SV: Re: [sdiy] Pitfalls of the synth 'small business'

[Christopher Randall]

On Nov 5, 2005, at 10:57 AM, karl dalen wrote:

>> Also...even though many of you may think that hey.....$50,000/yr  
>> is a lot
>> of money...don't forget...a large portion of that will go to my Uncle
>> Sam....30% in income taxes...and another huge chunk for "self  
>> employment
>> taxes"....
>
> Ouch, thats what you have to pay in some places in Sweden!
> I tought US had an fairly low income tax compared to sweden!


There are a lot of factors. The state you live in has a lot to do  
with it. (And I don't mean the state of denial.) 50,000 a year  
inexplicably puts you in an upper-middle class tax bracket in this  
country, although that amount is really "just getting by" if you have  
a family. But some states don't have a state income tax, so you can  
save quite a bit of money depending on where you live.

That said, having been self-employed for over 15 years now, it is a  
difficult proposition, but if you're able to add to your income by  
other more consistent means, it is a much better lifestyle than  
working for a larger company. In my case, my monthly ASCAP checks  
(mostly) pay the bills, so the income from my four (!) small  
businesses, what little there is, goes to lifestyle enhancing things  
like caffeine, toothpaste, and tobacco, in ascending order of  
importance.

Two points I'll add to what has already been said on the subject:

1) I regularly work 80 to 90 hour weeks on Audio Damage stuff, and so  
does Adam. It is interesting, and almost as fulfilling as creating an  
album. We, of course, work with the tacit understanding that, at the  
end of the Process, there will be a payday. If that day doesn't come,  
then was it fulfilling enough to make it worth the while? Speaking  
strictly for myself, I'd say "yes," but that's a decision you'll have  
to come to _before_ you start. Are you willing to work for nothing,  
with no end result, because the work itself is pleasure? If you  
answer "yes" to that question, go file some papers and start a company.

2) Find someone you can work with. Creating in a vacuum is a  
pointless endeavor, and not fun at all. Your wife/girlfriend/life  
partner/pets are not interested in DSP code or PCBs, and never will be.

Now, I was watching TV the other day, and a commercial came on for a  
car that had music in it created by one of our customers, and I could  
plainly hear plug-ins that Adam and I made. For better or worse, the  
things you make add to the human experience, and that, in and of  
itself, is a heavy thing. Much better than pushing paper for some  
bullshit company that'll pat you on the ass and give you a gold watch  
when you're 65.

Chris Randall
Audio Damage, Inc.
http://www.audiodamage.com