Start a Scrapbooking Business

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If you’re love art and crafting, making collages and preserving memories, all while making money, then a scrapbooking business could be the perfect opportunity for you!

The first step in starting your own business is to check with your local business tax office to find out what licenses you may need before you begin.

Once all that’s taken care of, you need to learn as much as you can about the various scrapbooking techniques, trends and materials, which you can do in a variety of ways.

You can read books and magazines about scrapbooking, subscribe to newsletters or browse the multitude of Websites on the subject. You can even take a class or seminar, if you choose. The more knowledge you have, the better off you’ll be.

Next, you’ll need to purchase supplies. What you buy depends on the type of scrapbooking you intend to do: digital, traditional or both. Digital scrapbooking only requires software, a printer, photo-quality paper and colored ink.

Traditional scrapbooking requires a wide range of scrapbooking materials and supplies, including kits, embellishments, stickers, fibers such as yarn, buttons, brads and more. You’ll also want to make sure you have some good sharp “normal” scissors, along with several pair with different shaped blades to create a variety of page edgings and effects.

If you chose the traditional method, you’ll ideally want supplies that cater to a variety of themes such as birthdays, holidays, graduations, weddings, new baby, etc.. You never know what kind of pages your customers will ask you to complete.

If you plan on using a digital method, you’ll need scrapbooking software. Scrapbook MAX! is one option. The website for the software also has a forum where digital freebies are posted. Actually, many Websites offer freebies for download, so be sure to bookmark your favorite sites.

One thing you should be careful to avoid is copyright infringement. Any supplies you purchase come with special use requirements. If you have any questions about how your supplies can be used, contact the scrapbook designer before adding the item to your page. Disney, for instance, is very strict about what you can do with their characters, such as Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. It’s better to be safe and clarify terms of use in advance.

Once you’ve gained the knowledge needed, and you have your supplies on hand, it’s time to begin working and test what you’ve learned! Use your own family photos as a starting point to create some scrapbook pages. Not only will it give you experience and a way to showcase your work, it’ll also give your family a wonderful gift that they’ll treasure forever.

After you’ve created some sample pages, you can begin advertising your skills. With the advent of sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and Craigslist, the possibilities for advertising your business to a wide range of people is unlimited.

If you’d like to take it one step further, you could even start your own website. You can then create an online portfolio of your work for potential customers to see. Simply scan some of your pages and post them online as samples.

Other ways to advertise your business include posting flyers on bulletin boards, handing out business cards and submitting your business information to various work-at-home or crafting Websites. You can send out emails or newsletters to family and friends and ask them to pass your information on. Word of mouth is a powerful tool in establishing a successful business.

Once you have your first client, discuss with them what their expectations are. Communication is important, so be sure to make yourself available for your customers who may have comments or concerns. The happier your customers are, the more customers you’ll gain.

For your own personal safety, you might want to get a PO box for any mail you’ll receive for your business. It’s better to be safe than to give out your home address to strangers.

If you follow all of the above steps, you’ll be well on your way to running a successful scrapbooking business. The rewards will be much more than just financial… you’ll be creating works of art and memories that will last your clients a lifetime!

Tags: Business Ideas for Teens, scrapbooking, starting a business