The hidden legality issues of Paint parties

The Hidden Legality Issues Surrounding Paint Parties

    I know, as creatives this is not something that we like dealing with. However, this is something that I've had to deal with like it or not. It happened when I inquired to host paint parties at a military base. It seemed like a good deal at the time. I didn't need to do the legwork for the class because they would take care of it.  I didn't need a minimum to sign up, they would make sure it was covered too and I would be paid the same flat rate. I was set-up to do classes quarterly with them, which wasn't a lot but it was a good start. How could I refuse? Well, the thing was I had to sign-up to get a direct deposit with them and this took time. I also had to sign lots of documents and lastly, I had to get Business Insurance. I was to be paid $300/class for four classes a year. Business insurance was to cost me $300/year. Without considering other costs, I was to make a profit of $900. This seemed pretty good for me so I went through the lengthy process to sign up. We had one class of nine adults with one advanced child and it went pretty well. 

    However, after the class was over things slowly fell apart. I messaged my contact but didn't hear back for a while. We lived in the same small town area. So eventually we spoke again and it turns out the director of the MWR was being changed out so her new boss would need to approve it. We never did have another class. Luckily, I was paid for the first one and was able to get my money back. Having liability business insurance is also a good idea if you will be painting in your home or yard. If at a separate location, their place of business should cover any injuries or anything that gets broken/lost of your own (don't quote me) as long as you sign a contract. However, in your own home or their home it is an entirely different story. This is only one example of why you may need legal help as the owner of a paint party business. 

    Besides obtaining a business license, another example is needing a lawyer in the rare case that a student may sue. This hasn't happened to me personally but I have had a student and fellow teacher in a crafting class exclaim that she was upset because she was pregnant and the wallpaper glue we were using had this warning on it: 

    Luckily, I don't live in California but also, it could still be used against me. There are more than 90 chemicals on this list created in 1986. Now, there is a new label:

    Even if you are not in California (where it is still legal to use these chemicals anyway), it is best to lawyer-up, get liability insurance or at least be uber careful about these chemicals. ( visit p65warnings.ca.gov for more info.)

    Last but surely not least, you may need to register yourself as a business in your state/province/area. Depending on your business name and how much money you make, you will probably also need to report earnings and expenses on your taxes. The SBA has a guide here: https://www.sba.gov/business-guide/launch-your-business/register-your-business I would also think about writing up a legally binding contract with other businesses that you may deal with when starting up. Especially those that are well established as they know what they are doing in this regard and likely have lawyers of their own.

If you have any other legality questions, feel free to email me.

Where can I host a child's paint party?

Where to Host Children's' Paint Parties

If you have just started thinking about hosting parties and have no idea where to start then you have definitely come to the right place! Even if you have bought all of your materials and know WHO your first clients will be (in this case: children), sometimes the WHERE is the tricky part. Unlike adult parties, Paint & Sip isn't really an option. Kids buying lots of food and getting very messy (mixing up chow time with paint time) can be an issue at restaurants and with parents. SO here are some ideas that can help you determine where to host your first children's paint party:

1.  Their home - Many people don't think about having the parties in a  child's home. This works especially well for birthday parties. However, there can be some legal issues, which are all covered here: Legality of paint parties>> 
2. A community center,  art center or church - to set-up, a paint party in a local community center is often free and encouraged. However, they may have rules where you can only have a fundraiser for a specific predetermined group or charity. Therefore it needs to be not-for-profit. However, if you can rent out space for a nominal fee from like a VFW Hall then this is your best bet.
3. Parks, beaches & recreational areas - this is great for warmer months. You can set-up at already placed tables under awnings or even in rooms on boardwalks at the beach. Some may even have empty well-lit rooms for a nominal fee. The only seeming draw-back is the onlookers who may come to ask questions. But they can be future customers!
4. Schools & club centers - This option is doable but can be more tricky. Will it need to be a fundraiser? Will you need to make it more of a class or lesson? Look into the Boys and Girls scouts, often they are held within schools but have their own rules. 
5. Libraries & Museums - they often have events for kids run by outside entities. Check on their website or in person. 
6. Military Bases & Installations - This is the route I first went with. It can be difficult to set-up if you are not military affiliated yourself. Also, you may likely need business insurance which may or may not be worth it.  Check here for legality issues. >>
7. Coffee houses & Cafes - If you can find a cafe geared towards children then even better. I had this set-up once or twice, just make sure the owner is clear about the division of labor. The paint party is YOURS, the snacks and atmosphere are theirs.
8. Your She-shed, porch or garage - If all else fails, why not hold parties at your place? This is an easy solution, but please make sure to get everything legal taken care of first.  It's covered here: Legality of paint parties>> 

If you have any other questions about setting up your paint party please feel free to email us!  

Back at It again!! Tiny Houses, Teachable and more!!

I really need to blog more. I have had a lot of changes in my life and have moved around a few times since I last post. I'm currently still tutoring online as well as locally. Still interested in Marketing online as I am also creating an online course with Teachable. This will be a summer of change. I will update this blog with everything I learn from the people I meet online and in NY through the Teachable Incubator. So far, it is the first week and we are pretty active on Slack and I've already had three related business calls. I just can't wait to get done with My CPR/AED/First Aid class as well as recertifying myself as a teacher. The school year is ending and I will have more freedom to travel and work on this project...as well as visit more tiny houses. Oh yeah, I recently attended an event in DC!

Marketing in a Digital World

Taking a new coursera course and writing about it. I love Coursera for having so many great courses and specializations but as I don't pay for them (financial aid is easy to get) I often forget to complete them. I hope that by writing my notes here will keep me focused.

Basics of Marketing so far:

The 4 Ps Marketing Mix:

-Product
-Place
- Promotion
-Price

Product: Tangible good or service that meets a customers specific demand or need.

Place: How a product will be provided to the customer.

Promotion: Marketing communication strategies and techniques all fall under the promotion heading. These may include advertising, sales promotions, special offers and public relations. 

Price: How much a buyer is expected to pay for the end product.

Scifi and Tech: not so far apart anymore (spoilers)

     My first blog post of the year (and on this blog in general) is being typed on a lightweight touch screen laptop. Of course, someone had imagined it long before it became a reality. It has been said that technology follows entertainment as we all have seen these changes throughout or lives The three most notable contributors have been Star Trek; which depicted everything from the cell phone, flip phone, the Ipad, bluetooth ( scifi2real.wordpress.com ) and most recently we have seen Google Glass, 3d printers, Scanadu Scout phone accessory (Tricorder) pop up onto the scene. The Jetsons: Video conferencing, tanning beds, dog treadmills, and Robot maids (Mahru-Z & AR), Roomba, food to order (by pressing a button) and flat screen tvs. Back to the Future had Hoverboards, Self-tying laces ( directly influenced by the movie), video conferencing and flat screens (again), tv glasses ( a bit like Google Glass TBH), and dehydrated food (yuck?). However, these are all decades in the future. Of course, the inventors were impacted by these shows growing up.

    One British show that I have watched which came out recently, Black Mirror shows a near-future with high-tech gadgets we are already on the verge of discovering and are being released by companies. Actually, it's hard to tell whether the development started first or the screen writing when a show comes out and then only a year or two later a project is unveiled.

White Christmas Episode clip:

Although her consciousness was copied and captured (as many who are now freezing and suspending their brains for possible future use: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/frozen-brain-cryogenics) we cannot practically do this yet, there is soon the Virtual Box - as only Japan could conceive it:

Well, at least "waifu" isn't a real self-aware intelligence -yet. It's still creepy as hell and doesn't exactly fix the current issue of low-birth rates in Japan. She even turns the lights on and off in his apartment...

There was also an episode on MR called Playtest in which a volunteer for a new gaming company technology may have or may have not been killed by it (be careful of cell phone interference).:

And here is MR: VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) combined. This version (Hololens) is from Microsoft, however a company called Magic Leap are also creating a version that is just as impressive. It even has the Realtime translation being developed by a few companies (as long as it's better than Google Translate and Skype translator). 

As long as it's not too realistic....

Black Mirror can be watched on-demand on Netflix.