Max – Transitioning to Self-Employment as a Wedding Photographer

Max decided to transition to self-employment as a wedding photographer whilst maintaining his full-time job. He established a sole proprietorship to turn his photography hobby into a profession. However, he faced significant challenges in understanding accounting requirements for his new business. Max had no income initially or very little income, and he had invested in a website, advertising, camera equipment, and photo editing software. He was uncertain about what accounting obligations applied to his sole proprietorship, what expenses could be deducted, and how to properly maintain his business records.

Findea.ch provided comprehensive guidance on accounting for sole proprietorships in Switzerland. The solution included: explaining the "milk book" accounting system (simple income-expenses accounting) available to sole proprietorships with revenues under CHF 500,000; advising Max to record all income and document all business-related expenses; recommending he open a separate business account and route all business transactions through it; explaining the importance of collecting and maintaining all receipts and invoices; clarifying commercial register entry requirements (mandatory at CHF 100,000+ revenue); and explaining VAT registration thresholds and implications. Max learned to properly categorise his expenses, distinguishing between legitimate business expenses (advertising, website, camera, photo editing software) and personal expenses.

Max successfully established his sole proprietorship accounting system using the milk book method. He properly documented all business expenses including advertising, website maintenance, camera equipment, and photo editing software. He maintained a separate business account for all transactions and collected necessary receipts and invoices. Max achieved great success with his sole proprietorship - he was able to quit his full-time job and now invests all his time in his photography business, successfully turning his hobby into a profession.