Running a business from the comfort and security of your own home has become a nationwide epidemic. With the surge of layoffs, downsizing, and plain old job insecurity, becoming our own boss never looked so tempting. The phrase “cottage industry” is taking on a whole new meaning.
Unstable corporate tendencies are not the only reason people are turning their garages and basements into profit-producing square footage. There is a growing need to return to simpler times and the home, which is the very reason scrapbooking has found a resurgence in popularity. Instead of seeking the biggest paycheck, Americans are asking themselves, “Does this make me happy? Is this stress worth the bucks?”
When a home business is based on a craft, hobby, or skill and it produces enough revenue to pay the bills, it is a fabulous feeling. You are making a living by creating something, and that’s a hard feeling to beat. For thirty-five years, I banked respectable deposits painting murals and rendering faux finishes. You not only collect monies, but you also get the added pleasure of being complimented on your work and having your talent appreciated. There were many times my ego-inflated head did not fit into the van at the end of a day. Compare that to working for someone else, where sadly, the only time you receive attention is when you’ve done something wrong.
Before you quit your day job, however, first find out if you qualify for a home-based business.
You’ve been using your home to create elaborate scrapbooks, had friends over to work on theirs, or possibly even taught a class or two for fun. The idea of turning your love into a business has been percolating on your brain’s back burner for a while now. How much harder could it be . . . right?
Not all home-based businesses are welcome in neighborhoods by either your neighbors or the zoning commission. Before you order a simple, yet elegant, sign for your front door, you will need to get permission to operate out of your home. You may also require a business license.
Call your city or town hall and ask for the zoning department. Find out the regulations for your subdivision or address. If your home sits in an area that is toward the outskirts of town, or newly constructed in a part of town that was originally portioned for diverse usage, you may be within a commercially-slated area and be allowed to operate a business.
Many people have blown off going before the zoning commissioner and decided to open their business anyway, thinking no one will know since the number of cars is no different from someone having an occasional party. Please don’t go there. You can get shut down after all your hard work and expense. Make it legal to start with, and you’ll sleep at night.
If you are declined, don’t give up right away. You can apply for a variance, which basically means they will take a close look at your type of business and decide if it is a low-impact home business (no noise, few customers, no hazardous materials, etc.).
Variances can be costly, so look into them ahead of time. Some require legal help. The city may instruct you on how many parking spaces you may have and whether your home requires certain improvements, such as a widened driveway or specially inspected work areas. You may need to petition your neighbors to receive their blessing on your new home venture.
I was raised in a home-based business and have carried on in that time-honored tradition. I have yet to run into a neighbor who did anything but send me business. I have heard some pretty bad horror stories from others, however, regarding unsupportive neighbors.
A friend of mine sells candles and has in-home parties on a routine basis. The woman across the street invariably comes stalking over during one of the candle parties and points out to my friend that “someone’s car” is almost blocking her driveway. FedEx trucks, UPS, mail packages, etc. are all duly griped about.
When my mother opened a modeling agency in her home many years ago and applied for a zoning permit, she was told to get the signatures of each neighbor in her neighborhood who would be impacted by the parked cars during class time. Whether your city requires that or not, it’s not a bad idea to talk to your surrounding neighbors and inform them of your business intentions and get their goodwill ahead of time. Crop parties, meetings, and workshops could create a great deal of traffic and parking problems, so think ahead and call your city hall for regulations.
Go the extra mile now to approach your neighbors and describe in detail what business you are hoping to open in your home and what impact, if any, it will have on the neighborhood. If they are told about the number of cars parking in the cul-de-sac and how often, you can learn now how they feel about it. You might ask if any would be willing to accept a delivery should you not be available. Reassure them about the noise level and hours of operation.
Taking a plate of cookies to the neighbors bordering your home, who will receive the brunt of the parking, may not be a bad idea. By obtaining their goodwill, you might be innocently soliciting business from them and from the friends they tell about you.
We will discuss ordering from manufacturers and how they ship orders in this chapter, but for now, decide where you would like to have packages delivered (front porch, side door, etc.). A friend of mine runs a quilting business from her home, and has a large green Rubbermaid receptacle on the porch by her front door with a sign above it saying, “Please leave all deliveries in the plastic tub. Thank you.” I’m assuming her deliveries are not of gigantic proportions, but you get the idea.
Many shipments made to you may have to be signed for. If you are expecting an important delivery and will be away, you may want to arrange for a neighbor to receive it.
Your manufacturer will dictate how and by whom your shipments will be made. Getting on good terms with your UPS or FedEx drivers never hurts. Once they know you well, they may be willing to bend a few rules and leave items for you or make a second trip if they happen to miss you. I’m not advocating exploiting them; just be nice!
Working from home has many advantages. The morning and afternoon commute can be the time it takes to get from your bedroom to your office. If your office is in your bedroom, you won’t even have to circle the block.
If you are working from home, you will need “professional space” no matter what part of the scrapbooking vocation you are jumping into. A home office can be set up anywhere. You may be lucky enough to have a spare room or section of basement or garage that can be converted into a functional work place. If ingenuity is needed here to find an area for your desk and office requirements, then let’s put our minds to it for a moment.
Many of my friends are entrepreneurs working from home. They range from interior decorators to financial advisors. I’ve seen desks in corners of dining rooms, roll-tops doubling as antiques in living rooms, a door straddling two sawhorses in a laundry room, and a cloth-draped kitchen table with all the files and supplies hidden beneath it.
Designating a specified area of your home for business has many advantages, not the least of which is privacy. You’re running a business, and it needs to be taken seriously. Members of your family or roommates need to understand your work hours and the importance of respecting your business space. Unfortunately, when your work is scattered across the dining room table, the kids still see you as Mom, and neighbors don’t always understand the “I really am working here” scenario.
Here’s what you can get by with until you have more room, or even if you do have an area of your home stamped “office.”
Keep it simple. You need a place to keep your records, invoices, shipping orders, and correspondence. A file designated for advertising transactions, clippings of your ads, flyers, etc. is a good idea. Additional shelves to hold scrapbook idea books, albums, and supplies will also be needed. It would be preferable if you had an entire closet you could set aside for inventory.
There are nifty portable filing containers out there in the fanned folder design. Since I run several businesses—each has its own advertising, legal forms, employee stats, and more—I have found that keeping all the files for each business in their own portable fan-shaped carrier with a handle a great idea. No matter which meeting I have to go to, I simply pick up the carrier by the handle and head out the door. I know everything pertinent to the meeting will be in there, no matter what questions come up. It saves me hours of time of looking through a filing cabinet to extract the folder I need for that meeting, only to have to return it to the cabinet later. Michael’s Stores Inc. has some very cool carriers that look like purses, only they are fan-shaped filing systems. It is also handy if you are like me and sometimes like to work in different locations around the house. Now all your files are right there where you need them. For bank meetings or investor seminars, they are hard to beat.
A great company for bags for all occasions and office organizational systems is www.PartywithBags.com. You can have them personalized with your name, company name, and filing labels. Check it out. They are very cool!
Adequate storage for your merchandise is very important. You’ve spent a large sum of money on these items, and having those specialty papers you spent hours picking out crumpled or torn due to being shoved inside a box or beneath a book makes no sense at all—not to mention what it will do to your sales to have damaged goods.
Start now with an organized storage area. Stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby have those wonderful clear plastic containers for as little as one dollar, complete with lids. The dollar stores are hard to beat for a plethora of storage bins, both plastic and woven. Separate your stickers, die cuts, ribbons, brads, etc. into different containers and label them. Nothing feels better than being able to lay your hands on something at a moment’s notice, especially when a customer is waiting. Put your specialty papers in flat boxes. Sam’s Club always has spare boxes piled up at the end of the cash registers. Nab a few flat ones, do some cutting if necessary, and keep your flat items in them.
Home Depot and other hardware stores sell terrific bins to hold small things such as nuts and bolts. These work wonderfully for your tiny embellishments that could get lost. Think outside the box. When looking at containers, don’t look at their intended purpose, look at what they could be! When painting wall murals, I used fishing tackle boxes for my supplies, and loved the compartments. There are even specially made storage bins just for scrappers. Consult your hobby stores or scrapbooking magazines.
Again, check out www.PartywithBags.com for great storage ideas and merchandise.
Those wonderful Rubbermaid storage bins on wheels with the seethrough drawers are wonderful. You can wheel them to your workshop, place them next to your desk, or push them into a corner or closet. Wal-Mart sells them for as little as $10. Many have shallow flat drawers, which are perfect for papers.
Stores going out of business usually put their display items up for sale. Card racks, bookcases, display cases can all be bought for next to nothing. Frequent garage sales and look for usable armoires, shelving units, and desks.
When purchasing your inventory and office equipment, “Watch your business expenses,” says Sharon Colasuonno, Creative Memories consultant. “Do you really need it, or just want it?” Start slow and build. You can really get carried away purchasing inventory—all those pretty baubles that you feel you must have. Create an inventory budget and stick to it. If a customer needs some specialty item, you can always buy it for her then.
Every business needs a computer. You will need one not only for bookkeeping, but also for researching manufacturers, surfing scrapbooking websites, possibly creating your website, being accessible to email from customers and vendors, and (ahem) peeking at your competition. Scrapbooking software is everywhere! The digital craze has taken over page creation, photo manipulation, and website design. Whether you shop at Best Buy or online for your software, there is a fun field of fantasy software to choose from. You can also buy wonderful software that enables you to create your own letterhead stationery, business cards, advertising flyers and brochures, even small signage. Newsletters to your customers can be professionally rendered, and let’s not forget mailing lists and customer tracking ability.
My first word of advice here is to have a separate line for your business. I tried for years to get along with my home phone and business line being one and the same, and it was a nightmare. Not only did I have to fight with teenage sons who “had to make just one more phone call, Mom,” but the Internet was also tied to it, so calls were logged on an answering machine and retrieved much later. I realize today that more and more people are scrapping landlines and relying solely on their cell phones. Wi-Fi is the way to go for computers and phones. If you have a landline, an additional line does not cost that much more a month, and it is worth every penny for the stress it will relieve.
Make sure your phone message is professional and brief—a simple, “You have reached Alluring Albums. I am away from my office. Please leave a detailed message, phone number, and a good time to reach you. Thank you for your call.”
If you are using your phone for both business and family, try “Hello. You have reached the Flagman residence and Alluring Albums. Please leave a message after the beep and we’ll return your call as quickly as we can. Thank you.” You can get voice messaging that allows the caller to choose a family member’s name by pressing the designated number on the keypad. For instance, “If you wish to speak to Michael, please press 1; if you wish to speak to Marsha with Alluring Albums, press 2.”
Call waiting is a must if you don’t want to miss calls while your daughter Alissa complains to Sharon how “like awful” Marie is being and how “totally lame” she was at the party, or if you are tied up with another business call.
Return calls promptly. Customers shop around, especially if they’re in a hurry and don’t want to wait on a needed item or service. Someone may need to firm up a budget for a wedding album by late afternoon. A quick response is even more important if you are dealing with a disgruntled customer.
Commercial clients will ask for information to be faxed to them, or will want to fax changes and updates to you. Get a fax machine that has a copier to save money. Always keep copies of correspondence, orders, designs, and bids. It avoids misunderstandings down the road, and gives you a ready reference to contact when memory fails. You can order a distinctive ring for your fax that allows you to have a separate phone number to hand out as your fax number. When a fax comes in, the ring will allow you to distinguish it from a voice call.
*Note: Today's businesses are shifting away from faxes in the traditional form. Instead, many scan documents and email them. Most copiers now come with a scanner. Faxing information, photos, and legal forms is a breeze when doing it digitally.
A printer is obviously a must.
These are so affordable now that they hardly put a dent in your office equipment budget. Shop for good clarity, and make sure the printer is compatible with your computer.
As mentioned above, scanners are important. Even if you are not sending signed documents, you will find times when you will need to scan a sample page or prototype to a customer for their initial reaction, or to send photo samples. Scanners allow you to scan almost anything in two-dimensional format, import it to your computer, and either print it, email it, or add it to your website. You could scan an album page layout idea for a customer and email it to her.
Ah, yes, the bane of the civilized man. Do we love them, or hate them?
Well, folks, I will stand bravely before you and admit I’d be lost without them. They give me peace of mind that my children can reach me when I’m away, or a panicked client can track me down. A last-minute change in an important order can be handled before I return home to find it waiting in a buried voice message.
Today’s smartphones have a GPS system (handy for finding a client’s home or supply store), calendar and day timer, filing system, Internet access, email, recipes, photo galleries, camera, apps by the thousands, banking, texting, and . . . oh yes . . . you can make calls on them.
An office supply you may not have thought of is a camera. Taking pictures of your displays and creations to create a portfolio is a must. A digital camera will allow you to upload pictures onto the Internet and use them as needed for customers, vendors, trade shows, your website, etc. You can also create brochures and other advertising items with your pictures. Today’s smartphones have cameras that deliver some pretty amazing pixels. These photos and videos are then easily forwarded to email or texts, or the ubiquitous Facebook and Twitter!
You don’t need much in the way of office supplies to begin your in-home business. Letterhead stationery, invoices, business cards, printer paper, paper clips, stapler, pens, pencils, a Rolodex for customer names and information, notebooks, and envelopes. You can buy more as your needs demand. A calendar or Day-Timer is a must for appointments, workshop schedules, and delivery dates. If you have a smartphone, all of these can be handled with the myriad apps and calendars. A dry-erase board over your desk is a great way to note deliveries and to schedule classes and crops.
If you want to be super-organized, buy a smaller dry-erase board to post near your work area, informing your family of class times and work hours for that day. It is a huge help, instead of reminding them six times that you will not be available from 6 to 8 p.m. due to a workshop in the basement.
When first starting out, most home-based scrapbookers use whatever places are available for work areas. The most common place is a dining room or kitchen table.
“Workshops and crops can be held at the dining room table,” Suzi Moran of Creative Memories told me. “It’s intimate and handy. If you need more space, folding tables from the garage can be brought in to expand the area. If you live in an apartment complex, you might be able to use the complex’s community room for your classes and crops.”
Suzi had some other wonderful ideas for me. “Until three years ago, I did everything from home. Now, due to a larger client base, I use a community room at a local realty office. These rooms are usually available for nonprofit organizations only, but if you ask nicely or have a friend in the realty business, you may be able to schedule the room.”
She went on to say that if you’re networking with other scrapbook consultants and need more space, you can have a customer city-wide conference and split the cost of a rented venue area. Most rented rooms will run around $150 or less.
You can get inventive and have outdoor workshops on picnic tables, or dress up the garage with fun displays and colorfully draped folding tables. Your customers are there to work on their albums, buy products, or swap ideas. The surroundings do not have to be conference-room perfect.
To set up your work area, you will need all the supplies necessary for scrapbook workshops, crops, meetings, and sales parties. Having everything in organized containers or display racks and cases is very important. Don’t waste customer time looking for misplaced items. There is a wonderful book that covers everything you’ll need for scrapbooking, called The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Scrapbooking. It is wonderfully illustrated and very comprehensive. The pages are stuffed with page layout ideas and clever use of embellishments. Since the main objective of this book is to teach you how to open and operate an in-home business, I won’t go into the techniques and actual creation of albums. There are many good books out there on those subjects.
I’ve run a home-based business for over thirty-five years now. From pregnancy to full-grown sons, I’ve worked around every obstacle you can imagine. Once, while running an advertising agency from my home, I was painting a twenty-five-foot vinyl banner in the basement for a bank who needed it the next morning to carry in a parade. I had just finished the last touch of green enamel when the phone rang upstairs. I set down my brush and bolted up the stairs. My two-year-old son was supposed to be outside with his father working on a garden bed. I finished the phone call and heard giggling coming from the basement. In horror, I raced down two flights of steps to see my little boy running barefoot down the length of my banner, wet green enamel paint shining from the soles of his feet. I did the worst thing I could have done: I shouted, “Brandon!” and he bolted—off the banner and onto the white carpet. By the time I snatched him up, there were tiny green footprints down the entire length of my project, and several more looking like a morose treasure map across the family room rug. The footprints would not come off the banner, no matter how much turpentine or lacquer thinner I used. All I came away with was a serious buzz. The bank fired me, my husband hugged me, and my son proudly held up his shamrock-green-stained feet to all who would see them.
If you’re through laughing at my expense, I will explain now that getting your family’s support is all-important. Explain the benefits of your new job: more income, happy Mommy, happy Daddy (who has just been relieved of the title of sole provider), and happy customers whose lives you’re enriching. Chances are the last one won’t mean a whole lot to them, but the extra income and a stab at Disneyland will.
Explain the phone rules, office privacy conditions, noise, helping with household chores, and keeping the house tidy for drop-in customers. It’s a good idea to reward their efforts to help out. A Family Appreciation Night is a great way to say, “Thank you for supporting my dream!”
“Get your husband’s and family’s support from the get-go,” Suzi Moran of Creative Memories declares. “It is all-important.”
I was raised in a modeling agency run out of our home, and the rules I had to follow were:
1. No cut-offs during business hours.
2. No chewing gum during business hours.
3. No curlers during business hours.
4. Answer the phone with the business name, not just, “HALLLOOOOO?”
5. No loud TV during . . . yep, business hours.
6. No cooking in the kitchen during . . .
7. No tying up the phone, yadda, yadda, yadda.
8. No boyfriends parking their cars in the driveway to block the models.
9. No interrupting Mom during class time unless you’ve just singed your eyebrows off.
And last but not least . . .
10. No mistaking the facial cream in the refrigerator for mayonnaise.
(Tip for you women: Cosmetics kept in the refrigerator will close your pores and give a smoother appearance! You’re welcome.)
One last word about your work area: Don’t forget that your car is an extension of your business. You will be making deliveries, buying inventory, and attending meetings.
Make sure your business is well represented with a clean, uncluttered vehicle. If you open the door and a month’s worth of McDonald’s wrappers waft their way down the street, this does not give the impression of an organized profession. We will discuss car lettering as a good advertising idea in Chapter 11.
While building your business plan, find out who your competition really is. You won’t just be looking at other home-based scrapbook businesses, but at retail and Internet stores as well. Your client base will shop around, so you will have to offer something your competitor doesn’t, whether it is in the guise of better prices, better customer service, or both.
I feel your advantage is in the ability to offer your customer the “downhome” personal touch. You not only work in surroundings that scream “home, hearth, and family” (all the things scrapbook albums are centered around), but you have time to give your clients your personal attention—something the Internet cannot do and most retail stores are too busy to do.
Most retailers offer newsletters and emails that are sent out on a regular basis to announce classes, sales, and upcoming events. Collect these and study them. What can you do better? Can you offer business hours at night or on days your competition is closed, to accommodate the customers who work during the day or want to shop on Sundays? How about some creative package deals your other home-based competitors aren’t offering that would save your client money? Would you be willing to do crop parties in a customer’s home or make special deliveries and rush orders?
Be sure to do your research in pricing. Go to the hobby stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby, and to specialty scrapbook stores. Target, Walmart, and other department stores are also offering supplies in this exploding industry. Even the dollar stores have joined the excitement. The Internet can sell merchandise without the overhead costs, so online sellers can price their wares lower. Can you compete?
Pull in the Internet buyers by pointing out they can handle and inspect your merchandise and buy it immediately without the wait or shipping costs. When you are going up against online and retail shops, you must offer better service to overcome their lower prices due to their buying in bulk, etc. Do your homework!
The key to building a solid client base is to offer more, whether in goods or services. One thing I always did in my painting business was to leave behind a small thank-you gift showing my appreciation for the privilege of being in the clients’ home and the income they provided me. The gift always centered on the project we did, and was a welcome surprise and finishing touch. For instance, if I rendered their kitchen in an Italian Tuscany faux finish, I found beautiful oil and vinegar bottles and presented them with a loaf of fresh home-baked bread on a red linen napkin along with a note.
If your client places an order with you, perhaps you could throw in an extra embellishment or a sheet of paper with a brand new page design and layout idea that centers on her project. Send a card on her birthday and a cupcake on her child’s birthday, or start an incentive program where she receives a grab-bag of goodies for every dollar amount in sales reached or for pulling her name from a hat. Use those creative juices and build a business clients can’t refuse.
I would like to add a warning from David Kovanen’s online resources “Addicted to Scrapbooking” and “Addicted to Rubber Stamps.” While David is no longer in business, I felt his admonitions were still pertinent: “As for encouraging individuals to start a home-based business, I have mixed thoughts. Persons that offer something unique could succeed. But most persons we are aware of who try to start an online scrapbooking company fail miserably for the simple reason that this niche is already highly saturated with similar companies. Persons often have the simplistic notion that they can purchase products at wholesale, then just open up a website, and they will have a thriving business. I know several people who have lost their savings doing exactly that.
“To succeed, you must think about inventory control, fulfillment efficiency, purchasing, replenishment, inbound freight, and so on. To put it more bluntly: Why would customers shop from your site when other companies offer a selection of more than 250,000 products, overnight delivery, toll-free customer service, and a host of other advantages?
“I am saddened by the dashed dreams, false hopes, and disillusionment that many of these entrepreneurs have from thinking that they will happily spend all of their time scrapbooking on the job, rather than worrying about how to install ultraviolet protectors on their light bulbs to keep their inventory from yellowing and turning old before it is even sold.”
I would like to thank David for his candor and concern. Despite the reality of the challenge of opening a website business in today’s saturated market, there is still room for something innovative, with superb customer service and a creative format, as we will discuss in Chapter 6, “The Electric Entrepreneur.” For now, these are things to consider before investing your money. Again, you have to be creative in establishing a solid client base. Ask retail stores questions in a casual, chatty way about what their customer base is like. Do they see mostly moms and grandmothers or are they selling quite a bit to home-based scrapbooking businesses? Is the Internet hurting business? Listen and learn!
As we mentioned before, many manufacturers are hesitant to do business with you. Why? Because they feel your home-based business and the increase in websites hurts the brick-and-mortar stores trying to run a business. Plus, they feel your small, new setup will not bring the bulk inventory orders that larger establishments will. The cost of them sending you their catalogues, invoicing, and advertising materials may seem like a waste of time and resources based on your order volume. Here are the steps you need to take to try to get these manufacturers to take you seriously:
Contact the manufacturer or supplier you found on the Internet or through scrapbook and hobby magazines, and ask for their wholesale prices. They will probably want your tax resale number and other evidence that you are in a true business. Provide evidence of your good credit history and offer to make special payment arrangements until you have established a good track record with them.
Shop around and check out other manufacturers’ prices and delivery promises. Collect catalogues and magazines and compare company policies and sales promotions.
You might consider networking with other scrapbook home businesses, and thus ordering in bulk and splitting the profits. The Web is full of scrapbook opportunities, including groups; www.groups.yahoo.com offers Scrapbooking4others and 4scrapbookretailers, which invite you to participate in group purchases with other people in the scrapbook business.
Researching on the Internet should give you a lot of ideas of what manufacturers are offering and what your potential competition is up to. You can’t gather enough information before opening your doors.
The distributors will tell you how they ship, which shipping company you will be receiving your merchandise from, and the charge. You have little control in this area.
Talk to them about the best times to order and about whether bulk orders will receive special pricing or possibly smaller shipping prices. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. One manufacturer with stringent, unyielding rules might not be as helpful as another who is willing to work with you. Shop around. The larger companies usually take longer to ship orders. Ask!
Let’s face it: There are down sides to working from your home. I just experienced one ten minutes ago. I heard a splash and "Oops!" and looked outside my office door to find my hardwood floors soaking wet. My teenage son and his friends had been having a water-balloon fight out back when one of them opened the door to the house at the precise moment a loaded missile was lobbed. It entered through the door, hit the floor, and exploded.
You will have interruptions from the phone, the dog, the neighbors, a hungry husband, telephones, doorbells, and cats walking across your keyboard until the invoice you were typing now looks like this: kouohokfsadoiylgljasy oyohdf.
However, your family will quickly sense it if you take yourself seriously as a professional. Set up your terms and regulations now. This is a business, not a hobby. They would no more go down to Daddy’s or Mommy’s office and tie up the phone or use the Internet to download movie prices from Fandango than eat eggplant casserole. Set business hours and enforce them. Gently let friends and neighbors know the times you are working and not to be disturbed. Have customers call ahead and not just drop by. Let your family know which areas are off limits and not to be touched. Your specialty papers are not for homework use unless you’ve been asked. The scissors, rulers, paste, etc. do not leave the workshop area. And, finally, phone time (if you are operating off a shared line) is regulated, and courtesy is used when addressing your customers.
Have the laundry caught up or hidden, the floors vacuumed, and the dishes done if customers are expected. It’s a good practice whether you expect them or not. During class time, have the television off or turned way down. That goes for stereos and stomping kids. Remember, I told you to get your family’s support ahead of time.
For the scrapbook enthusiast who wants to build a home-based business but would rather have all the background work done for her ahead of time, Creative Memories is a boon.
Creative Memories is one of the fastest-growing direct-sales companies in the United States. They provide profitable career opportunities for those who believe in and want to share the Creative Memories mission and values with others.
“Our consultants enhance our customers’ lives,” states Sharon Colasuonno, a Creative Memories consultant who has a wonderful home-based business. Her basement workshop area is very professionally done. “We’re reinforcing their memories. I’m still educating people about their albums,” she states. “What it means for a paper to be acid-free, etc.”
As a Creative Memories consultant, you are an independent businessperson selling Creative Memories products with the support of a company that stands behind you as you grow your business. You’ll receive training to provide customers with advice on how to use the products and share the features and benefits of the product and techniques. The consultant kit costs only $199. It includes all the tools you will need to complete your demo album, schedule home classes and shows, and more. The income potential is unlimited and grows with your recruiting ability. You can get the full information at www.creativememories.com.
You can also check out Sharon Colasuonno’s website at www.CreativeMemories.com/SharonColasuonno, or visit Suzi Moran, a Creative Memories Unit Manager I met, at www.CreativeMemories.com/SuziMoran. These women were wonderful in helping me understand the home-based potential of scrapbooking and the groundbreaking work Creative Memories has done for this industry. If you like having someone else do the original brainstorming and you would like to jump on board their bandwagon, go to www.MyMommyBiz.com for a wealth of information on franchises for home-based businesses in the scrapbooking industry.
With today’s huge emphasis on Internet marketing, please consider creating a website to add as a companion to your home-based business if you are not running a website-only business. Unfortunately, even brick-and-mortar bookstores are falling beneath the Internet Giant’s sword. We are in a digital age. I just want you to have the best shot at making your career a profitable one. You can run a business from home as a consultant—creating albums, teaching classes, having crops—but consider offering an expansion of that business in the form of a website that teaches amazing page layouts, seasonal ideas, and even custom merchandise. Create a great forum, blog, or chat board. Even if it is only to give you credibility as a company, with photos of your work to show clients, having a website is a must-have today. And, if your business is primarily a classroom, consulting, or custom album creation career, think how professional and exciting it would be for your customers if you had a simple website where they could go to see class schedules, upcoming events, and holiday and theme ideas you will be offering. You can create a very simple one- or two-page website in two hours for under $20. Type "free website design" into your web browser. Watch for hidden costs, however.
One website I use abundantly is www.iclipart.com. Here you will find a plethora of clip art, photos, videos, animation, fonts, and more that you can use to create a professional-looking website. The fees are nominal. It is totally wonderful and I highly recommend it!
A final word on the subject of running a business from your home: there will be grumbling. I grumbled at my mother that our home was no longer a home, but a business. Don’t let it hurt your feelings. Address it, compromise where you can, and be strong where you can’t. Point out again the benefits of the extra income and a mother who goes after her dreams.
Advertising has changed a lot. As a home-based business you should still consider placing an ad, or at least your business listing, in the Yellow Pages of your local phone book. Many people still look there when shopping for services and products. Many shoppers in the scrapbooking industry are over fifty years old and are creating albums to commemorate their families. Older generations have habits and one of those habits is turning to the phone book when looking for information.
Another way to advertise is to hand out flyers in neighborhoods and at social gatherings and events prone to hosting scrapbookers. It is illegal to leave flyers in mailboxes, and posting them on car windshields does not scream “professional.” Remember etiquette when handing out flyers. You cannot go to a scrapbooking tradeshow and hand out flyers when the other participants have paid for a booth in order to advertise their business. You can show up with business cards and engage vendors, booth attendees, and guests in conversation and offer a card if the timing is right. Again, the others paid to be here. Show courtesy and restraint.
You can place an ad in your local newspaper under "Services" in the Classified section. Asking a local library or recreation center if you can post a flyer on their bulletin board is a good way to advertise. Posting at senior center living facilities is also a great way to form groups or crops. The center may even hire you to come in from time to time to teach classes. A great way to garner goodwill and recognition is to offer a free class. You can charge for your supplies but offer your time for free.
How about approaching local coffee shops and offering to host crop parties once a month? Coffee shops are getting very innovative in their efforts to create inviting environments and unique add-ons. Some are hosting painting classes, as are places that specialize in wine tasting. It never hurts to approach a business with a risk-free pitch:
Hey, I’ve got a great idea. You know scrapbooking is big business. What if we collaborate? Would you be interested in hosting a scrapbooking crop party from time to time? I would come in and teach a select number of people how to scrapbook, probably based on a current trend, bring all the supplies, and allow them to take home their completed projects. The fee would include a cup of coffee and a cupcake. You tell me what you would want the coffee and cupcake to total and we will work it into the fee. If the customers want more coffee or extra food, they would buy it directly from you. You would get the publicity and the fun new enticement to bring in a different crowd than you may have been attracting.
I am a huge proponent of thinking outside the box and approaching people with new ideas. Keep in mind that the mantra here is “What’s in it for them?” Press the advantage they will receive from your presence in their store. Will they make any profit from your parties or will it just be good customer service and fun? Will it put “more butts in the seats?” You get the idea.
Another thought is to approach places that cater to kids, like the Bouncing Castle-type places, kids’ photography studios, or bowling alleys that offer event rooms. Host a Kid’s Krop. Parents pay a fee for you to teach children how to create fun pages that they can take home. The bowling alley (or other venue) can offer a coupon for reduced bowling rates that is handed out at the party. They can also offer food service and other amenities. Again, you are bringing in new clientele and giving them a facelift on tired services.
Please see advice for online advertising ideas in Chapter 11, “Let’s Advertise.” Here we cover all the fascinating venues for advertising on the Internet, and they are vast and varied. I highly recommend you avail yourself of at least some of them to advertise your business and give yourself a professional presence in this savvy, search-engine world.