How to Start a Picture Framing Business

Start a picture framing business by following these 10 steps:

1. Plan your Picture Framing Business
2. Form your Picture Framing Business into a Legal Entity
3. Register your Picture Framing Business for Taxes
4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
5. Set up Accounting for your Picture Framing Business
6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Picture Framing Business
7. Get Picture Framing Business Insurance
8. Define your Picture Framing Business Brand
9. Create your Picture Framing Business Website
10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your picture framing business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

• What will you name your business?
• What are the startup and ongoing costs?
• Who is your target market?
• How much can you charge customers?

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Picture Framing Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

• Your state's business records
• Federal and state trademark records
• Social media platforms
• Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

What are the costs involved in opening a picture framing business?

It is important to have a very visible retail location and not be in a low-traffic area. This means you need to have a retail store on a street with high-traffic volume or in a place where there is significant foot traffic. This is expensive; however, without this ability for your store to be seen, your business will probably suffer.

Because your store needs to be very visible and easily accessible, the rent will be very high. Allocate a budget of $1 to $3 per square foot for each month’s rent. Typically a framing store is at least 2,000 square feet. This means monthly rent will be $2,000 to $9,000. In expensive areas, expect to pay twice this amount for your rent.

You need to have supplies as well. Because you can get supplies as needed about $10,000 is average amount needed for those things you want to put on display. Shelves will be needed to display smaller items for sale; however, most of the displayed items will be on the walls or shown on movable panels. Allocate about $25,000 for the fixtures and equipment needed to set up a basic framing store.

It is possible to start in this business with about $50,000 in many cities in America.

What are the ongoing expenses for a picture framing business?

Your ongoing expenses will be rent and utilities as well as the cost for any marketing campaigns. Typical marketing campaigns are the home delivery of flyers that have a discount offer. These flyers are distributed door-to-door by hand to save on postage costs. They are put on the doors or under the doors in the areas with the finest houses in the town. It would be reasonable to budget $500 per month for this effort to get started, which includes the cost of printing the flyers and having them delivered to the houses by hand.

Who is the target market?

The best customers are the ones who come back repeatedly and those that refer their friends to your shop. They may be collectors with a big house or they may be interior designers with a huge list of clientele that need framed artwork. It is also possible to serve local galleries and museums for the art pieces that they need framed or reframed.

How does a picture framing business make money?

Like any retail shop, the minimum markup is between 30% to 40% over the wholesale costs of the materials and the labor used to make the custom framing. For specialized work, using rare and exotic woods, it is possible to charge a lot more. Many framing shops work on a one-time double cost, which means that the price of the custom work is twice the cost of the labor and materials.

The price you can charge depends on the clientele you serve. For those collectors with expensive paintings, they are quite comfortable paying many hundreds of dollars to frame a painting that cost them thousands of dollars.

How much can you charge customers?

The cost to the customer is at least 30% to 40% markup from your wholesale cost for the materials and the labor used to complete the framing job. Many framing shops work on the basis of using 100% markup over costs. It all depends on the clientele.

How much profit can a picture framing business make?

A typical retail store will have gross revenues of about $200,000 or more per year and the profits are around 15% for the owner, after paying all the expenses.

How can you make your business more profitable?

You can sell art and framed photographs as well as the framing services. Have artists do custom work on commission, hang artwork on the walls that are for sale on a consignment basis (you only pay for it, if it sells), and have the artists make in-store appearances to generate higher sales volumes. Work with interior designers and other local art galleries to expand your good reputation. Sell your products at wholesale for others to re-sell at retail. Market your products on the Internet.

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your picture framing business is sued.

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

• Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
• Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

• Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
• Build your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a picture framing business business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

Certificate of Occupancy

Businesses operating out of a physical location typically require a Certificate of Occupancy (CO). A CO confirms that all building codes, zoning laws and government regulations have been met.

• If you plan to lease a location:
• It is generally the landlord’s responsibility to obtain a CO.
• Before leasing, confirm that your landlord has or can obtain a valid CO that is applicable to a picture framing business.
• After a major renovation, a new CO often needs to be issued. If your place of business will be renovated before opening, it is recommended to include language in your lease agreement stating that lease payments will not commence until a valid CO is issued.

• If you plan to purchase or build a location:
• You will be responsible for obtaining a valid CO from a local government authority.
• Review all building codes and zoning requirements for you business’ location to ensure your picture framing business will be in compliance and able to obtain a CO.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

Is this Business Right For You?

People drawn to this business have a keen aesthetic eye for the details that make a framed item attractive. They also like to interface with the public and encourage their customers’ personal style and expression in how a customer wants something framed. A custom framing shop is all about serving others to help them make their decorative ideas come true.

What happens during a typical day at a picture framing business?

You will need to maintain a clean and attractive retail environment in order to attract customers. It should be well-lit and catch the eye when someone passes by the store. There is a huge amount of customer service in this business because the choices are based on the aesthetic tastes of the customers.

Your main job will be to guide your customers in their selections, which should be fun, yet requires considerable patience. You will spend most of the day working with potential customers to help them select how they want items to be framed. There are many choices and sometimes this feels overwhelming to the customers. It is your job to assure them that they are making good decorative choices.

Part of the time you will create the physical frames themselves, which is a skill set like a handy person in that you will need to be able to cut the wooden molding to the correct lengths and at the correct angles. Then, you sand the cut edges and put the pieces together with a nail gun. You will use wax of the correct color to fill the nail holes so they are not easily seen. The next step is to use a razor cutter table device to make the matting the correct size and then put it all together under glass or plexi-glass with the item displayed in a perfect manner. To finish the piece you will add a paper backing to the frame and brackets with a hanging wire in the correct position, so that the piece will hang properly.

This may sound easy to do from this simple description, but it does take a bit of practice to get good at doing this work.

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful picture framing business?

You will need to have a love of the artwork or the photos you are framing and want to make them all to look the best you can make them look, with your framing efforts enhancing them.

What is the growth potential for a picture framing business?

As word gets out and your customer base expands, significant growth becomes possible within a single location. Employees can be added and your shop can be expanded. Online sales can also be a great way to generate additional income. There are franchises available so this business can go national. There are already some very successful national chains.