Ask Questions 
Share Tips 
List Your Business 
Coffee Talk with Experts 
Biz Planning | Sample Plans 
Idea 
Name 
$ 
Do It! 
Promotional Merchandise
Managing | Operations
Work @ Home 
Yoga @ Your Desk 
|
|
Expert Answers to Biz Questions
Listen in! Pick up some expert advice to a reader's question that we selected from CyberSchmooz.
Opening a Museum
As a kid, you may have loved museums. Maybe you have fond memories of touring museums with your family--looking at toys from 1915, seeing the way the human brain works, or crawling inside a life-size igloo. You may have hated museums as a kid, and only recently developed your appreciation for what they offer. Museums, especially small ones, are a way for visitors to step into the past, and that magical encasement of bygone eras might get your heart beating a little faster. You love museums, and you’d love to open one.
If you, or a group you’re with, is interested in opening your own museum, you have a complicated road ahead of you. It’s hard to get a museum up and running, and it’s hard to turn a profit, especially in a remote area. You may, however, be the owner of a historical home, or a member of a town with incredible history--and a museum belongs there. If you want to get started with opening a museum, check out this list of steps to get started.
Understand the Legal Requirements
Opening a museum is not an easy task. One of the most brain-splitting jobs you’ll face is all the legal requirements. You’ll need to file articles of incorporation, obtain an employer identification number, file for tax-empty status with the IRS, and file for state and local exemptions. To understand all of the legal requirements opening a museum calls for, go here.
Know Your Museum Identity
Every museum is different. From a historical house that’s only open a few days each month, to an interactive museum that’s great for hands-on learning and field trips, you’ll need to decide what kind of museum you’re going to be. If the draw for your museum will be small, you’ll want to open on a tiny budget. If you have school-draw, and field trips could be scheduled in your museum, you’ll want to be open in the mornings and afternoons during the week. The type of traveler you’ll attract will help determine your budget, your hours, and the way you style your exhibits.
Save Money
One of the best ways to succeed as a museum is to become sustainable. You’ll want to make sure you can stay open (let alone turn a profit.) Are you near a community who might donate towards the historical cause? Do you have volunteers willing to lead tours or work the front desk? There are quite a few ways you can save money as you work towards opening your museum. You can even get a tour app developer to create a smartphone tour of your establishment, reducing the need for tour guides. With every step as you plan your museum, make sure you’re financially prepared. A good idea would be to contact an accounting and consulting firm and make sure your financial figures are looking good. Once you know you’re in good shape to get started, you can begin. Within a year or two, your museum will be open, and you can finally realize your dream.
|
|
Small Business Tax Center • Idea Cafe Home • Sign Up • Biz Grant Center • CyberSchmooz •Coffee Talk with Experts • People in Biz Profiles • Starting Your Biz • Biz Planning • Running Your Biz • FREE Trade Publications • Marketing • Financing Your Biz • Human Resources • Legal & Biz Forms • Managing Your Biz • eCommerce • You and Your Biz • Gen X • Work@Home • The Fridge • De-Stress • Send an Award • Send an eGreeting • Yoga @ Your Desk • Web Guide • Idea Cafe in the News • About Idea Cafe • Advertise on Idea Cafe • Contact Us • Privacy Policy • Site Map • Small Biz News
Copyright 1995-2023, Idea Cafe Inc. Downloads are for personal use only, not for resale to others, and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission from Idea Cafe Inc.
DISCLAIMER: We hope whatever you find on this site is helpful, but be cautioned that it may not apply to your own situation, or be totally current at any given time. Idea Cafe Inc. and all of its current and past experts, sponsors, advertisers, agents, contractors and advisors disclaim all warranties with regard to anything found anywhere on this family of websites, quoted from, or sent from Idea Cafe. and its related sites, publications and companies. We also take no responsibility for comments published by others on these pages. TRADEMARKS: The following are Registered Trademarks or Servicemarks of DevStart, Inc.: Idea Cafe®, Online Coffee Break®, The Small Business Gathering Place®, Take out Info®, Biz Bar & Grill®, Complaint-O-Meter®, A Fun Approach to Serious Business™, CyberSchmooz™, and BizCafe™.
|
|
|
|