Start Your Own Scrapbook Business - It's Not as Hard as You Think!

Scrapbooking is the number one craft in America. Everyone has photos and many want to preserve them in a manner other than slipping them into photo sleeves in cheap albums. Instead, they want to artistically embellish pages to put their photos on that showcase the photo and the story behind it.

Recent research indicates that only about 4% of women are avid scrappers. While the industry has experienced some challenges in recent years, there are still plenty of people who are not scrapping or who are not really aware of it.

Personalized service is the number one desire of any shopper and especially of scrapbookers. There is a wide open opportunity for providing that personal service and making some money doing it.

There are several paths you can take to start your own scrapbook business:

• Scrapbook consultant: A consultant can provide a wide range of services. She can hold parties and classes in her home or the home of others. She will sell products she either has on hand or from a catalog. This can be done independently with a group like ScrapBiz or by signing up with one of the many direct sales companies in the industry. However, the difference in profit will be large since direct sales companies only pay 20-30% commission vs. buying products on your own through a wholesale distributor. She can also provide one-on-one consulting to help someone start scrapping or motivate someone to keep doing it - like a personal scrapbooking coach. She will charge by the hour for those services.
• Online Scrapbook Store: This is a popular option for those wanting to start their own business. It's easy enough to set up an online store and stock it with products. But the really hard part is making your store stand out. There are thousands of online scrapbook stores on the internet and finding loyal customers can be tricky. Many scrappers find that combining their online store with another activity gives them a better chance of success.
• Vending at retreats, crops and conventions: Another popular choice - often combined with the online store model. This gets you in front of customers and builds a personal relationship with them. That will hopefully drive traffic to your online store. This is a fun option but hard work as you have pack, unpack and repack your store constantly. However, it can also be one of the most successful scrapbook businesses to undertake. This is especially true if you gain popularity or fall into favor with a regular group who gets together often to crop.
• Kit Club: Unfortunately, anyone who can differentiate between cardstock and patterned paper thinks they can start a kit club. Like the online store model, it only SOUNDS easy. There are lots of tricky parts that most people don't' consider until they are knee-deep in kits! But, this can also be a fantastic way to grow your scrapbook business as you build a long list of people who like your style. This model is also often combined with the online store and crop vending options.
• Scrapping for others: Becoming a freelance or custom scrapper is a very viable option for women who really love to scrap but who don't want to worry about parties, inventory, etc. Many people love the look of a scrapbook but lack the time, talent or desire to make one. They will happily pay someone else to make one for them. Most scrapbook artists charge around $20 per single-sided 12x12 page. Sometimes that includes supplies and sometimes the customer must buy the supplies themselves. The key is to treat this like a business and make your pages as quickly and efficiently as possible. Burn-out is high in this option and finding customers can be tricky. It takes good marketing skills as most customers don't really know they need a scrapbook. Business customers are going to give you a higher rate of success as they are going to be willing to pay more once you convince them how nice a scrapbook about their business would look.
• Starting a small bricks and mortar store: This is the least desirable option for owing your own scrapbook business. You really need to have a strong background in retail management. Many scrapbookers don't, but still take a crack at it. Therefore, the industry has seen many, many stores fail. You have to know exactly how to manage your inventory and market your business. It's also the most labor and financially intensive model that includes a lot of risk. If you don't have the stomach for risk or the deep pockets, then look at other ideas for starting your own business, first. It's perfectly acceptable to start out as a home-based business and move into a store later.

There are lots of options for starting a scrapbook business. They key is to take the time to write down what you want out of it personally and professionally. You have to find a path that fits your family situation as well as one that fits your talents and passion. It won't be easy to start your own business, but finding success will be possible. And, because you are doing something you love, you will find the journey very personally rewarding.

Kim Guymon is the founder of ScrapBiz and is considered one of the foremost experts on starting and running a business in the Scrapbook Industry. Since 2001, she has helped hundreds of entrepreneurial scrappers realize their dream of owning a scrapbook business. Her group is a small business incubator where new business owners are guided down the path of entrepreneurship by utilizing many resources found at ScrapBiz. With nearly 300 members, ScrapBiz is the largest group of its kind in the scrapbook industry and the ONLY group that focuses on home-based businesses. Kim can be contacted at Kim@ScrapBiz.com or you can view her website at http://www.ScrapBiz.com or her popular business blog at http://www.KimGuymon.com

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