, but they do it.

This OP was asking questions, sounding like he didn'twant to abide by the same rules the rest of us do.. So, you, he and some others instantly junp on others who knows and is trying to correct his wrong thinking. Starting somewhere, working from home and the other omplaints you all have mentioned are just emotional outbursts, cause you know you're in the wrong and you're trying to justify being wrong.


So now, I'd like to ask you a simple question, if I may.

You go into a store, mosey around and pick up a roll of scotch tape, put it in your pocket and leave the store. What did you just do ??

 

[Willmac1.wm]

You guys are funny. I'm here asking what is the right way to go about it so I do it correctly and I'm being called a thief. So according to you the only right way to go about starting a small sign graphics busness is to higher a lawyer and file your paperwork costing you thousands. Rent a shop pay hundreds of thousands on equipment and over head then I'm morally qualified to charge some one for my time.