Look up the book Studio Business by Jim Mandell.
Its a good book to start with.

First thing you have to do is get organized. You want to run a studio just like any other business. You have to keep good records and make sure you get a good accounting software package like Quick Books so you can keep track of your income and expenses. You should also get a good scheduling program or a good scheduling book to keep track of when your studio is booked (also it is a good way to check and see what are your peak times and when things are slow for future reference). Every purchase should be entered into your accounting program just as every invoice for services should be entered in. This will help you and your accountant at tax time. You also want to have a good lawyer and a good accountant that you trust for various jobs as the studio goes forward.

Be as professional as you can be. Don't assume that other people are going to know what you want them to do so have some basic guidelines laid out in an easy to read format. This can be a one sheet hand out or a lengthier document. Basic things like NO SMOKING in the control room, all copyrights have to be obtained in advance and it writing or no recording until they are, No pets or bikes in the studio (what ever you want to say) It helps to set the ground rules. You can always be more flexible but if things get out of hand you have something to fall back on. Also make sure that you have all the necessary tax documents and anything else that your city, county or state requires of a business. There are quite a few good books out on starting and running your studio and a quick search on Amazon or the WWW will usually turn up a lot of names.

If you have specific questions please ask them.

Best of luck!

Just for laughs (or not), one Rap/Hip-Hop studio at which I freelanced had a policy of leaving weapons with the receptionist, no hard drugs and no hard liquor. :roll: