Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Good afternoon.

I was approached by an artist located outside the United States. This graphic artist is part of a large group of graphic artists, which means I could reach a large number of people who could be part of my business model.

This artist has his work available through a variety of media, but the ones he showed to me were applied to t-shirts (think "cafepress.com and threadless.com). Some of these guys were awarded design prizes, so the quality of their work is very good.

I need some guidance before I decide whether I want to jump into this opportunity and what my approach should be.

Based on the group involved, these are some areas I would like to reach for:

- t-shirt (although they can do it directly with the websites I mentioned above, the payment takes too long to be cleared to the artists and the transfer fees are pretty steep - remember these guys are not in the US). I can send their payment in a matter of a couple of days with a $5.00 transaction fee only.

- game character design

- cell phone character design

- book illustration

- magazine illustration

What else could I apply these skills to?

I also would appreciate to hear from people who deal with licensing (if international licensing, even better!).

Any suggestions are welcome!

Thank you,

Andre


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Andre Costa DaCosta Chocolates, LLC www.DaCostaChocolates.com

Hi Andre,

Be very careful.  A lot of internet scam involve a company outside t he USA wanting a rep in this country.  What information has he given you about his company?  And, more important, can you verify the information.

 

A company claiming to be a small textile manufacturer for instance was advertising for a customer rep.  But, when I contacted them (as part of an article I was writing on scams), they claimed to be a “large international” company looking for a rep in this country to process customer payments.  There was no such company listed anywhere. 

 

Further research on my part revealed that this was just a typical internet scam.

 

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The older we get, the more excuses we make for not chasing after our dreams. But truth is, goals are attainable at any age.

Hi nevadascul,

Thank you for the advise.
Actually this person contacted me because we have a friend (who I trust) in common. It was not a random thing.

He is a young graphic artist, very talented, just out of school. And he is part of a network of similar professionals who could use the representation in the US.

But because I`ve never worked with licensing before, I simply don`t know where to start.

Should I go ahead and set up a simple website to show their work? How can I draft a contract that will not sound too scary for these kids but that will protect us both?


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Andre Costa DaCosta Chocolates, LLC www.DaCostaChocolates.com