Insurance, check. Business License...??

So I am in the middle of establishing my face painting and body art business (I do facepainting, airbrush tattoos, bodypainting, and special effects) And am doing my best to organize myself. I've got my name chosen (Fairytail Facepainting & Body Art) my theme (tuquoise, magenta and black (was I inspired by the forum background? Maybe....) and a black cat with butterfly wings) my Facebook page is getting set up, in the process of organizing and building my website... and then the paperwork.

I KNOW I need to purchase insurance for sure. I guess what I'm confused about is the business license. Might be a dumb question, but... is it really necessary? Can I get away with operating without it for a few months? It feels odd to file for a business license with my city when 1) I'm planning to move in about 3 months (do I do/pay the whole process again for the new city???) and 2) face painting services are normally tax free! I thought the purpose of the BL was so that the IRS could keep an eye on their portion of tax??

Also, if I DON'T get a business license, do I still need to file for a Fictitious Business Name? I feel like I should, so that someone else can't nab the name before I do...

I guess I'm just really confused. I know that other service industries such as spa maintenance, gardeners, etc need business licenses, so it makes me think that maybe I need one too?

Just how necessary IS this whole Business License thing?

LICENSE QUESTION PART 2:

Down the road I plan to offer customized fairy wings, tiger and dragon tails, princess tiaras and mini tutus for purchase along with my usual face painting and airbrush tattoos. I know that at that point I would have to acquire a seller's permit because I am offering more than just a service, but tangible products as well. So when I go to apply at fairs and carnivals, would I stop applying as an 'entertainer' and switch to be a 'vendor' instead? Would I need a separate 'business' from my face painting service for the sale of my customized and handmade items? Its just all so confusing!

1. Do you mean fairytale or fairytail? 2. Are you moving states or staying in the same state? 3. IRS still wants a portion of your profit, and as the business owner, you need to be registered (either as a sole proprietor or LLC most likely for your situation). This can be done at your State Secretary office where they also have a bunch of info on resources and whether it's appropriate to file with your city or county, as well as if your name is up for dibs. If you are starting in the same state this can be transferable to your next residence. If I could do all these steps again, I would have gotten my licenses first, insurance as soon as I got my first gig, and website a few months down the road so I wouldn't have to repurchase everything all at the same time. Best of luck!

1. Fairytail. Wanted to hint at what I would end up painting the most (butterfly masks and tiger faces) and its kind of a geeky little personal homage to a japanese comic book series that my husband and I follow. I know that there are a couple of artists who go by FairyTale Facepaint (my nearest one is in the Bay Area and I think there's another one in British Columbia) The name is different enough for search engines and my area of service far away enough (Southern California, specifically the Coachella Valley) that I figure it doesn't affect business competition.

2. I'm only moving to a different county, but in California you register businesses with your county clerks. When I move I'm going to have to cancel my DBA and BL with Riverside County and open a new one in whatever county we move to. (and pay all those fees again. Oy vey.)

3. Yes, after extensive additional research and phone calls today, I've come to that conclusion. Especially in my county, it seems- in other areas it looks like you don't need a business license to operate if you make less than a certain amount of income per year from it ($500-$800 yearly, according to different counties I looked at) but in Riverside it looks like if you transact any business AT ALL you need the license.

I ended up purchasing my insurance first (through Bodyworks) because it covers the beauty makeup gigs I've been booking (though not airbrush foundation... grrrr...) I'm going to be using a Facebook Page until this little venture turns enough profit to afford buying my own domain.

Best of luck to you! Letting you know that I purchased my domain through "Go Daddy" and it was cheap. I designed my website through Wix.com and that's only $7 per month. VERY affordable.

Just checked Go Daddy. fairytailfacepainting.com is available and only $2.99 per year, if you sign up for 2 yrs or more. BARGAIN!

I'm in the midwest, but I don't have a business license. I do my taxes like freelance artists do (I do graphics too). Insurance, yes. Go forth and conquer!