howto_start_ascrabbooking.htm

Scrapbooking has become a booming business of preserving memories in a creative way. Scrapbooking offers an individual many opportunities, but starting a Scrapbooking business or service will not be easy or a get-rich-scheme. There will be hard work and an investment of time and money to make a successful Scrapbooking business.

If you are feeling unhappy with your current job, not feeling creatively fulfilled, insufficiently challenged, or dissatisfied with your income, then you have a lot in common with many entrepreneurs who have started their own home-based business. Sometimes taking a risk to change your current job situation is the only way to turn your dreams into a reality.

While you feel that this may be too much of a risk, consider the risks of working for someone else. In the current working economy, there are many businesses closing, extreme layoffs due to downsizing, and many companies are taking their businesses overseas. Starting a home business such as Scrapbooking can put you on a journey to a new career or job to replace your current employment.

There are many men and women whose businesses started as a hobby and have progressed into a home business by doing what they love to do. As you probably know, though, if the IRS doesn’t think you’re serious about making it a business, they will not allow you to take deductions for expenses such as supplies. You need to keep good records and show that you are seriously trying to run business, even if it is doing something you love!

The Multi-Billion Industry of Scrapbooking

The Christensen family, in Utah, officially started the Scrapbooking business as we know it today in 1980 and launched their own successful company Keeping Memories Alive. The Scrapbooking business has grown into a thriving industry in the past twenty-six years through expansion of many different facets of the business.

In the U.S. alone, the Scrapbooking industry has grown to $2.5 billion per year. Now if we were to figure in all the other people in other countries that scrapbook as a hobby, this particular industry will surpass the $5 billion mark easily.

The money is being spent on workshops, classes, supplies, designing of new products, store openings, the making of scrapbooks for others, and a wide array of other products and services for scrapbook enthusiasts.

The best thing of all about Scrapbooking is that it has not hit its peak yet. There are many areas of the world and millions of people who are not aware of the possibilities of Scrapbooking as an enterprise.

There are many ways that a person can make a living with a Scrapbooking business. The opportunities that are open to those who love to make scrapbooks are endless and there is significant profit potential.

Scrapbooking Opportunities List

The following opportunities are listed from the easiest to the hardest to operate as a home-based business.

1. Direct Sales Consultant or Online Retailer: Direct Sales Consultants often hold home parties to sell a variety of Scrapbooking supplies. You could also create your own online store by joining Scrapbook affiliate retail sites. The amount that you can earn as a direct sales consultant can vary from program to program that you can join.

Online retailers who do the research and develop a niche of customers have the best chance to make the art of Scrapbooking a profitable online venture. A person could use online Scrapbooking retail sites to help increase her product lines and sales.

The amount that you can earn a month could vary from program to program depending on how aggressive you are in your selling techniques. Lascrapper.com has a $30 start-up kit that can be used to sell to offline customers. As a beginner

just by using the catalogs to make sales, you could very well break even your first month.

2. Professional Scrapbook Artist: Becoming a professional scrapbook artist is the most lucrative of all of the opportunities that are associated with this type of home business. Of course you have to have a talent for this, but the start-up cost is minimal, the field is wide-open due to many wanting to have their memories put together in such a way that is unique to that person. The work can be done at home with no set hours, and the service that is provided is as unique as any individual scrapbook.

The costs of starting a Scrapbooking business will depend on what your customers want from their scrapbooks, the amount of items they have to be placed in a scrapbook, the amount of embellishments that are placed in the scrapbook, and the amount of time it takes for you to compile the scrapbook. The up-front supplies you will need to create the scrapbook should be the base of the initial cost plus the amount of time that you put into creating the scrapbook.

This is a good time to mention the importance of having a contract that your potential customer signs before you start your work. It should outline what your expected costs will be, what you charge for your time, and perhaps a range of what you think the finished cost will be. You should also get a deposit to protect yourself from spending a lot of time and money on things that you never get paid for. Some scrapbookers may even insist on getting paid up front, but to do this, they will need to provide some sort of satisfaction guarantee.

3. Scrapbook Digital Photographer: A digital photographer could market their services to a Scrapbooking Expert or author to help show off their Scrapbooking skills. In the case of a Scrapbook digital photographer you can charge per photo. For example, you could charge $5 per photo that you take of the outside cover, photos of the inside contents, products needed to create a scrapbook or photos of special settings that could be added to a scrapbook.

4. Scrapbook Instructor: If you are one of the chosen few who has the aptitude for teaching, becoming a scrapbook instructor at a local craft or scrapbook store could be an opportunity for you. While the pay may not be a replacement of your current income, it can provide you with an extra flow of cash. The amount that you can earn as an instructor for Scrapbooking will depend on your experience and the supply and demand of scrapbook instructors in your area.

5. Event Organizer: This is a great opportunity for those who are well organized and can put together an event for people who have a passion for a particular thing such as Scrapbooking. Event Organizers often spend from 40 hours a week or more depending on the event that is happening. You will need to figure in the cost of time spent, costs of renting a building, organizing vendors, cost of printing and sending out fliers, other print ads, and other costs that are incurred for the event. Hourly rates will vary depending on the market for scrapbooking events.

6. Scrapbooking Expert: This particular area is for those who are very knowledgeable about Scrapbooking, designing scrapbooks, the products used for scrapbooks, and all the ins and outs of Scrapbooking. A person with extensive Scrapbooking knowledge could also write articles for magazines and online craft sites. He could also write a how-to book or e-book on Scrapbooking.

7. Scrapbook Retailer: Now that Scrapbooking is into its fourth year as a business option, someone who wishes to open a brick and a mortar store should do extensive research on how the market is established in their area. It takes a large investment to open a Scrapbook store, so do your research before making this kind of commitment of time and money. Becoming a brick and mortar store owner will be the most costly of all the opportunities that are mentioned. As a business owner, you will need to calculate the cost of renting or purchasing a building, hazard and liability insurance, purchasing the products needed to supply the store, shelving equipment, employees, business equipment, and utilities.

This list definitely does not reflect the full realm of the opportunities of Scrapbooking, but it can give you an idea of what types of opportunities are available now; undoubtedly, there are many which haven’t even been thought of. If you’ve ever thought about making money with Scrapbooking, now is the time to put your thinking cap on. Remember that this niche market hasn’t seen its fullest growth and potential yet.

Sources

Lasley, William T. "How to Price Your Crafts." Steps that you can use to help price the amount you should charge for creating scrapbooks and for your services.

Wilson, Randy. “Scrapbooking Home Based Business Tips and Advice.” Tips and advice on starting a Scrapbooking home-based business.

Scrapbooking.com is an online publication that has a wide array of topics for scrapbookers to use in order to learn more about different areas in Scrapbooking.

Lascrapper.com offers an affiliate program for Scrapbooking enthusiasts to earn profits from sales through home parties and an online website that is personalized for you. The minimum for start-up is $30. The amount that you can make a month will depend on the volume of sales you and your team can generate.