What is "Safety Compliance"?

Compliance, by definition, is following the rules, any rules.

If you create or import to gift, donate, or sell, you will follow the rules set forth by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The CPSC's regulations include any product that is made for or sold to someone other than yourself.

The CPSC's main job is to protect consumers, however, by protecting consumers, they are also protecting your business from unnecessary issues.

Under the regulations of the CPSC and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), nearly all consumer products must be tested for various elements to ensure safety. These elements may include lead, flammability, and phthalates (like BPA).

Under the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), nearly all consumer products require some form of labeling and our advertising must be non-deceptive.

Essentially, safety compliance breaks down to 5 main steps:

1. Registration with the CPSC (free)
2. Purchasing readily compliant materials and/or testing on your own
3. Tracking components and finished products
4. Labeling (small cost just like your materials)
5. Creating your own statement of compliance for the finished products (including any necessary testing)

My job is to assist you in this part of the journey as efficiently and effectively as possible so that you can get right back to selling.

As a business (versus a hobby that donates or gifts), you will incur more regulations, but this is dependent upon the type of business you are, the entity type you've chosen, and the city, state, and county you reside.

In general, business compliance will break down into 4 main steps:

1. Register at state level to accept and pay state sales taxes
2. Register at the federal level
3. Register your business name at city/county level
4. File federal, state, and city income, sales, & property taxes.

For more information on the business compliance steps, I highly recommend Christina Coyle at Paradyme Financial Solutions, LLC. She is personally familiar with the creative business and is up to date with all of the current tax law and IRS cases meaning she can get you all of the breaks allowed and reduces your risk of being audited for incorrect filing.

For making that informed decision on whether an LLC is right for your business, Dana Bucy Miller at DM Law LLC is the go-to expert.  She'll make sure that the LLC is right for your situation and let you know if it isn't and at what time in your business it might be beneficial.

Finally, there is an issue of your creative genius.  Protecting your intellectual property can be a bit of a battlefield on it's own.  While I cannot help you with this, I cannot recommend enough Dana Bucy Miller for this as well.  She is passionate about creatives and will work with you to make sure your idea is able to be protected and the ways it can be protected ensuring that you invest in true value.