Scrapbook Maker - by Mary Mahone

Scrapbook Maker - by Mary Mahoney

If you are creative and enjoy making scrapbooks, make scrapbooks for people. Start-up costs would be minimal, and maybe you already have most of the supplies needed. Word of mouth, bulletin boards or penny savers would be an inexpensive way to advertise your services.

Check listings for newlyweds and offer your creative flair for their wedding and reception photos. There are always a lot more pictures at weddings that sometimes end up in dresser drawers than in an album. Newborns, you could follow that to see where that could go.

Maybe from pregnancy to birth?

Advertise at Day/Pre Schools with a business card or a sample of your work. You may find yourself with more work than you can handle. :) Graduation?

Pet grooming salons would have a need for albums. It would be a great advertisement for the Groomer who is just starting out. Having an album of pet's that they have worked on, before and after pictures, displayed nicely in an album would be a terrific way to show potential customers what work they have done. Also what breeds they have worked on, and what type of cuts they are offering. I have pet's and I know I want to be sure about who is working on them or with them. Any certificates the Groomer may have would also be nice to include.

Also, look into people who have hobbies that would benefit from having an album or scrapbook that could be shown when needed. How about car enthusiasts. They do love to show their vehicles, and why not, I know a lot of work goes into restoring antique cars. Again, the before and after pictures, would be nice put together inside of an album, along with pictures of trophies they may have won.

Grand openings for small businesses would be an avenue to explore. Possibly, someone moving from their home to their first 'real storefront'.

If you give this idea some thought, you have a lot of possibilities for potential clients. I wouldn't be shy about bringing along a sample of the work I've done, either for others or for myself. Samples make sales in any business, if I can see something, touch it and like it, I'm sold.

Of course on the business end, which is really why you're doing this, you need to be able to figure estimates and costs for different projects. Size of the album, number of pages, cost for supplies and materials would have to figured into what you would charge. A date the client's project would be completed, is also, something important you would need to consider, especially if this album is meant to be a gift for someone. I'm sure you could come up with other costs to consider and include.

Quality, honesty and meeting the dates you set for completion, would be very important, and let's not forget, you are responsible for someone's memories. Their photos and keepsakes are very important to them and most times, irreplaceable. These a things not to be taken lightly.

If this is something you enjoy, this could be the greatest business you've ever had. To be able to work and earn a paycheck doing something you really enjoy, is one of the best rewards anyone could have. How many people can you think of that do not enjoy what they do everyday and wish they could do something else? If you have the talent and the dream, then go for it and give it your best. If it doesn't workout for you, you would have at least tried to follow your dream. There would be no regrets, when and if, you find yourself moving on to something else.

Some Useful Statistics about the Growing Scrap booking Market

According to several recent polls conducted by industry leaders, scrap booking is one of the fastest growing craft activities.

The latest demographics show the following trends:

- 98% of scrap bookers are females between 30 and 59 years old. Among the age groups who responded to the surveys, scrap booking, rubber-stamping and paper crafting attract the various generations fairly equally.

- 85% of the respondents are married, and only about 14% do not have children.

- 95% have at least “some college” or attended a trade school.

- 65% of the respondents have college or post-graduate degrees.

- 53% are working full time (40+ hours per week). Another 38% work part time (between 20 -39 hours per week). About 12% of the respondents are retired.

- 85% have incomes over $50,000, and 62% said their annual incomes are over $75,000.

- An interesting fact is that the majority of the respondents (96%) reported that they had been scrap booking for more than a year. Of those, nearly one quarter had been scrap booking for at least three years and nearly one third for at least five years.

- On average, 75% of the respondents reported that they had spent more than $500 over the past 12 months on scrap booking supplies, and 42% reported spending more than $1000.

Interestingly, 74% of the respondents also are involved in rubber-stamping, 46% enjoy paper crafts and 27% say they are involved in Painting/decorative painting. All three of these crafts can, and are used to enhance many scrap booking projects. Other crafts that scrap bookers are involved with include: Seasonal Crafts (41%), General Crafts (34%), Sewing (fashion/home decorating), Needlework (26%), Quilting (20%), Knitting/Crocheting (17%) and Jewelry Making (10%).

According to the Hobby Industry Association, retail sales for the scrap booking industry climbed from $400 million in 1997 to $2.5 billion in 2003. Although the industry is still growing, it’s becoming more difficult for independent dealers to make a profit, and oftentimes, any profits made by the smaller “mom and pop” stores must be put back into the business. As the industry has flourished, competition from large corporations has increased.

Industry insiders insist that the scrap booking market is still growing and that there is room for people still interested in starting a career. The best advice before starting any business is to conduct careful research and do the necessary preplanning. That way you will know what you are getting into before you start.
To find the right scrap booking business opportunity for you, visit here.

Back