ScrapBizness

Too Bad Everyone Doesn't Have to Own a Business at Some Point

2011-10-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

A local plant nursery near me just announced they are closing. It's too bad because they were the place you could get the really COOL plants for your yard - not just the standard stuff you can get at any big box store. They will be missed.

But, the article in the paper had a comment from the owner that made me have flashbacks to the scrapbook industry. The owner said that they were losing money because consumers were buying their plants at the big box stores and then coming to this nursery for advice on planting and caring for them. The consumers knew the big box store employees didn't know what kind of fertilizer worked best for a Japanese Maple, but they knew that this independent nursery did. They dragged all their plant issues and dying plants into the nursery for advice but left without spending a dime.

Shame on consumers. I really wish that people would but themselves in the shoes of business owners. If you don't want to shop there and pay a little more for the local retailer's fine products and experience, that's your choice. But, shame on you for buying "cheap" and then using the expertise of the independent for free. I have yet to run across a business who can exist by giving out free advice.

I can't tell you how many times this was an issue in the scrapbook industry - and probably still is. Consumers would come into their LSS and demo every tool they could get their hands on and then run to the big box store with the 40% off coupon and buy the one they wanted. Those same people then act shocked when their LSS's started closing all over the country.

I have often said that a retail business is not a charity. They can't afford to give you free crop space, free advice, free demonstrations, etc. so you can go spend your money at the store that doesn't really offer any of of that.

I know everyone is looking to save a buck these days, however, it's unfair to use a small retailer for information you know you can't get where you purchased your products. Coming in to ask advice for a $200 cutter you bought somewhere else and then feeling "justified" because you walked out with $7 in paper (and therefore bought something, after all) just isn't nice.

Put yourself in the shoes of that owner who has invested about everything they can give into their LSS before you spend half an hour playing with their tools with a 40% off coupon in your purse.

Same Tricks, Different Industry....

2011-09-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

I was watching Restaurant: Impossible last night. If you haven't seen it, it's like Kitchen Nightmares that Gordon Ramsey does on BBC. I love that show, too, and have used it in this blog. Chef Robert Irvine goes into a failing restaurant and tries to turn it around. The restaurant last night was a diner in San Diego called TRAILS. It could have as well been a scrapbook store because I heard pretty much what I listened to for nearly a decade in the scrapbook industry.

Trails had an owner who had worked in a corporate restaurant and therefore decided she was qualified to run her own. Lacking funds, she got her dad to finance it. Lacking profit, they later decided expanding it out be the way to increase the cash flow so her dad took out a second mortgage and now he is $600,000 in debt.

Reminds me of those who think that liking to scrapbook qualified them to run a scrapbook store. So, they take out a second mortgage on their home to open one without any idea how to. They think their "passion" will be enough to carry them.

The decor was cute and the food wasn't bad - something Chef Irvine rarely encounters in these failing restaurants. But, they will still losing money hand-over-fist so he set about the find out why.

First, they bought the restaurant from the previous owner at the "Emotional Price". Dave Ramsey would call that a "Stupid Tax". Saw it all the time in the scrapbook industry. An owner, having put all their blood, sweat and tears into their business, believes it is worth MUCH MORE than the sum total of the inventory and fixtures. They believe they have a loyal customer base and that their own sweat equity is valuable. Financials don't matter or aren't offered up or requested. A buyer, not getting proper advice about how a business is priced, buys into the "this is my baby, take care of it" line and just wants what they want so bad they agree to the ethereal and baseless price. The owner of Trails paid $240,000 for about $20,000 worth of restaurant equipment in a leased building. She claimed to have gotten a "customer base" for that price, but how many of us eat at the same restaurant all the time? As Robert Irvine pointed out, Doctors and Lawyers have valuable customer bases, restaurants don't.

I consulted with quite a few people who would come to me wanting to buy a scrapbook business. They most always had the "emotional price". And, most of the time, the current owner didn't want to release financials to them. I usually said either they didn't have a clue if their business was making money or they were lying to them that it was. If they based even part of the price on ANYTHING, they usually started with the cost of inventory and fixtures. How much of that inventory was outdated, though? You can't expect to recoup 100% of your investment of inventory that no one wants anymore. I was always surprised at what people thought their little scrapbook business was worth. I usually told people it would be cheaper just to start their own and build their own reputation. Sometimes, you're buying a business no one wants to come to anyway. I cringe when I see "UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT" signs. To me, that is announcing to the public that, yes, we were awful but come try us now! It's hard to undo customer attitudes toward a business. So, unless the business is making the big bucks with a loyal customer base, it's probably better to build your own than buy someone else's albatross that they are eager to get rid of at your expense. Most of these owners rarely took home a penny while they owned the place, but now will attempt to extract their profit in the sale of it. I usually told people to walk away.

Their second mistake for the restaurant was pricing. They wanted good food at a great price so they priced food based on the cost of the food and nothing else. The owner had no idea what her daily operating costs were. She had never calculated them. She just said, "Let's set our prices at 3 times the cost of food" or some other "sounds like a good idea" strategy. "Hope" is not a good strategy for a business. She was shocked to learn that her daily expenses above the cost of the food were $900 - before she even took home a penny for herself or started paying her Dad back. Her cheap breakfasts meant her core customers were geriatric and on "fixed incomes" so she kept her prices low for them and they sang her praises - right into the poor house.

I saw poor pricing strategies way too often. The challenge of the scrapbook industry is that everyone is selling pretty much the same stuff. So, some would try to be the cheapest by shaving a few cents off the price. Then, they might heavily discount their shipping if they were online. Or, they would succumb to customer complaints about the cost of scrapbook products and try to lighten the financial burden in hopes they would sell more. Rarely did anyone run the math or do any research about the demographics.

Her third problem was that as a mom, she didn't want to do dinner service - she wanted to be home with her kids. They had tried dinner service for a while but were losing about $500 a day on it because no one was coming. Her Chef had the same attitude - she wanted to be home with her kids, too. So, they were trying to run a restaurant on the two cheapest meals of the day.

If I had a dollar for every scrapbook store owner who didn't want to work too many hours because they needed/wanted to be home with children, I'd be rich. A business is the most demanding, needy and naughty child you'll ever have. It will over-shadow and eclipse all other children until you can afford to pay someone to manage it for you. Even then, when there is a problem, it's YOU that has to take care of it most of the time. As one owner who closed her store told me, "When my alarm goes off at 3 am for the third time in a week and I have to get dressed and go down to the store to take care of it, I wonder how much longer I want to work for free."

A few years ago, Dr. Phil gave some business dreaming moms a reality check on his SHOW. Basically, if you have kids at home, don't start a business that needs a lot of your time. Think smaller or go get a job with regular hours. But, the idea that you can be successful only being open when the kids are at school is unrealistic. Your customers are probably not available during those hours. They want to come after work and on weekends - the exact times YOU want to be home with your kids.

Scrapbook Industry 2010

2010-10-18T14:51:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that I have pretty much ceased my scrapbooking. I cleaned out my studio and have a huge pile of scrapbook paper waiting for me to drive it to the local children's hospital. My paper crafting is relegated to the occasional card or tag. I don't see myself doing traditional paper scrapping ever again. I do most of my memory preservation with digital scrapping and print it out in photobooks. In fact, I have my own photobook company now.

I rarely purchase scrapbook supplies anymore. The largest local scrapbook store in my area went out of business this year after more than a decade. I stopped by Michaels today because I needed some paper for a project for the teenage girls at my church. We are making these cute gum advent calendars. I was saddened by the lack of selection of Christmas papers. There was about 10 different ones and none of them very interesting. It was sad that there really wasn't any place else to go for a better selection.

Is the scrapbook industry dead? No, it's not. Has it contracted significantly? Yes, it has. The result is being left with whatever you can find in your area rather than the freshest fun stuff hand-picked by an independent scrapbook store owner based on what her customers are telling her they want.

Does that mean there is room for new scrapbook stores because so many places are left without one? No, I don't believe that's what it means. Although I'm sure there are some who are sort of new to the industry who believe that. It's not that many areas don't have stores because no one has thought to open one. Many areas don't have stores because there just isn't enough business anymore to support one.

I have had the occasion in the last month to correspond with two people who were looking into opening or buying a scrapbook business. Both asked my opinion based on how involved I have been in the industry. While I don't necessarily participate in a business way in it anymore, I have paid attention to what has been happening to scrapbooking.

I get the feeling that the closing of so many retail stores has helped the ones that survived. Although their customers are having to come from farther away. But, as one store closes, another picks up some of those poor scrapbook retail orphans. But I also get the feeling that the new influx of customers just helps them hold steady. They don't really grow as a result of someone else closing. They just replace customers they themselves may have lost.

I am also convinced that digital scrapbooking and photobooks continue to take a tremendous bite out of the traditional industry. I was walking through Michaels today and heard two women discussing how no one makes scrapbooks anymore because they don't have to print their photos. They were just a couple of shoppers - no one special. I was sort of amazed at their insight. They are on the right track. There's no compulsion to take care of that roll of film sitting on your kitchen counter. And, for me, printing THEN scrapping was more time consuming than scrapping THEN printing as I do in digital scrapbooking.

So, as I corresponded with these women who came to me, some thoughts emerged regarding the industry and how you can tell that it's probably not a good idea in most cases to dump a lot of money into starting a business. Does that mean you shouldn't start a business? No. But, you should proceed with caution and with money you can afford to lose. It's advice I've actually been handing out since 2002.

Martha Steward said that if you only seek the advice of friends when you're about to launch an expensive business, you're on the wrong track. Of course your friends will agree that it's a great idea. What else are they going to say? They have no skin in the game so they are totally supportive of whatever you want to do with YOUR time and YOUR money. I daresay, though, that most wouldn't give you a minute of their own time or money to help you. Suddenly, it may not seem like that good of an idea if they have to put something up. And, despite what they say, your own friends will often never spend much in your place of business. I've seen that time and time again. They sort of expect the big discount more than they want to help you pay the bills. You simply can't build a business on the promises of friends.

Seeking the advice of someone who will challenge your idea is the best thing you can do. I will challenge your idea to enter the scrapbook industry. I figure one of two things will happen. I'll either make you SO ANGRY that you set out to prove me wrong and you'll work your rear off to make sure I see that YOU can be successful (which may actually result in your success), OR, you'll get scared and walk away. Either way, you'll probably win. Retailing of any sort isn't for wimps and the scrapbook industry is an especially challenging place.

Consider the following:

There was once probably a dozen consumer magazines in the scrapbook industry. There are now only a few left and they are very thin due to a lack of ads
At one point, there was a dedicated tradeshow for the industry. Now, there is only CHA and the scrapbook portion of it seems to be shrinking in size of booths, number of exhibitors and attendees.
There have been instances of companies debuting products at CHA and then cancelling all orders immediately after the show and closing their business. That's not good when you can get enough orders at the biggest show there is to move forward.
There were 4-5 trade magazines at the highpoint. There is now one and it's not that good.
When I started ScrapBiz in 2002, I worked with probably half a dozen distributors. About half of them have now closed.
Support organizations like ScrapBiz have all but disappeared with just a few left
Once popular Creating Keepsakes University is non-existent as are many of the expos in many markets
The big box retailers, who carry what's selling, have down-sized their scrapbook sections or now offer very generic, cheap products in their aisles.
Most of the direct sales companies dedicated to scrapbooking have disappeared. I get the feeling the ones left are limping along.
Lots of very popular names in the industry have added digital scrapping to their offerings. Most retailers "pooh-poohed" the idea of digital scrapbooking and paid a price as lots of their customers left to pursue it and never darkened their door again.

You can't blame the economy. The scrapbook industry started to decline in about 2006 - well before the economy started to tank. Do I see it roaring back? Not really. Do I see it continuing to exist? Yes. It's just peaked.

Therefore, I caution anyone looking to start a business in it to do their homework (as I always have). Don't ask your scrapbooking friends if they think opening a business is a good idea. Instead, hunt down former store owners in your area and have an honest chat with them about why they closed their doors. Run the numbers with a realistic look at how much patterned paper you'd have to sell to break even. Look at your finances and decide of you can afford to lose the money you put into your business.

Then, either proceed with your plans to prove me wrong or walk away and save yourself the headache.

PTA Fundraiser Idea

2010-09-15T14:25:00.000-07:00

I know that many Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) and Booster clubs (band boosters, etc) look for no-brainer, no-work ways to raise funds that work for families. I know my kids have sold their share of donuts, chocolate, wrapping paper and Entertainment books. But, those usually mean lots of work behind the scenes placing and sorting orders. Even eScrip cards are pretty labor intensive. So, lots of groups have turned to things like Goodsearch.com where they don't have to do anything but direct parents or supporters to a site where they can purchase things they already need or use.

PhotoBooks{etc} has launched a new fundraising opportunity for your non-profit group. You get your own account to send your supporters to and photobooks will have your group's name and logo on it to remind them they supported a cause important to them.

Do we have to take orders? Nope, it's all done through your site - the customer does it all through the link!
Do we have to deliver anything? Nope, we take care of it. The order is shipped directly to the customer's home.
Do we have to deal with payments? Nope. The credit card processing is done by US! You just get a check the following month for your sales (less 3% fee for credit card processing)
Does it cost our organization anything to join? Yes, it's just $49/year. You can perhaps get a sponsor to take care of that cost for you.
Do we have to have a website? No, you can pass the link along to your supporters through email or in your newsletter. The link will be a self-contained store they can create and buy from. You don't need to build a website for it.
How much do we make? You can set your own prices so you control how much you make. But, if you leave them at the MSRP, you'll USUALLY make between 20-25% on the photobooks. Some products will be less (like prints) and some will be more. It usually averages out in the 20's, though. Not bad for just sending out a link and encouraging them to choose your site when they make their photo books and gifts.

Our free photo program is award-winning for ease of use and works nearly like MAGIC! The quality is top-notch and our prices are competitive with other programs like Shutterfly. Photo books are extremely popular ways to print photos and preserve memories and photo products like key tags, mugs, mouse pads, puzzles, etc. make GREAT gifts! Your supporters can even order prints, enlargements and posters at competitive prices and support your organization doing it!

If you have any more questions or you are ready to join and want the link, please email us.

The End of an Era

2010-04-27T13:37:00.000-07:00

I got a postcard in the mail today telling me that the 14 year old scrapbook store north of Seattle is closing. My gut tells me that if they can't make it, no one can with a bricks and mortar store. They are in a great location - right next to the huge regional mall and they have tripled in size in the last 9 years or so. The owners say they are retiring - which I believe because they are in the right stage of their life to want more freedom. Honestly, though, if you have a "cash cow", you either sell it to retire or hire a really good manager so you hardly have to be there. Closing is a last resort since you don't get any financial benefit from doing that.

About a year ago, just before CHA, they sent out a bizarre email to all their customers defending the store from a comment made by a customer. It was odd because, of course, 99.99% of the people who received this email didn't hear the comment. Maybe they thought OTHERS were thinking what this customer said. Apparently, a customer came in just weeks before CHA and pronounced the store, "EMPTY" and walked out. The owner got upset and sent out this email telling everyone that the store wasn't empty on purpose - they were gearing up to order a bunch of new products at the upcoming CHA show. It might have sounded reasonable to the average scrapper but it sounded like "spin" to me. Knowing what I know now, I believe it WAS "spin" for a store that was limping along. In all the years I have lived her, I have never seen that store feel like it was empty. But, the last few times I have been in there, it felt that way.

They really gave it a good run and I'm sorry they're closing. I have been very critical of LSS's over the years but this one always seemed to shine while others failed. They added some digital elements. They added a scanner for photos. They had great classes and fresh products. The staff was friendly and helpful. I never had any criticism for this particular store. In fact, I believe it was the reason so many other smaller stores in the area failed. No one else could match their selection so scrappers would often just head there first.

But, their closing also re-affirms my belief that a bricks and mortar scrapbook store is not for the faint of heart. Even the strong can't always survive.

We love Social Media!

2010-02-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

Do you follow PhotoBooks{etc} on Twitter or are you a fan on Facebook? We love social media! It's so fun to get to talk to our customers more often than our monthly newsletter. We love the feedback we get from the new age of instant communication!

Check out THIS ARTICLE about how our new businesses use Social Media to grow and keep in touch.

Still looking for info on running a Scrapbook Business?

2010-02-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

Did you miss out on the sale of our remaining ScrapBiz Business Start-Up Guides? Well, take heart! It's being revised and updated and a newer version at a lower price will be available later this year. If you want to get notification of when it's ready to order, sign up for our email list in the left column.

But, for now, I was cleaning out my office and came across TEN of our "Best of ScrapBiz" books. This book is a collection of some of the best articles taken from our very popular members-only monthly newsletter called "ScrapBizness". They are full of tips, tricks and ideas for helping you run your scrapbook business! It's a great resource if you need a little inspiration!

Normally, we were selling this book at over $20, but I'm going to let the rest of these go for half that - just $9.99 each. Shipping $4.90 (Priority Mail). I am only shipping in the U.S. If you REALLY want it and live outside the U.S., email me and I can calculate international shipping for you and send you a Paypal invoice for the full amount with shipping.

Click the button below if you want one of the last copies of The Best of ScrapBiz. We won't be having any more of these printed - when they're gone, they're gone!

Starting a Scrapbook Business? There's still time to get our book!

2009-10-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

We have FIVE THREE TWO ONE!!! ALL GONE! ScrapBiz Business Start-Up Guides left and we are selling them for the fantastic price of just $39.95 plus shipping. The guide has been the "how-to" book for hundreds and hundreds of women who have started successful small businesses in the Scrapbook industry since 2002.

This book normally sells for $99 but we are letting the last five go for less than half that price. We don't know if we'll ever sell this book again since we are closing ScrapBiz on December 1. So, if you're thinking about starting a scrapbook business of ANY type or could just use some additional insight, hurry and get this book before it's sold out!

Our members have referred to this book as their "Business Bible". It's the only book specifically aimed at starting a home-based or small retail business in our industry. You can see an excerpt of it HERE and read more about it HERE.

Click on the BUY NOW button and grab yours before it's gone!!! There is only 5 ONE of them!

Digital Scrapping and the Traditional Retailer

2009-10-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Recently, I did an informal survey about scrapping habits. It consisted of one question and I posted it on both traditional and digital scrapbooking message boards.

The results, as informal as the survey was, should be noted by every traditional scrapbook retailer who has felt a downturn in business and a loss of customers in the past 3-5 years. Then, those same retailers should think about how to win back the hearts of those customers.

The question was this: Choose the one statement that best describes your scrapbooking RIGHT NOW.

The options were:

I have only scrapped traditionally
I have only scrapped digitally
I was a traditional scrapper but now do only digital
I am a traditional scrapper who dabbles in digital
I am a traditional scrapper who is thinking about digital
I am a hybrid scrapper who scraps both traditionally and digitally
I started out digitally but moved to paper scrapping

Of the 100 answers I got, 51% said "I have only scrapped traditionally". Okay, that's good. But, that still leaves 49% of the respondents.

4% said they have only ever scrapped digitally and another 4% said they converted completely from traditional to digital, but then the water gets muddy.

The remaining 41% said that they were either a traditional scrapper who dabbles in digital or a traditional scrapper who is THINKING about digital. or a hybrid scrapper who regularly does both. That's the area that every traditional retailer should be concerned with. Forty-one percent of your customers are on the verge of moving to digital and never looking back. AT MINIMUM, you have lost some revenue there because that 41% is buying or going to be buying LESS from you over time since part of their scrapping is digital.

So, your job is to capture some value from the shift in scrapping activities among your customers.

Figure out how to incorporate digital scrapbook products. Set up a section of "digital scrapbook products" that includes albums, slick writers, mugs and frames to alter, rub-ons to embellish, software, etc.

Add a photobook component to your store through PhotoBookBiz. Many use the big names like Shutterfly, but they don't necessarily have the best quality, lowest prices or coolest software!

Scan photos for those wanting to go digital. Scanning is time consuming and there are some really fast scanners out there that most customers won't put the money out to buy.

Most of all - tell your customers (the 41% who are flirting with digi) that you are DIGI-FRIENDLY so that they won't feel the need to leave you.

The bottom line here is to pull your head out of the Bazzill and understand that nearly 50% of scrappers are wandering down the digital path. They may not convert completely, but they will buy fewer traditional supplies from traditional retailers just by the mere fact that they are dabbling in it.

I Wear Your Shirt Guy Scraps!

2009-10-08T13:29:00.000-07:00

I Wear Your Shirt Guy scraps for the very first time ever (and I'd say not the last time - he really seemed to be enjoying himself). October 7 was sponsored by my friend, Sandra, of The Memory Workshop in British Columbia. Her kits are SO GOOD!

It was funny when he was doing his live video later and making another page, a bunch of us were on the chat giving him directions on how to do it. When he pulled out a Sharpie, we all gasped! We also got a good laugh when he stuck a random radish sticker on his page. After he was done with his page, he made a card. He couldn't stop scrapping! He was blowing through the adhesive like there was no tomorrow by coating the back of everything. It was really funny. What a good sport he was and a what a smart business owner Sandra is. Enjoy the video!

Carrying On the Work of Helping Women Start Businesses

2009-10-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

As I look towards a new angle of my business, I have found a way to keep my passion of helping women start businesses alive. Please read my PhotoBooks{etc} blog to see how I am going to use my own business to help others start theirs. Then please consider making your photobooks and custom photo products through my site so that we can enrich the lives of others together.

I heart PagePlus X4 by Serif

2009-09-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

For years I have used Microsoft Publisher to make all my business brochures, cards, etc. Well, after discovering Digital Scrapbook Artist by Serif (check out the free version at DaisyTrail.com), I was invited to try out PagePlus X4. It has many of the same cool features of Digital Scrapbook Artist so I decided to take a crack at it.

Shortly after I got it, I had to make a flyer for an activity at church. I started making it in MS Publisher but then remembered I could use Page Plus. So, I started it over in that program.

When I was done, I printed them both out and asked my husband which one he liked better. He chose the PagePlus one. It was SO MUCH COOLER! Instead of flat fonts on the page, I had a custom shadow under my font. Instead of a flat arrow graphic, I had one that looked like an epoxy dimensional sticker. Everything just *popped* off the page and the flyer was more visually interesting than the Publisher one. It really appealed to the digi scrapper in me!

I also used it to make my son's birthday party invitation and add dimension to some graphics for my new PhotoBookBiz website.

While I have yet to scratch the surface of this gem of a program as far as understanding and using the many features, it was easy to figure out and when you start clicking around, there are so many cool ways you can create with it! If you're looking for some great business desktop publishing software that allows more creativity than most out there, I highly recommend Page Plus X4 by Serif.

Start a Photobook Business Today!

2009-09-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

As I look towards my own personal business shift in December with the discontinuation of the ScrapBiz Member Support Program, I am also opening a new chapter. Well, okay, it's not really new. It's been an option at ScrapBiz for nearly a year. But it's grown up into it's own website.

If you have thought about starting your own photobook business - we've got the solution. We aren't an "affiliate" program where you place a link on your site and make a small perk whenever someone makes a photobook through your link. And, we aren't a multi-level direct sales company with high prices and recruiting. Just like ScrapBiz, PhotoBookBiz sort of stands alone in it's own category.

This is a completely independent option that gives you more control than any other option out there.

Check out PhotoBookBiz for details on how, for just $49, you can set up an business as fast as you can fill out a form!

How Do You Scrap?

2009-09-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

I'm curious about how people scrap now vs. how they scrapped before. Did you start out traditional but move to digital? Are you hardcore traditional? Have you never done anything BUT digital?

Will you take my ONE QUESTION survey and tell me about your scrapping?

Click Here to take survey

A Special Announcement from ScrapBiz

2009-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

When I started ScrapBiz in September 2002, the scrapbook industry pretty much offered only two ways to start a business.

You could either become a consultant with one of the numerous direct sales companies or open a brick and mortar store. There was no "middle ground" for people wanting something less investment-intensive than a store and something more independent and flexible than becoming a direct sales consultant. After leaving I Remember When, one of the early consultant groups, I discovered by accident that I wasn't the only unhappy consultant and there were others who wanted to know how I was able to strike out on my own and sell the same products and out of this happy accident emerged the concept that became ScrapBiz.

Now fast-forward 7 years. Though there have been many changes because of the economic recession, the decrease in consumer demand for scrapbooking products and the resulting impacts on stores, manufacturers and industry trade publications, not all of the news has been bad. As long as there are photos, there will be scrappers and many scrapbooking businesses continue to thrive. However, fewer people desire to start a traditional scrapbook business and most wholesalers are now happy to sell to and support any retailer who has a business license, regardless as to whether their store is brick and mortar, online or home-based.

When I started ScrapBiz my focus was on creating tools and resources to help independent, home-based scrapbook businesses to be successful. After seven years and having nearly 1,000 people participate in ScrapBiz, I have been amazed at the success of many of our members. They are smart, savvy and are some of the best business owners and leaders in the entire industry. I credit them as being the BEST PART of the past 7 years and the people who have really made ScrapBiz the strong community that it is.

I opened ScrapBiz for business in September 2002 and, therefore, it seems fitting that I announce the closing of ScrapBiz in September. As of December 1, 2009, the ScrapBiz member support program will be discontinued.

So, what's next? There are bright spots in the industry and one of the most dynamic parts is the emergence of digital scrapbooking. I will continue to build the PhotoBookBiz brand and support the resellers. I will also keep my PhotoBooks{etc}. Additionally, I will be considering consulting and special project opportunities with both traditional and digital scrapbooking companies. So, I am not leaving the scrapbook industry entirely, but I am refocusing my efforts and scaling down the amount of time that I spend each week.

The focus of this blog will change slightly to reflect my own personal business shift, but the blog will continue to be updated with information about the changing scrapbook industry.

Thank to all those who have been kind to ScrapBiz over the last seven years. I have always appreciated your kind comments and thoughts about our business and the scrapbook industry.

Now for a little fun:

Check out the history of our site courtesy of the internet WayBack Machine:

August 2002
September 2002
October 2002
Noveber 2002 - Our first REAL website
May 2003 - Another major website change
May 2006 - Yet another major overhaul of our website
ScrapBiz now

Get FREE Digital Scrapbook Software!

2009-08-29T11:07:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Digital Scrapbook Artist by Serif. They sent me a copy to try and I totally fell in love with it. Every time I try it, I learn something new! It's got some FANTASTIC features and I love it because, unlike other programs, this one is designed for the digital scrapper. The new version is AWESOME because I can arrange the products I already have into digi-kits using the program. That is a really cool feature to help me organize my stash!

The software would make some GREAT classes at a traditional scrapbook store. You could do a series with it with the aim of doing hybrid projects or using it to help customers make pages they could then upload to your PhotoBook site and print books. You would make money on the class, the software, and the photo books. It's a great trio of ideas to profit from digital scrapbooking in a traditional scrapbook store setting. A Walk Down Memory Lane in Iowa is gearing up to do just that! Stores that figure out how to add digital scrapbooking profitably are smart!

I'm thrilled that Serif introduced a totally FREE compact or light version of the full Digital Scrapbook Artist software! You can see a video about it and download it HERE. Of course, using the compact version will leave you wanting the full version! But, it's a good way to try it before you buy it!

Serif is also having a world-wide contest for digi scrappers who use their software. You can see the contest page HERE at their Daisy Trail site.

Check out the free compact version of their software if you are wanting to try digital scrapbooking or if you are a traditional store owner wondering what it's all about!

Are You Using Socialnomics?

2009-08-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

You can't deny these stats. If you aren't using social media to communicate your business message, you are missing the boat! Scrapbookers are using social media - are you there to join in the conversation?

Everything Old Can Be New Again

2009-08-21T08:11:00.000-07:00

It seems like 10 years ago, we couldn't find the new techniques and fun products to put on our layouts fast enough. We were using slide mounts, bottle caps, magic mesh, fiber, eyelets, brads, staples, rings, buttons, etc. Have you noticed, though, that the "new" techniques and embellishment announcements have slowed to a snail's pace? It's like we have come up with every small, lightweight thing we could to stick on our pages and we're out of ideas. I think we all "jumped the shark" when one company tried to put out a line of colored bobby pins to use on our pages. I actually never saw those in my LSS. It was odd.

I remember ScrapBiz members buying bottle caps from a home-brewer place in massive quantities and dividing them up among members. Bottle caps were THE thing for a while. I still have a bunch of stickers in my stash made to fit in the middle of the flattened bottle caps. Every time you went to a crop, you could hear the pounding of mallets flattening the edges of those little gems.

Is it time to re-introduce some of those embellishments again? One kit company I know of is including slide mounts, bread tabs, bottle caps, etc. in their kits and scrappers (many of whom were NOT scrapping when these crazes were going on) think she's a genius! Maybe it's time to recycle and re-introduce fun projects using these simple embellishments! Another retailer is ruling the paper piecing universe. Scrappers are discovering techniques and embellishments that old-timers have forgotten.

I went through my files recently and found an article I had pulled from a scrapbook magazine all about making your own cute 3-D embellishments using bottle caps, tags, mesh, beads, etc. There were some very cute ideas! Maybe it's time to resurrect them. If you've been around a long time in the scrapbook industry, you should have no problem pulling out your old ideas.

I think we have forgotten at times that everyone in the scrapbook industry didn't arrive on the scene in 1997. Many only started scrapping in this decade and they missed a lot of these things. Can we update and reintroduce them and start the craze all over again? I bet we could!

I'm So Confused By the Confusion

2009-08-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

I have been surfing around for some commercial use digital scrapbook kits to use. I have been carefully reading the commercial use licenses and I've come to the conclusion that we really need a standard in the digital scrapbook industry regarding what IS and what ISN'T "Commercial use".

Some CU licenses are nearly indistinguishable from the S4H license. They have two different licenses but you can't really tell what the difference is.

Some CU licenses are SO restrictive that you feel like "why bother"? They have a million conditions that almost include, "I don't permit you to use this on a Tuesday". If you really don't want to allow commercial use of your products, then don't have any commercial use products.

Some swing the other way (the ones I like) and say, "I'm so over the drama of what constitutes commercial use - just go ahead and use it in your business. Just don't sell or give away the individual pieces."

It seems to me that there needs to be some organization in the digital world. They need to agree on a standard licensing contract that isn't so confusing that you're never sure if what you're going to use the CU products for is legal.

The Custom Photo Book Solution for your Scrapbook Store!

2009-08-03T22:34:00.001-07:00

My newsletter for people interested in the PhotoBookBiz part of ScrapBiz went out today. I thought I'd share it here, too. There are five ways you can turn our PhotoBookBiz program into a custom digital scrapbook business for your site or store. It's really one of the best programs out there!

Click HERE to see the newsletter

I Can't Be the Only Traditional Turned Digital Scrapper Who Wants This

2009-07-31T01:26:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that much of my scrapping is now digital. I make cards and once in a while, I'll scrap an actual page to frame or put in an older album.

But, I still love to go into scrapbook stores and I still love the pretty papers there. Unfortunately, when I see something, I don't buy it because I know I likely won't ever use it.

I am sure I'm not the only one who finds traditional products delicious but scraps digitally due to lack of time. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a paper in a scrapbook store that I wanted but in digital form.

I don't know why - wait, actually I do know why and I'll address that in a minute - that traditional scrapbook manufacturers don't capitalize on people like me who started out with the hands-on approach, still goes into scrapbook stores, but scraps mostly digitally now. I know very few of the digital scrapbook "brands". I love Shabby Princess and will look at Scrap Girls or A Cherry On Top when I need something specific. But, I still love Bo-Bunny (Shabby Princess look!), Karen Foster, Little Yellow Bicycle, Flair Designs, etc. I want those - in digital form.

It would so very easy for the traditional manufacturers to offer their traditional paper designs on CD for digital scrappers. And, it would be a brilliant idea to sell those CD's ONLY through traditional retailers who also sold the traditional papers (that's the KEY here - don't cut the traditional retailer out by selling the download at your own site). I would be all over those to get the look of my favorite traditional companies that I have loved for years in my digital scrapbooks!

Now, I'm sure someone has thought about this. I even have a friend who talked to some companies at CHA a few years ago about digitizing their older discontinued lines. Most of them were interested in doing that but it didn't go any farther than that. Why hasn't anyone actually done it, though?

Fear.

The fear of digital scrapping.
The fear that customers will print off your designs at home and never buy the traditional paper
The fear that your designs will end up shared with other users.
The fear of all things digital... period.

It's totally irrational. You are either digital or you aren't. You either have a way to print digital pages or you don't. Like anything - some might abuse the CD. But, most will buy it because they want that traditional brand look in their digital scrapbooks.

I can find "Bo-Bunny-esque" stuff (Shabby Princess). I can find Karen Foster-esque stuff or any other "similar" products. But, I keep shopping the traditional stores and coming out empty handed. Wouldn't this be a good way to make sure I didn't?

I see the pretties. I want the pretties. Sell me the pretties in a format I will use them in and I will cease to leave empty handed.

Basic Customer Service: LISTEN!

2009-07-27T11:31:00.000-07:00

I'll admit right now that I'm not a chiropractor person. After a couple of run-ins early in my adulthood with Chiropractors who made some unsolicited claims that they could fix some very odd issues I had internally as well as a couple who told me I was evil to get my children immunized, I pretty much decided they were not for me.

Well, I have been experiencing severe pain in a tendon in my lower back for nearly a year now coupled with clicking in my tailbone. So, after consulting with my podiatrist (I have on leg shorter than the other and this is my short-leg side), I decided to try a chiropractor to see if they could get rid of the clicking and pain. It felt like something was out of whack.

So, I found one that claimed to do "Sports Medicine" and "Physical therapy", too. After talking to a cousin-in-law who's a Chiropractor in CT, he suggested I find someone who did a mix of stuff like that so there was a more mainstream approach to my pain.

Well, that was a mistake...

Okay, I'll admit that my neck feels pretty darn good. I can turn it better than I could before and my left knee - which had been clicking, catching and feeling like it was going to collapse feels really great! So, I give them an A+ on that. But, the original problem I went in for is a big fat F. I'm still not sleeping at night and the pain hasn't gone away. It seems at times like they work on every area BUT that one I came in for. I get the feeling they aren't working on it so I will keep coming back. They want me to come in 5 days a week at $45 per visit. Do the math - that's $1000 a month. Not gonna happen due to money and the fact that by the time I visit all their stations (physical therapy, massage, adjustments) and drive over there, I am looking at nearly 2 hours per day. I pointed all that out and got the response I totally expected, "What's the price of your health?" Came straight out of a chiro marketing book somewhere, I'm sure.

What if I took my car into the repair shop and said, "The engine dies when I stop at lights" and they sent it back and said, "Hey, we noticed the tires were low so we filled them. Then we washed and vacuumed it. Then we noticed your headlight was out so we changed it. Oh, and there was a couple of old hoses that we swapped out and we also changed the oil." Thank you, that's great that you took care of all those other things but the car is still dying when I stop at a stop light. "Oh, we'll work on that over time and fix it eventually."

Would I as a customer be satisfied with that answer? Nope.

I feel like they aren't listening to me and that frustrates me. They plop me on a line of tables and poke at my chart and then ping, pop and plop me for a few minutes and then send me out the door while they slap another face sheet on the table and another patient lays down. No one has asked me specifically about the pain in my back and no one really addresses it. They just fix what they can feel is wrong - but while those things might be wrong - they aren't the reason I came to them in the first place.

So, as of today - I'm done. I tried, I really did. But, when I get back from my trip later this week, I'm going into my regular doctor because I know she'll do something about the pain in my back and send me off to physical therapy.

Listening to customers is SO important in any business. I appreciate the way my knee feels, but I really need my back to feel good. It's been a month of 2-3 times a week visits - you'd think there would be at least some progress. There is, but in the wrong place - there's been absolutely no change in the thing I came in for in the first place. That's not good customer service.

CHA Networking Event!

2009-07-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

The biggest value of ScrapBiz is the networking between like-minded industry retailers. There is lots of synergy that comes out of our group as well as quite a few real friendships! Being able to discuss the scrapbook and craft industry with people who understand it is invaluable to retailers.

I think one of the best things we can do to help scrapbooking is to get to know each other personally and attend events where we can talk. I loved the scrapbook retailer lunch at PMA - it was a room full of energy!

Kizer and Bender are sponsoring such an event at CHA Summer. If you are going to CHA, don't miss this!

Retailer Connect: a CHA Networking Event

Monday, July 27th

3:15 - 4:30pm

Room # W303B

Orlando Convention Center, West Building, 3rd Floor

Have you ever wanted to get to know other craft and scrapbook retailers but weren’t sure how to do it? Problem solved! Join Rich Kizer & Georganne Bender and CHA’s Member Connect Committee for the FIRST EVER “Retailer Connect” – a special “Let’s get to know each other” Meet and Greet at the CHA Summer Tradeshow & Convention.

“Retailer Connect” will follow KIZER & BENDER’s presentation of “4th Quarter Calendar: EVERYTHING You Need to Run In-Store Events that Build Sales! (Business Seminar S103). You don’t need a ticket or seminar pass, just a pile of smiles. And business cards so we can all keep in touch.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a retailer, vendor, service supplier or designer. Whatever your title, EVERYONE is WELCOME. Let’s build the lasting friendships and camaraderie we all need to grow our businesses and stay the course!

Learning From Donut Wars!

2009-07-13T12:18:00.000-07:00

Recently, a new shop was opening near me. They had painted a website on the paper-covered windows intended to create an air of mystery. They had a big contest at their site about "what are we?" To me, the website totally sounded like a cupcake shop. They had a Facebook page with the same contest and to many others, it sounded like a cupcake shop. In fact, the hints they were giving made it sound like it was a cupcake shop where you could go in, choose your cupcake flavor and have it custom-frosted for you. It would have been a FABULOUS idea for two reasons:

There are no cupcake shops in this whole area. Cupcakes are HOT right now, but few places are selling them here beyond what you can get in a plastic clamshell with nasty Crisco frosting.
This is an upscale upper-middle class shopping area and people would have totally bought into the upscale idea of serving cupcakes at Birthday parties, showers, etc.

But, alas, the place turned out to be a DONUT shop. Which, did not fit the website name in my opinion. The URL sounded like more cake than donut.

So, my kids and I decided to check it out and see if the donuts lived up to the hype so we wandered over there the first day of their Grand Opening. We showed up in the afternoon - wondering if there would be any donuts left. But, given the fact that they stay open until 10pm, I assumed they would be making donuts all day long. There was not much of a line if you don't count the busload of elderly people who arrived just 30 second before us and took most of the afternoon to order.

I bought 4 donuts - two chocolate frosted custard filled, one german chocolate with coconut-pecan frosting and one Maple Bar. My total for 4 very average donuts was over $8. They put them in a brown box with a cutesty label on it that was sort of meant to be "signature" packaging since pink and brown are their signature colors. I think I paid $4 just for the packaging alone because what we got was 4 donuts I could have bought across the street at the grocery store for less than $4. And, to top it all off, my kids didn't get any custard in their donuts until the last 2 bites. They had skimped on the filling.

The next day was the annual 5K Race and festival in this area. We happened to park near this donut shop when we arrived about 7:45 am for the race. This was the second day of this shop being open and I kept an eye on the foot traffic as I sat in the car waiting about 90 minutes for the race to start. I didn't notice a lot of people going in and out. It was surprising given all the hype.

My husband went to warm up for the race and came back with a postcard he handed to me. Apparently, the book store at the other end of the parking lot just opened a branch of a very famous donut shop from Seattle where they had previously had a coffee shop. They were handing out postcards for free donuts. So, after the race, we went and got 4 donuts. We didn't use our postcard and paid $6 for 4 donuts. Still too high in my opinion, but they were much better than the other place and they had the "brand name" behind them as well as features on the Travel Channel and the Food Network. I immediately thought, DONUT WAR!!! You can't tell me that the legendary donut shop isn't going to throw their name and reputation around against this upstart across the parking lot. It will be interesting to watch.

So, what's the lesson here? First, if I was doing a big "what are we?" promotion and everyone kept guessing I was a cupcake shop and they were EXCITED about the fact that a cupcake shop MIGHT be opening in our area - I honestly might have taken a step back and thought about changing my plans. Listen to your customers! People were THRILLED with the idea that it might be a cupcake shop. How many, including myself, were disappointed to find out it wasn't?

Second, I can get donuts at 5 grocery stores and this other new "legendary" Seattle-based donut place all within about a 10-15 minute walk from this donut shop. And, none of them are going to charge me $2 for a custard filled donut. Actually, this new shop sits in the middle of a parking lot between the high-end (similar to Whole Foods) market with lots of donut and pastry choices and the legendary donut place in the bookstore. So, it's literally one of three choices from one parking lot.

How many places can I get cupcakes? ZERO. Okay, I can get them at the grocery store, but they are prepackaged - nothing custom. How many times will I pay over $2 for a donut? Never again. I can't believe that I'm alone in that thought, either. The donuts weren't bad, but they weren't the best I've ever had, either. Perhaps they will develop their donut menu over time to include outrageous things like a bacon-maple bar you can get at VooDoo Donuts in Portland. But for now, they are just a cute donut place selling donuts and I hope they can stand out in the crowd enough to make people want to pay the high price of their donuts.

The scrapbook industry lesson is similar. You need to really evaluate how many other places around you are selling what you sell and try to figure out something of value to the customer that sets you apart from the others. Cute packaging isn't enough anymore. People want VALUE and UNIQUENESS. If you find yourself among lots of others doing the same as you, find that thing that makes you unique! Do you provide better customer service? Have unusually themed crops? Have custom papers for the local area? Stay open later? Can provide lots of "fan comments" about your store that will make others want to come check it out? What's your "hook" that will make people choose you over someone else? It's got to be more than cute colors and decent donuts - especially decent donuts that are higher priced than other decent donuts in the area.

Scrapbook Fever - A 21st Century Scrapbook Retailer

2009-07-08T15:13:00.000-07:00

I told Shelly Izen, the owner of Scrapbook Fever in Salem, OR that I was going to blog about how smart she and her husband, Bud, are.

They are a scrapbook retailer who "gets it" when it comes to thinking outside the box and looking for opportunities outside the normal "make and take" or technique classes for their store.

Scrapbooking without photos is really just a paper craft. And, GREAT photos inspire us to scrap. I can't tell you how many "so-so" photos don't get scrapped at my house. It's only the great ones that make me feel like scrapping.

Could scrapbookers use digital photography tips? You bet they could! And Scrapbook Fever has responded to that need and is now offering digital photography classes in their store.

Read their class description - makes me want to drive to Salem:

Digital Photography Class 101 series with Canon Rep – Our fabulously successful Digital Photography 101 series is brought to you by Canon! This is a course for beginners who need some assistance in understanding their digital camera and its functions! If you take the majority of your pictures using the Auto function on your camera, this course is for you!

This is a series of four (4) two-hour classes designed to help you understand the functions on your digital camera, show you some cool Canon products to print your pictures on, and finish up completing a project using the pictures taken and printed during these classes! Everyone will complete a very cool 8x8 mini album (designed by us of course)

Now, if they added custom photo books and gifts (also a great series of classes to offer) with something like our PhotoBookBiz option, they will have propelled themselves completely into the 21st Century of Scrapbooking.

I applaud their willingness to offer a class like this and think they are very smart scrapbook retailers!

Digital Scrapbook Artist by Serif

2009-07-06T11:44:00.000-07:00

I got a copy of Digital Scrapbook Artist a couple of months ago. I'm the first to admit that I'm a Photoshop Loser - I simply can't enjoy using it and can't seem to make it work for me. I think it's because while I'm not normally technically challenged, that I think like a "traditional scrapper" too much. I want all the tools and techniques of traditional scrapping right there and very obvious for me.

I have used a much simpler program to do my digi pages but was starting to feel limited by it. Then I discovered Digital Scrapbook Artist. I love it because it's "traditional scrapping" in a digital form. I can crop my photos in cool shapes and there are deco scissors to edge my papers with. The program is specifically built for digital scrapping unlike PhotoShop Elements which is USED for digital scrapping but not specifically built for it.

Digital Scrapbook Artist has a site where you can download some very nice kits that work with the program. The site is called Daisy Trail and they're still getting it up and going.

What's really exciting is the update to the program coming later this summer. You can read about it HERE. I love that it looks like the upgrade will help me organize the kits I already have - it's a mess and I can't find anything. I haven't found a solution that I like to organize yet despite many suggestions.

If you're like me and haven't found a program that you're completely comfy with - I'd recommend Digital Scrapbook Artist! You can check it out at their YouTube Channel HERE. There are lots of videos about using the program as well as a video tour to help you decide if it's right for you!

Scan My Photos Scanned My Photos

2009-06-30T11:00:00.001-07:00

A while ago, there was a contest sponsored by Scan My Photos on Twitter. If you re-tweeted the contest tweet, you could win free scanning. Well, I won free scanning!!!

The prepaid shipping box was quickly emailed to me and then I had to decide which photos would go into it. I hauled out all my photos and started sorting. I actually wish now I would have just grabbed piles and put them in the box instead of trying to sort them. They will all have to eventually be scanned anyway. But, I wanted the photos of family members scanned first so I went for those.

I followed the instructions provided and crammed the box FULL - I think I ended up with well over 1000 photos and I could have probably crammed in a few more. Then I dropped the box in the mail - it was all pre-paid so all I had to do was take it to the post office and send it off to California (not India as some services do).

In a week or so, I got it all back - all the photos were scanned! WooHoo! The prize package included several copies so I was able to give a CD to my folks. Now, I have to decide what to do with the photos now that they are scanned. Do I throw them away or keep them? I guess I'll keep them.

I can't wait to use them for digi scrapping and make photo books at PhotoBooks{etc}!

The best part is that I didn't have to scan them! I had started several times but doing one at a time on a flat-bed scanner was going to take FOREVER!!!!!

If you're on the fence about the cost of a scanning service - get off the fence and go for it! Time is money! There is no way I could have ever scanned this many photos myself! I highly recommend Scan My Photos and will use them again to finish up my scanning.

Scrapbooking is Everywhere- Part 2

2009-06-29T19:55:00.000-07:00

Last summer I blogged about seeing Scrapbooking in the post office in the small town my parents live in. Well, last week, I was on vacation in Coeur D'Alane, Idaho with my family and we stopped at Cabela's on the Idaho/Washington border so my husband and sons could, well, do whatever men do at Cabela's (we actually walked out the door with ammunition and 2 pocket knives). I said, "See ya'!" when we walked in the door and they headed for the "Gun Library". I headed over to wander around the "housewares" department. Did you know you can get a recliner done completely in camo - as well as curtains, towels, and hot pads? Anyway, someone asked if they could help me find something and I (being sort of snarky) said, "Yes, a scrapbook store." Their reply was, "Uh, we have a section over there of scrapbook stuff."

I almost laughed in their face. I went over near the "Country Store" and there it was - a small section of Karen Foster Hunting and Fishing scrapbook products! And here I thought I was being all smart-alecky about it.

Scrapbooking at Cabelas... who knew? I had visions of Wes from the Scrapped Movie shooting holes in the albums to embellish them (remember that?)

"I'll Be There For You..."

2009-06-22T16:40:00.001-07:00

Remember the theme song to the show FRIENDS by The Rembrandts? What's funny about starting your own business is that usually, as you start talking about it, your friends are SO SUPPORTIVE of the idea. They'll say, "Go for it!" or "I'll support you 100%!". They will cheer you along and tell you that you've got the talent to do whatever you're thinking of doing.

But, you know what happens when you finally open that business? Your friends are often nowhere to be found. There is an old saying that comes from the bible that roughly says, "No man is a prophet in his own country". That is true at times. I often find that those who were your biggest supporter during the planning stages of your business, don't take you seriously when you actually launch the business. They will often treat your business lightly and sometimes even expect a "friend discount" (translation - WHOLESALE PRICE).

It's sad, really, because you would hope that those closest to you would be your best customers if they are interested in whatever you're selling or doing. You would also hope that they would be your best customer advocates and tell others about your new business.

So, the lesson for today is that if you have a friend who owns a business - be it a scrapbook business or a plumbing business - use them. Put your money where you mouth is and show them that you really DO support them 100% by becoming one of their customers.

Kizer and Bender at CHA

2009-06-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

Check out what the Scrapbook Industry's favorite retail consultant duo have going on at CHA Summer next month.

They have helped CHA put together a national "Craft 'till You Drop" weekend.at the start of the show. You can get details on it HERE at their blog.

And, if you're heading to CHA in Orlando, you can sign up to attend some of their fun and informative sessions there. Find out more about what they're doing at CHA HERE.

Please take advantage of the opportunity to get some great advice. Scrapbook retailers sometimes don't realize how much they could use sound help and information. Veteran retail consultants like Kizer and Bender and established peer-to-peer networking groups like ScrapBiz can be absolutely essential to your survival as a retailer.

Why Scrapbooking Matters - Part 2

2009-06-09T16:57:00.000-07:00

So many of our photos have such fun stories to go with them. I encourage you to make story telling every bit as important as photography when it comes to scrapbooking. We can put photos into an album with the name of the person and the date of the event on the back. But, is that enough? We can glue the photos on cardstock and embellish them like crazy and not have enough room for much journaling - but even that may not be good enough.

For instance - the photo to the left looks like a boy just putting on a shirt. And, in 25 years, that boy may not remember exactly where he was at the time. In 50 years, no one will know that there's more than meets the eye in this photo. They will just see a boy putting on a shirt. They may not even be sure who the boy is.

Here's the story: This is a photo of my 11 year old son at our Family Reunion in Wyoming last year. We were playing a game with all the cousins to see who could put a shirt on first. But, here's the catch. I had soaked the shirts in water, rolled them up and put them in the freezer the night before. Does that change what you see in the photo? He has spent about 30 minutes beating and pulling on his frozen, rolled-up t-shirt. Only after he was able to break the ice enough to unroll it and then pull the sleeves apart was he able to get it on. And, out of the 25 kids playing the "Frozen T-Shirt" game, he got his shirt on FIRST!

Wouldn't it be a shame if I didn't take the time to put that story with the photo? It totally changes what you see and suddenly you start seeing how the shirt is pulled at the neck. You can see the frost on the top of the right sleeve. You might even wonder if he's freezing as he puts it on.

The stories are what make the photos meaningful to the next and future generations. Don't forget to leave a place for them.

Why Scrapbooking Matters

2009-06-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

This is GREAT! This is exactly why we do what we do! We should be teaching our customers that scrapbooking isn't just for this generation, but for the future generations who will love to "meet" us through our scrapbooks!

Are you a Scrapping "Foreverist"?

2009-06-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

Nicole Amsler of Keylocke Services posted a great thought today at ScrapBiz. She posted a blog article about Foreverism. It sparked a good conversation among ScrapBiz members. Really, Scrapbooking or "Memory Preservation" as I prefer to call it, is not a hobby with a deadline. It goes on forever - as long as you have photos, you have memories to preserve.

Of course, some of us look at our photos and think, "Yeah, it will take me FOREVER to scrap all these photos." But, where is it written that you must scrap ALL of them? That's not what we mean by "foreverism". To me, it means that if there is more to the photo than just a photo, that you will want to always be telling the story of your best photos and moments SOMEHOW. That "somehow" can be in the form of traditional scrapbooking, digital scrapbooking, photo books, etc.

The June 2009 PMA Magazine has a GREAT article on Story Telling. You can read it HERE. I think every retailer who has face to face contact with customers should read and incorporate some of their suggestions. We need to teach classes on story telling and encourage customers to not just decorate the page, but tell the story. THAT'S what makes the photo meaningful and helps them capture the importance of their scrapbooking.

For far too long, we have concentrated on embellishing the photos and, frankly, crafts have a short life cycle. We have lost a lot of customers who got burned out on the craft part of scrapbooking. They still have photos. They are still taking photos. And, they still have stories to go with those photos.

I've suggested this approach before and often, retailers will call me a "heretic" because I'm trying to suggest that products aren't important. Actually, the opposite is true. The more we can get people to scrap and the longer we can hold their attention, the better it is for retailers. Customers might not over embellish each page as many have in the past. But, they will be lifelong customers who understand the true reasons they do what they do. THOSE are the people the industry should be looking for and catering to. Short term customers = short term retailers and I don't know any retailer who goes into this thinking, "I'll ride the wave for a couple of years and then close".

We've also had conversations at ScrapBiz recently about theme scrapping. One member said the local scrapbook store she was recently associated with is struggling BECAUSE they chose to follow industry fads when their customers wanted themes. Fads create supply collectors who often become buried in a stash that they will never use. They buy the latest pink flower paper even though they really need to be scrapping choir concerts, track meets and birthday parties. Themes matter. I will scrap Christmas photos 18+ times in my children's lives. I will scrap Halloween costume photos a dozen times. Many of those photos and poses will nearly be identical. I need new products along those themes to keep it fresh each year.

Yet, themes = boring according to many magazines and online communities. Yet, when the black/white/lime green flourishes are long-gone as trends, themes will still be around. Themes are forever.

Memory Preservation is forever. Only when the scrapbook industry catches that idea and opens up their minds to what it means (that it means MORE than just the products we sell) will we ever create an industry that grows and is healthy. We MUST take the longer or "foreverist" view of memory preservation or we become a cyclical craft that ends up as not much more than another aisle at the big-box craft store.

I thought we didn't want a third show...

2009-05-29T06:50:00.000-07:00

Just recently, I purged my office of all the trade and consumer magazines I had kept "just in case" I wanted to refer back to them. Most of them were magazines no longer in business and they were just clogging shelves of my office.

I tossed one particular issue of a trade magazine I had kept because it really made me mad at the time it came out in 2007. I won't mention the name of it because it's still on business. But, this entire issue was a blatant attempt to kill the Memory Trends show. Memory Trends was, I believe, one of the best things about the industry. It was a time for us to come together for our own networking party without yarn or decoupage classes to wade through.

I made a case for the third show when this particular issue came out. You can read it HERE. I wasn't so much making the case for a THIRD SHOW as much as I was making a case for the industry to only attend ONE show - a scrapbook-only show that would bring the fractured industry together without the distraction of non-scrapbook specific events. But, this trade magazine's publisher did his best to make sure Memory Trends never saw the light of day again by continually lobbying against anyone attending it. I believe the death of Memory Trends accelerated the downturn of the industry from the inside. We lost our "moxie" when we lost our show.

So, now, I see a new retailer group trying to get started. After having my own group for scrapbook retailers for the past 7 years, I wish them luck. It is hard to get retailers to pay for any networking groups at any price. It's a sad and puzzling fact about our industry because it's extremely common in other industries to pay for networking groups. And, I see that this new scrapbook retailer group is having a meeting this Fall in Las Vegas that they are saying is "replacing the old Memory Trends slot". And, I see that the very trade magazine publisher who tried to beat down and push out Memory Trends is their co-sponsor.

And given the fact that the WONDERFUL one day retailer event planned by true industry veterans before GASC next weekend was shelved because ONE SINGLE RETAILER thought it was worth the $99 price to receive a full day of business help, I wish them well trying to pull retailers into Las Vegas at a random time for $225 plus travel expenses.

Get a FREE PHOTO BOOK from my photobook site!

2009-05-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

I want you to try my photobook program (also the platform for PhotoBookBiz) because I am sure that you'll love it as much as I do! So, here's the deal: Get a FREE personal soft cover photo book ($12 value) FREE (+$4.95 shipping).

Go to www.Photobookoffer.com and put in the code PBE509. Then, enter your name and email address and you'll receive your special offer code via email.

When you get it, go to PhotoBooks{etc} and make your FREE BOOK! Use the code you got via email at check-out.

The free book has 20 pages but you can pay for additional pages as well as additional books. While you're there, you can make other products from layouts in your book - key tags, mugs, puzzles, etc. with just a click of your mouse.

But, your personal soft cover book is FREE!!!

This is a GREAT WAY to try out the program if you're thinking about PhotoBookBiz!

I heart making cards!

2009-05-18T07:03:00.001-07:00

I love to make cards because they're so easy and fast and feed my paper-crafting gene. I popped out this wedding card for a friend's daughter before we went to her reception last weekend. The card base was from a pack of cards I bought at Micheal's in their dollar bin. The whole card probably cost me a grand total of a dollar. It sure beats the $4.99 they're charging at the card store these days.

I have lots of friends who will never scrap a photo but make cards for EVERYTHING. Sometimes I wish the scrapbook industry would offer more for card makers. For instance, I pulled the WEDDING sticker off a sticker sheet full of random words. I would love to have a whole sheet with about a dozen of nothing but that word, "WEDDING" on it. It would make it so much easier to not have to scramble for the right sentiment on the front of a card. "Thank You", "Happy Birthday", "Merry Christmas", would all be nice to have LOTS of on one sheet.

Zealots

2009-05-14T06:59:00.000-07:00

I went to a class last night about saving money on groceries. I had actually been to this class before a couple of years ago but went again to support the group.

The woman who taught it feeds her family of 7 for between $300 and $550 a month. That includes all their toiletries like toilet paper, shampoo, deodorant, etc. She really knows how to save money.

But, last time, she endorsed The Grocery Game (which I use) as a way to get started and learn how to save. This time she spent the whole class discouraging anyone from using it. She said, "You just need to learn what a 'rock bottom price' is and go for that with your coupons." She also said that she is not happy with anything less than 75% off retail.

Her system is so time consuming and complicated that several (including a mother of preschool aged triplets) left the class saying, "This is a nice idea, but I don't have time to do it." Privately, as we left the class, I told a few of them to start with The Grocery Game. I regularly save between 40 and 50% off my grocery bill just using that. It's a place to start. I use it but rarely use the coupons that it suggests as I just don't have time or desire to clip and file coupons.

If you get into the whole mindset of coupons and saving huge amounts on your grocery bill, you can take it a step farther and really start using those coupons. But, The Grocery Game was a starting place that everyone could succeed at.

On the way home, I couldn't help but compare this to the scrapbook industry. The Zealots sort of took over early on. We immediately started discouraging people who would LIKE to start scrapbooking. We made them feel bad about simplicity. We said, "don't use small stickers and snapshots. You have to have a die-cut machine and an expensive DSLR if you REALLY want to scrapbook!" I wonder how many picked up a magazine or walked into a scrapbook store or class only to come away as the women did last night thinking, "I don't have time or talent for this." I would have been the one behind them saying, "Get a three ring binder, some sheet protectors and a pack of colored paper from the office supply store. It's okay to start small and simple!"

It's great to be excited about and truly love something like this woman loved her grocery savings. However, you can't forget how it was when you started. You weren't at the same level. Zealots sort of expect everyone to instantly rise to their level rather than helping them start down the path.

Our industry is generally guilty of that. We needed a "starter" magazine that had staying power and was an evangelist for the industry. Paperkuts magazine did a good job filling that spot as long as it was in business. They kept it "real" more than other magazines. But when we lost them, the other magazines might have showcased simple scrapbooking styles, but they certainly weren't always easy scrapbooking styles. It took a lot of work and techniques to look that simple at times.

It's really too bad that we left so many people behind. I believe that it is one of the major problems we are experiencing right now. We don't have a large stream of new scrappers coming in because they see it as something unattainable like the extreme couponing that the woman teaching the class was doing. It was good info, but felt unachieveable to most who attended and she discouraged any other method but her own complicated and advanced one. I can appreciate her zeal, but most of us may never get to that point despite having the desire.

What the Kindle DX Can Teach Scrapbook Retailers

2009-05-08T12:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of months ago, I bought my husband the Kindle 2. We love that thing! It's so convenient! The other day, Amazon announced the coming of the Kindle DX - with a screen 2.5 times larger than the Kindle 2.

Welcome to the future of reading. My kids will probably have all their text books on a Kindle-type device at college. No more standing in line to purchase $200 text books you have to lug around and no more standing in a longer line at the end of the semester to sell back your $200 book for $25.

Already, several text book publishers are working with Amazon to digitize their books for the Kindle. Other book publishers should be taking notice. This IS the future of reading. Will regular books ever completely go away? I don't think so. But, the Kindle and the devices that will follow it will do to books what the iPod did to music. It will change the way many of us read and change the way book publishers make their money. My husband has essentially stopped buying physical books. He is now buying his business and political books for his Kindle. We are STILL Amazon customers (okay, we are Amazon junkies), but we are just getting our books differently from them now.

How many book publishers will now just throw in the towel and say, "We're dead"? Probably a few. But, most will look at digitizing their books to work on these devices. A few will ignore the technology believing that there will always be people who buy real books and will slowly, over time, give in to the trend. While others will stick their heads in the sand and say, "we'll never digitize" and then moan and groan about their drop-off in sales.

Kudos to the early adopters of Kindle technology. They aren't acting threatened by it - they are embracing it and figuring out how they can get on board with it.

There is a lesson here for scrapbook stores. Our industry has experienced a large shift to digital scrapbooking. We now have digital photos, custom photo books, digital scrapbook paper and embellishments and large format home printers. The digital age has done to our industry what the Kindle is doing to the book publishing industry.

Most of us have acted threatened by the technology and chosen to ignore it rather than embracing and adapting to it. Many retailers pretend that digital scrapbooking has had NOTHING to do with our decline in sales. We blame drop-outs. We blame the economy. We blame our competitors. Fact of the matter is that many, many traditional scrapbookers are now digital scrapbookers and we didn't even TRY to keep them from leaving us. In fact, most of us were so busy actively ignoring digital scrapbooking that we didn't even see them leave.

A few retailers have jumped on board with digital scrapbooking and have looked for ways to keep those people who have converted to digital coming back into their stores. They are offering custom photo book classes. They are teaching photography classes. They are selling digital scrapbook software and scanning photos or printing out digital pages. They have set up special sections in their store where they offer "Digital Scrapbook Products". They have basically said, "We're not giving you up just because you went digital."

Kudos to those scrapbook retailers who embraced digital in some small way. I believe they will be among the survivors.

There Is No Free Lunch (at least at KFC)

2009-05-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

I had heard today that there was some promotion for a free sample of the new KFC grilled chicken that Oprah had promoted. You could use a coupon to get free chicken and two sides. So, guess where America headed to eat today?

Apparently, there really is NO FREE LUNCH. KFC blew it in a big way when many of their franchisees refused to honor the coupons or played games in honoring them or just plain closed up shop for the day.

So many lessons in running a business here... LINK to just one site full of complaints.

I can't wait to see who gets blamed. If you give something away for free and score a big name to promote it, why wouldn't you prepare appropriately? That's Business 101.

How many people will never go there again? Probably a lot. Colonel Sanders would be so disappointed...

And, yes, this IS related to scrapbook businesses. Learn from other's mistakes. If you make a promise, keep your promise. Otherwise, you lose customers and none of us can afford to do that!

May is National Photo Month!

2009-05-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine the world without photos. Our memories would be the only thing left from weddings, births, family reunions, school programs, etc. Photos help us remember the events - big and small - of our lives.

Show your photos some love this month! If you've been meaning to scan and share - do that this month! If you've been meaning to upload your photos from your camera - do that today! If you haven't gotten your photos into scrapbooks, photo albums or photobooks, now is a great time to work on those activities again. Here are some other suggestions:

Offer to take a photo for someone so they can be in it.
Print out those photos from your computer.
Organize and label your negatives.
Send slides off for scanning.
take photos of ordinary, everyday activities - those are important, too!
photograph your collections and hobbies
photograph your kids' favorite toys

Photos bring our memories back to life! Celebrate them in May!

My Jill-e Bag

2009-04-29T08:43:00.000-07:00

I got it! I finally GOT ONE! I saw Jill-e camera bags at PMA in 2008 and immediately fell in love. These are the "Coach purses" of camera bags and I've never seen anything like them before.

So, after begging my husband for a year to buy me one as a gift, I finally just went ahead and got one for myself after seeing them again at PMA 2009.

Meet my NEW CAMERA BAG! My Sony Alpha 100 is right at home in it. In fact, so is my extra lens and my Flip with room left over. It was much roomier than I thought and I could seriously also throw my wallet, keys and cell phone in it and call it a purse, too (it's cute enough to carry as one). As I add lenses, there is plenty of space in there to fit them.

The cool thing is that the dividers on the inside are held in by Velcro on the sides of the bag so you can totally reconfigure the inside of the bag to fit whatever you need to fit in it.

Someone asked me if the bag was good quality. Yes, it is! It's leather and really pretty heavy (note to you smaller peeps, you might find this bag too heavy to carry). There's nothing "cheap" looking about the bag and the lining is so cute - it's cream with big polka dots.

I've already had a couple of friends ask where I got the really cool camera bag. I was happy to toss my ugly black nylon one into the Goodwill pile last week. Wait, maybe I should get it out again so my husband will carry my camera once in a while. Nah, I'll just have to buy him a Jack bag...

Twitter Wisdom

2009-04-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

This was re-tweeted by someone I follow today. It's very sage advice:

Never fall in love with an idea until you've crunched the numbers.

One of the biggest failings of retailers in the industry, in my opinion, is that too many of them made the decision to open a scrapbook store without ever thinking for 5 seconds about whether or not it made any financial sense. I have been begging people for years to think on the profitability of a store rather than the "fun" of owning one. You can't pay the bills with "fun" and when the bills pile up, the fun is over!

There is a really nice European shopping street-type area near me surrounded by upscale neighborhoods. The area opened about 5 years ago and many of the leases are coming due this Spring. Guess what's happening? Many of the businesses are closing leaving lots of empty space. It's still a very nice area, though, and it makes me a little sad to see so many shops and restaurants close.

I would love to see a little upscale paper craft store go in like a Paper Source store but with more scrapbook products. But, then, when I crunch the numbers in my head and realize that 10 scrapbook stores have come and gone in my area in the last 8 years, I know in my heart that it wouldn't make any sense.

But, a girl can still dream, can't she? The problem is that many dream without thinking it through and would do it anyway.

Just in Time for National Scrapbook Day!

2009-04-22T14:50:00.001-07:00

News reports today indicate that consumer confidence is edging up. Retailers are reporting that while consumers aren't making more shopping trips, they are buying MORE each time they shop. Receipts are getting larger.

So, how do you respond to that? BUNDLE! With National Scrapbook Day coming up, now might be the time to encourage consumers to buy more by putting together some great bundles of products they use the most.

Adhesives, cardstock, pens, and albums are things scrappers buy over and over. Give them a great price on a great pack of products to celebrate a special day!

One Day Retailer Event

2009-04-20T07:01:00.001-07:00

The Creative Leisure News had a bit yesterday about a great opportunity for retailers who are in the area of GASC. I knew this was being planned and I'm glad it came together.

If you are a retailer in the Arlington area and plan on attendting GASC, you can't go wrong by attending this one day special event just for you! Tamara and Beth will surely have some fabulous classes to share with you!

SEMINARS. F+W Publications is sponsoring the Great American Retail Conference in Arlington, TX on June 3, the day before the Great American Scrapbook Convention. The one-day seminar will be presented by Beth Mauro, former editor of Scrapbook Retailer and CNA, and author/retail consultant Tamara Lipori. Sessions will address trends and strategies for generating store traffic during a tough economy. For info, email Beth at beth.mauro@fwmedia.com. For info on the Convention, visit www.greatamericanscrapbook.com.

PMA 2009 Attendance was UP!

2009-04-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

Wow! Check out this news about PMA 2009 from PMA Newsline:

The PMA 09 International Convention and Trade Show recently held in Las Vegas, Nev., drew more than 40 percent increase in attendance from both the pro photographer and specialty retail photo store segments compared to PMA 08. Attendance from both the mass merchandising store and internet/online retailer categories also increased by approximately 20 percent.

That's interesting given that many trade shows, including CHA, are reporting a decline in attendance. That says something about the photo industry - they get it. They get that when the chips are down, you don't run and hide, you come together to network and figure it out.

We (the scrapbook industry) could learn from that. So many people say, "I don't need a group" (like ScrapBiz and PSRO), but honestly, you DO! This is a time to come together with like-minded people and talk about the issues the scrapbook industry is facing. You almost can't afford to NOT be part of these think-tanks and networking groups.

My hat is off to PMA for a wonderful show. The educational programs at PMA are fantastic - the best I've ever attended. It's worth going to PMA for those alone. Just insert "scrapbook retailer" whenever someone says, "Photography studio" and you'll be well-fed.

How Much Moola {$} Can I Make with PhotoBookBiz?

2009-04-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

One of the top questions I get about PhotoBookBiz is "How much will I make?" Well, that's not an easy question because the products all have different profit margins. But, above is a chart (click to enlarge) with a few of the most popular products from prints to lay-flat photo books. The average profit margin on this products is 23% but that can be more or less depending on where you set your prices. These prices are assuming MSRP, but, as I said, you have the ability to set your OWN prices.

Things to remember about this fantastic program:

It's only $49 a year to join
You don't ship anything to anyone
You don't stock any products
You don't have to process credit cards
Customer service questions and technical issues are handled by Rocket Life
You can set your own prices
You can offer your own unique sales
The feature-rich software is customer-approved and award winning for it's innovation and ease-of-use

PhotoBookBiz is a GREAT way to tap into digital scrapbooking without risk or investment. As fast as you can sign up, you can be in business. CLICK HERE for information or to sign up!

Looking at PhotoBookBiz?

2009-03-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Check out the video tour of our newly relaunched Rocket Life program. If you've been thinking about starting your own PhotoBookBiz with us, now is a great time!!!! It's just $49 a year!!!

Marketing Moments

2009-03-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

It's a sad fact that many stores in the scrapbook industry have closed this year. I keep hearing about more and more. Many of them were operating at the edge of their income even in the best of times and had no room in their bottom line for any sort of bump in the road.

There are probably many factors beyond just finances that have contributed to this. Marketing your business in the best of times is so important, but marketing it at times like this is vital. Actually, marketing your business ALL THE TIME is what helps you through thick and thin.

A smaller store near my house just quietly closed up. Aside from a plain quarterly email (which really isn't enough contact), I never heard anything FROM them or ABOUT them - yet, they were just 2 miles from my house. I suspect that being tucked back off the road in a strip mall blocked from view by other stores and next to a barber shop was part of their problem. No one knew they were there and they didn't go out of their way to tell people they were.

Marketing is tricky for most people because it takes more time than money. Time and money are two things that many small business owners lack. So, advertising, which takes more money than time is just as unlikely to happen as marketing is.

Small businesses need marketing ideas that are uncomplicated and easy to find. One good new source for these is the new PMA Marketing Moments website. This idea was actually my brainchild and PMA has taken it on and created a site for the entire photo and memory industry. These little sound bites take less than 90 seconds to listen to and they will hopefully spark some ideas in you to help you market your business. Many times, marketing is merely an off-shoot of something you're already doing in your business. You just need to aim at a different crowd (potential customers) instead of aiming your effort at current customers.

Another good place to gather marketing ideas is ScrapBiz. We talk about marketing a lot because it's the life-blood of our business members. For instance, National Scrapbook Day is coming up May 2. At ScrapBiz, the theme we suggest for our members for that day is "Sweet Memories" - a day of chocolate and scrapping. Along with that comes ideas for games, treats and activities. Most business owners want that - a plan that is ready-made that they can draw on so they don't have to invent the wheel themselves.

Find other businesses that you can network with to create marketing ideas and plans. There aren't very many resources left directly targeted at our industry. Interestingly, many retailers I have spoken to say that the biggest loss for our industry when Scrapbook Retailer magazine ceased publication was the 2 month marketing idea calendar they had in every issue.

Marketing - it's something we all know we must do but that time and money thing gets in the way. Yet, it can be our very downfall in the end.

Business is business until it gets personal

2009-03-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

I have an RSS feed coming into the ScrapBiz members-only site from Seth Godin's blog. He's one of my favorite business guru's. His post the other day really made a good point (although I missed it the first read-through) LINK. We have a very personal business as scrapbook retailers. Most of us are also friends or at least very friendly with our customers if we have face to face contact with them. It IS true that those who know you best will protect you and do much for you vs. the casual, anonymous person who doesn't know you. It's much easier to rant against Micheal's than it is your local scrapbook store if you frequently shop there and know the owner. We tend to give people we know personally a "pass" at times when it comes to their foibles (to a point).

But, I also maintain that you can take the personal relationship a bit to far and it can come back and bite you as many "scrap celebrities" in our industry have found out. There are people and groups willing to use any bit of information against you if they get something in their craw about you.

Therefore, here is my cardinal rule of getting personal in business. Never say anything that would emotionally wound you if it got thrown back in your face in a mocking or "mean girl" kind of way. That means, it's okay to talk about how lame your computer or gardening skills are. Or, how you don't like cats or can't stand pizza. If someone mocked you for those "qualities", who cares? But, what if you dump your soul about your fertility problems or weight issues? If people turned on you about those topics, it would cut like a knife and hurt very bad. There are plenty of people ready and willing to do that - especially on the internet where anonymity is acceptable.

Therefore, be careful about what you tell people - especially in blog posts or on message boards. "Copy and paste" can spread your information and the attending "mean girl" comments far and wide. A friend of mine has a 6th grade daughter who learned this the hard way - she dumped about a friend in a text message and guess where it ended up? And guess what happened to her? She ended up crying in her room for days over what happened. It was a very hard lesson.

Be friends with your customers and share with them, but also, be careful about WHAT you share. Some will care and want to help, some won't care and be turned off by your personal information and a small percentage will "file" it away and use it against you in the future.

My second rule is to grow a tough skin because no matter what you do, there will always be people who disagree - and that's okay.

Photo Books and {not vs} Scrapbooks

2009-03-13T15:20:00.000-07:00

Photo Courtesy of PSRO

I ran across and interesting press release the other day about photo book manufacturer RPI. They are actually in my area and a couple of years ago, I had the pleasure of touring their new facility and learning how the books are made from the printing of the pages right on through to the packaging of the completed books. It was fascinating.

This PRESS RELEASE was interesting and speaks to the rising popularity of photo books. Who wouldn't want 60% annual growth?! According to research done by the Photo Marketing Association, 10% of U.S. households have made custom photo gifts and books. At the end of 2008, it was supposed to be a $389 million dollar a year industry. With the growth that RPI is experiencing, I would say it got there and more. According to that press release, growth in the photo book industry is expected to exceed 25% compounded annually for the next 5 years. Those are some pretty impressive stats!

So what does that mean to scrapbooking? Who knows really. I believe it's already had an impact. Many traditionalists will continue doing what they are doing, but many who have never scrapbooked (like men) will be found at the photo book sites making hard bound books and not scrapbooks with their photos. With photos being largely digital these days, many chose to print them for the first time on the pages of a photo books. It's not a situation where it's photo books VS. scrapbooks and it's not even an "either/or" for most people. I think over time many scrapbookers will do BOTH depending on their need, time, etc.

Photo books were the HOT item and PMA this month. There were tons of companies pitching machines and services for making these books. Some were intended for home use and some were intended for companies like RPI who make tons of these. It was fascinating to watch the demos. And, there was no shortage of people watching. It's obviously something on everyone's mind.

So, that brings me to the photo at the top of the page. It's me, my friend, Karen Crisp of F+W Publications and Rocket Life President, Daniel Kaye, listening to him do a demonstration of the Rocket Life software for Karen. It was so fun to listen to him demonstrate his "baby" for us! It reminded me of why I partnered with them to bring PhotoBookBiz to the industry! It's a great program with great products run by great people and offers retailers great features!!! And, it's only $49 annually to be part of the program and get your own unique store.

Features of the PhotoBookBiz program include:

Your own unique Rocket Life software platform
Your own private brand - YOUR logo goes on the products and packaging
You set your own prices above wholesale
Rocket Life provides customer service contacts for customers during the creative process
Rocket Life processes credit cards FOR YOU
Rocket Life collects and pays the sales tax
Rocket Life drop-ships the orders right to your customers
More books sizes and styles than just about any other program out there
Average 20% commission on products (some higher, some lower and depending on your price)

It's probably one of the easiest businesses to set up and get going on. Within minutes of paying for your site, you will have your link. Set your prices, add your logo and start sharing your link!

You can place your link on your exisiting business website and add photo books and custom products very quickly to tap into the growing popularity of them. Or, you can purchase a website template from PhotoBookBiz at a discounted price. Then all you need is a fun domain and a place to host the site.

PhotoBookBiz is a great opportunity to take advantage of this explosive new way to share your memories.

Yours, Mine or Ours?

2009-03-12T01:21:00.000-07:00

With the aforementioned closing of I Remember When, I have been once again reminded of WHY I started ScrapBiz in 2002. It was not only my experience with IRW at the time, but past experiences that caused me to be gun shy about the "Your business until we take it from you" model.

The short version of my time with IRW is that they essentially shut down for 2 months and told us to wait. There were some personal things going on at headquarters and the decision was to NOT place any orders for weeks and weeks. I had white cardstock and black pens on order for about 6 weeks. The "story" was that the supplier was out of those. Later, I found out who the supplier was, recounted the story and got a hearty laugh out of the customer service rep. It had NOTHING to do with them not having those two basic supplies and EVERYTHING to do with IRW not paying their bills.

The other issue was that they stopped printing catalogs. I got 6 and then could get no more. How can you have parties when you don't have catalogs? I believe it was like 18 months until the catalogs finally arrived and I was long gone by then.

I kept wondering just who's business this really was? They said it was mine, but they treated it like theirs. Poor planning on their part DID create a crisis on mine. My customers just wanted their orders! I spent nearly every penny I got from customers at Michaels buying products to fulfill orders. Then, I realized that IRW was nothing more than a poor wholesaler (with a really rotten discount) and I went looking for my own source of supplies. And, that is how ScrapBiz started.

A similar situation happened several years earlier. My husband and I were sales agents for Xerox. The business was all ours - hiring, firing, sales, location, etc. That was until we had built it up to something great and wanted to sell it. Xerox said, "Nope, it's not REALLY your business. If you want out, we'll just assign another agent to your territory. You get nothing." We had to "Lawyer-up" for the fight and they backed down and allowed us to sell. We were the first Xerox sales agents to EVER sell their business. Of course, Xerox reserved the right to approve the new agent, but we sold it to an employee who already knew their system so they couldn't reasonably say, "No". But, that was our first go-round in the "Who's business is this anyway" game.

Some I Remember When consultants have indicated that the sharks are circling. They're getting, "Oh, I'm sorry you lost your business. JOIN US TODAY" messages from other consultants in the few remaining direct sales companies in the industry. I hope they will approach those messages with extreme amounts of caution. Do you really want to dive back into that pool?? Do you REALLY want to build something up only to possibly have it yanked out from underneath you again? Do you REALLY want the drama that comes with asking an innocent question about shipping on the consultant boards and getting slammed for being "negative"? Do you REALLY want to deal with all the shipping and policy changes that really only benefit the home office?

I've been quite critical of direct sales companies in the industry for many years because I believe they lead many women down the wrong path. They teach them poor business principles - like recruiting. It GREATLY benefits the company, but hurts the consultant. They dangle big rewards in front of them but the truth is that 97% of direct sales people never earn positive cash flow. They have fantastic conventions every year but really, did you even EARN as much as it costs you to go to the convention? I think most consultants lose more than they made when they fork over all the costs of going to the "rah-rah" party.

So, from all my experiences, I set up ScrapBiz the way I did ON PURPOSE. If ScrapBiz were to close tomorrow (which it won't), not one of my members would lose their business. I love that fact! It's not my business or even OUR business, it's THEIR business. Of course, I'll expect a proper period of mourning - LOL! But, after that, they'll just keep on doing what they love!

Maybe it's time to strike out on your own and join ScrapBiz.

Don't Blame the Economy - we were hurting before that....

2009-03-11T07:46:00.000-07:00

I Remember When, the direct sales company that ScrapBiz grew out of in 2002, quietly shut it's doors a couple of days ago. It went without the drama usually associated with the demise of the industry's direct sales companies (Scrap in a Snap, Leaving Prints and TLC all went down in scandalous flames). But, the company was not without it's troubles through the years. According to wholesalers I have worked with for many years, paying bills was often a problem. Still, many consultants are now left without a business. Which was part of my beef with these companies in the first place. It's not really YOUR business - if they close, you close.

But, that's not my point here. My point is that many are blaming the economy. That may have had SOMETHING to do with it - as in it was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. But, the scrapbook industry has been in trouble for more than just this past 18 months that we've been in a recession. So, the economy can't be totally blamed.

Some of the business members at ScrapBiz report that their customers don't seem to know there's a recession going on. They are still buying like crazy. Others are reporting only slight declines in business or that business is flat. Both aren't bad given the tough economy.

Our real problems started years ago and the economy was the final straw for some. The problems are simple but the answers are complex. I just taught a class at PMA that covered part of the reasons why the industry has suffered the last few years.

Consider what a scrapbook store looked like in 1999 - paper, albums, adhesives, embellishments, tools. Then, consider what the scrapbook store of 2009 looks like - paper albums, adhesives, embellishments, tools.
Consider the changes in home technology since then: digital cameras, photo printers, faster computers, better scanners, photo books, color printers, wide format printers.

The problem here is clear - scrapbook stores failed to keep up with the evolution of technology and what it meant to memory preservationists. The new tech brought new possibilities for taking photos and preserving memories and stores ignored it all but customers didn't.

Consider the scrappers of 1999 - pretty much those who did and those who didn't. Scrapping was pretty much just ONE type of activity
Consider the variety of scrappers in 2009 - hybrid, traditional, card makers, paper crafters, digi scrappers, photo book makers, etc.

The problem here is once again that retailers failed to adapt. We have SO MANY types of customers in our industry and yet, most stores cater to ONLY the traditional scrapper. You can't shut out a large percentage of potential customers and thrive. I seriously get amused when a store owner will look me in the face and say, with all seriousness, "I don't have ANY customers interested in digital scrapping." Well, you DID have those people and they already left. And, you DO have some who are dabbling in it or thinking about it and are in danger of leaving the traditional industry. What you're saying is that you don't offer anything to those people so they don't come in.

And finally, knowing that some will drop out over time (or maybe we didn't have the business sense to know that) and that the average life-cycle of a craft is 7 years, we did NOTHING to invite in new scrappers to replace those who left either because they got bored or changed their style.

Struggle, struggle, struggle.... now, add a bad economy on top of that and it means death for many retailers.

That's not to say that you should be all things to all people. But, if you know you have a strong position as a traditional retailer, then you need to market the heck out of that angle and scratch and claw for every traditional customer you can find. You can't sit back and wonder where everyone went and then blame the economy. If you add tech to your store, then you need to like-wise market heavily the fact that you are a 21st Century Scrapbook Store and you want to invite your former customers back to see what you've got.

Either way it's not going to be easy. But, it CAN be done.

A Monday Laugh

2009-03-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

This came from Twitter via CraftCritique. This made me laugh so hard that I nearly spit my water on the computer screen.

Unibind Photo Book Creator

2009-03-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

I love the Unibind Photo Book Creator. One of the best parts about it is the covers - they are totally meant to be altered. It's a true hybrid project!

Check out these covers - Unibind had some scrapbook industry people alter them - they were wickedly cute! How fun - customers can make a photo book using either digital or traditional pages and then alter the heck out of the cover!

Hybrid scrapbooking is where it's AT!

Virtual PMA Tour for Scrapbook Retailers

2009-03-03T14:36:00.000-08:00

Here's the online version of my PMA show floor tour for those of you not lucky enough to have joined us this morning. It was a GREAT tour - I enjoyed meeting the great women who joined us!

Braggables - they were at CHA- cute, nice quality photo bags. Everyone was really impressed with the quality of these bags!

Brooke International - This Kodak scanner will BLOW YOU AWAY - it scans a mixed stack of photos lightning fast and you can fix them easily in their software. Everyone was so impressed with the speed of this machine.

Goosie Cards - these are kind of fun if you did them like mini scrapbook pages. Customized flash cards - they'd be fun on a colorful ring and maybe embellished a bit. They are heavy duty -laminated to be loved and wiped off.

Jill-E camera Bags - Lots of "ooooohhhhhs" and "aaaaahhhhs" and "I want THAT ONE" going on. These are high fashion camera bags that look like purses! I love, love, love these bags and will be the owner of one before the month is out (if I don't win one at the luncheon they are very graciously sponsoring!)

Neil Enterprises: The site isn't exciting but I have been playing with a big box of stuff they sent me to alter. Most of it has to be done with digital scrapbooking, but some works well for hybrid. I've had a lot of fun making up samples for them. Once you put your thinking cap on, you will get really excited about this company!

Rocket Life - I love this company so much that I signed up to be a distributor and for $49, you can become a reseller through ScrapBiz HERE. I finally got my hands on the new lay flat and art leather books - OH. MY. HECK! Those are beautiful books. The pages are heavy like cardboard and the bindings are STUNNING. The laminated cover on the art leather/lay flat books glistens because it's printed on a metallic background. If you're a professional photographer, you would really benefit from from using Rocket Life to make books for your clients.

Sawgrass Technologies - They have a system that will allow retailers to make custom gift products IN HOUSE. The have a really nice ink system to use with printers and heat presses to make vivid and long-lasting t-shirts, bookmarks, etc. We were really impressed with their system

Unibind: Their photo book creator is cool because you can bind nearly any type of paper including sheet protectors in it and their covers are meant to be altered. Everyone was very impressed with the durability and strength of the bond to the pages. They just released a new cover that has a sound chip in it so you can record a message with your book - COOL!

We did an unscheduled stop at a booth that had lamps that you slipped a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 photo into and the photo glowed. We discussed all the possibilities - photos, small scrapbook pages, etc. The guys in the booth were very excited. I can't remember the name, but I'll pick it up and post it here when I go back in a while. EDITED: Here's the link: Photo Light Frames

We also stopped at the Lucidiom booth and did a quick run-down of what they offer in the way of photo kiosks. They are about the only photo kiosks who understand and embrace the scrapbook industry. BTW - they were just purchased by Noritsu who manufactures scanners.

PMA Day 1 (sort of)

2009-03-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

I arrived at PMA this afternoon. Well, really, I arrived in Las Vegas. There isn't much going on today that I needed to be involved in.

As soon as I got checked in to the Hilton, I walked over to the trade show floor and got in via Sheila with the PSRO. I had my map in hand and, dodging forklifts and cherry pickers, I wandered around for about half an hour doing my "tour". It was kind of fun - like getting into Disneyland before anyone else! Not everything was set up, but I at least found the companies on my tour.

So, bright and early in the morning, I'll be navigating the trade show floor with 11 people discovering all sorts of fun goodies! I'll post the list of companies next week when I get back so you can see what we discovered at PMA!

Social Media: Business or Personal?

2009-02-18T13:15:00.000-08:00

I have been discovering social media this year. I joined Facebook and reconnected with a lot of former and current friends and then I joined Twitter (@KimGuymon). I'm no expert on social media but I really feel like it's the year of Social Media Marketing and that businesses should decide if it's for them or not. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter all have their virtues when it comes to keeping in contact with friends and customers. You just need to clearly define your goals before you start so that you can stay on track.

When I joined Facebook, I decided that most of my friends there will be personal friends so my Facebook updates are almost all personal thoughts, activities and feelings. I have some business friends, too, but Facebook is more personal than business.

When I joined Twitter, I decided to make it more business than personal. The people I follow and those following me are more in it for the business side of my life than the personal one. Consequently, my tweets are nearly 100% about what I'm doing with my business life. Now, my tweets feed into my Facebook page so my FB friends get a mix, but I know they'll forgive me.

This blog works on the same principle. This blog is all business. If I post something personal, I tie it in with my business most of the time.

Clearly defining what you're doing where is important in social media. I honestly don't appreciate following a business at Twitter only to have them continually tweet about their personal lives. I have actually un-followed people because they were doing that. I don't mind the occasional personal tweet, but what you had for lunch, how high your child's fever is or what color your new shoes are isn't why I'm following you - especially if your Twitter name is your business name.

There are advantages to tweeting business stuff - a tweet is short. You can tweet out what's new in your online store, a coupon, or what you're currently working on in your business.

Facebook gives you more opportunity to express yourself with longer posts. And, you can set up a page for your business and invite your customers who are also your FB friends to become fans. Then their friends see that they've become fans of your business and will hopefully come check you out.

BUT, because of the short nature of the posts you can do at both Twitter and Facebook, you don't have much room to mix business and personal messages together.

A blog gives you a longer format to express your opinion. You can mix a personal story in a post about your new page kit and have it be totally relevant to your business blog. Our industry is very personal and our customers want to know more about us. But, you still need to be conservative in what you post - don't air your dirty laundry and think it won't potentially come back to bite you. Many in our industry have said too much at times and sometimes their fan base turned on them and used some of their personal lives for public ridicule.

So, if you're participating in social media, evaluate your goals for each form and then be mindful of those goals as you post.

Twitter

2009-02-18T10:41:00.001-08:00

Do you Twitter? You can follow me HERE. Almost all my Tweets are specific to owning a buisness. I'll tweet a bit about the show while I'm there next month. And, you can follow PMA on Twitter in a variety of ways.

Below are some PMA Twitter accounts to start with:

www.twitter.com/PMAMembers - PMA Membership Info
www.twitter.com/PMAPress - PMA Press announcements
www.twitter.com/PMAMagazine - PMA magazine information
www.twitter.com/DIMAInfo - DIMA information
www.twitter.com/sportsphoto - SPAA - sports photography info
www.twitter.com/PSPASchoolPhoto - PSPA School Photography Info
www.twitter.com/PMAtradeshows - PMA Exhibitor info

Follow PMA editors as they cover the show:

To follow PMA "photographically", try the PMA Flickr account:

PMA 09 group photo pool: www.flickr.com/groups/pma09/
PMA photostream: www.flickr.com/photos/pmaphotos/

To watch PMA videos, visit the PMA YouTube channel or PMA TV:

You Tube:www.youtube.com/user/PMAShow

PMA TV: www.pmai.tv

PhotoBiz

2009-02-17T14:43:00.000-08:00

Since many scrappers have now gone BEYOND the point and shoot digital camera and moved on to the DSLR's, I am seeing what seems to be an epidemic of photography business owners among scrapbookers. It reminds me a bit of the scrapbook industry 10 years ago - everyone who liked to scrap wanted to open a store.

I really kind of cringe a little when I see messages like I saw on a forum last week that said (and I'm paraphrasing), "Hey, my husband ordered me my first DSLR and I'm ready to open my photography business! Where would I take classes to learn how to use my camera?" YIKES! Those messages scare me. Just because you have a DSLR - even a killer one - doesn't mean you're ready to open a business. It's sort of like the woman who loves to cook and cooks well thinking that's all the skill she needs to run a restaurant. Not to mention you seriously need to be able to use more than your auto settings on your camera to take good photos. And, Photoshop can't perform miracles.

So, before you run off and start posing teens by dumpsters in alleys (seriously, what's up with that?), here are some things to consider:

Do you have a business plan?
How much will you charge for what kind of sessions?
What's your specialty or niche
Do you have the other equipment that other pros have? Lights? Backdrops? Lenses?
Where will you consult with clients? Your home? Starbucks? Their home?
Do you have a portfolio with a good variety of photos you have taken?
Do you have a professional website that has REAL information on it? I hate websites full of pretty photos but not one indication of hours or package prices.
Do you have a nice place to have prints made that DOESN'T have "-mart" in it's name?
Do you have the correct business licenses? You need to be legal - collect taxes, etc.
Can you deal with a bride who hates every photo you took of her big day? This isn't always a glamorous industry - sometimes people FREAK OUT at you because they were thinking "traditional" and you were thinking "edgy" and you can never recreate the day. For every happy client there will be 3 willing to string you up for being the worst photographer ever (in their minds). Can you take the criticism?
Do you have the correct insurance? There is liability here that you may not think about - see the tip before this if you need an example. People love to sue!
Do you have a contract to sign that is clear and legally binding/protecting?

Owning ANY business is more than just the fun, artistic, creative side you see. Behind that is hours of work and months or years of marketing. Those types of things are what I call the "un-fun" parts of being a business owner - but they are the MOST IMPORTANT parts that will make or break your business.

I haven't read this book, but I would suggest you get something like the Fab Job Guide to Opening your Own Photography Business for starters. It seems like it's very elementary and if you've never owned a business before, it's probably what you need.

Check out ScrapBiz in Scrapbook Business Magazine

2009-02-09T07:53:00.001-08:00

You can read a preview of our class on pages 64-66 HERE.

Thank you to PSRO for allowing me to contribute to the article. BTW, my class is filling up and my tour has good group going already. The class is going to be lots of fun! You'll walk away with some fresh ideas and free samples! I've got some great tech ideas rounded up and you'll be able to see products in action that will help you freshen up your scrapbook store if you want to add tech and digital scrapbooking to it! We are taking you WAY BEYOND the tired idea that you should sell digital scrapbook CD's in your store. That's not the way to do it - that's the "I just sell stuff" approach which is SO 20th century. We are taking a different stance that can actually help you be profitable beyond selling a CD of software and never seeing your customers again when they embrace digital. We are going to show you how to reach out to those 21st century scrapbooking customers and help them with their memory preservations needs, too!

Support ScrapBiz in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

2009-02-06T08:33:00.001-08:00

Hey blog readers!

Could you help me out and vote for ScrapBiz at StartUpNation? Thanks!

Support ScrapBiz in the 2009 StartupNation Leading Moms in Business Competition

Join a Facebook Group

2009-02-05T06:20:00.000-08:00

Are you a scrapbook business owner? ScrapBiz has sponsored a group at Facebook just for you! It's called Scrapbook Business Owners and we would love to have you join us! It's a closed group - just request to join and you'll be granted access.

Would you like some Cheese with that Whine?

2009-02-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

Once again, I am forwarded a "poor me" email from a scrapbook industry retailer. This retailer/wholesaler needs to generate a lot of quick cash in order to survive the next three weeks. They are calling on their "friends"to save their business because they aren't ready to "throw in the towel, yet". Huh? Why is poor planning on your part the responsibility of your customers?

It was about 700 words of whining and crying about how terrible this is for them and several reminders that it's "tough for everyone" right now... but, you've got to save us. What about your customers who have lost their jobs or their homes? They could use some "saving" right now, too.

I WILL give them that they offer the customer something in return, a discount on their purchases. BUT, then they remind their customers that it's the "total AFTER the discount, not the total BEFORE the discount that matters" and "don't count shipping because we lose money on that anyway". In other words, "here's a discount for you, but ignore it and buy more".

Here's the kicker - they are offering a discount on FUTURE merchandise if you buy now. That seems a bit like cashing your paycheck at the Money Tree and wondering why you can never get ahead. So, if they are bleeding cash NOW, and essentially selling future merchandise at half price, will they ever catch up? When the new inventory arrives, will they have to beg again and offer a further discount for the NEXT load of new stuff? It seems to me that they are just digging themselves a great big hole to fall into.

Today, they sent a further email saying they are at "80% of their goal". Do they have a big red chart they are coloring in like a charity drive or something? They reminded customers how important this is to THEM to survive.

My point here is; DON'T DUMP YOUR SORROWS ON YOUR CUSTOMERS! THEY. DON'T. CARE! They might care a little, but, honestly, the relationship between a retailer and their customer is pretty one-sided. Customers will stay only as long as they feel they are getting something from you. Once they decide you aren't worth the trouble or you annoy them or someone else offers something better, even your best friend will take her purse and go. It's not personal, it's business. Too many retailers in our industry think it's personal, but it's not, it's business.

A few quick photos from CHA

2009-01-30T14:18:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Midnight Oil Scrapbook Designs for their first time at the show. They were GREAT! It was fun to see this ScrapBiz member business break out like this!!

And, of course, our ScrapBiz member dinner totally ROCKED! We had a blast and probably would have stayed half the night if the place hadn't closed up at 9pm!

Goin' to CHA!

2009-01-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

I can't wait! I haven't been since CHA was in Vegas! I'm only there part of Monday and part of Tuesday, but I'll have my running shoes on, AND, I'll get to spend Monday night with some of my favorite people - ScrapBiz Business Members!

Imported Celebrities: Part 2

2009-01-19T05:05:00.000-08:00

Three and a half years ago, I blogged about "celebrities" infiltrating our industry and trying to slap their names on products so that manufacturers could use their "star power" to sell those lines. Every time it's been tried, it fails. We have our own "celebrities", thank you very much.

Now I see that Paris Hilton - who probably doesn't know how to get her photos off her "phone camera-thingy" is being paraded out as the next celebrity to pitch scrapbook paper.

She's hot...but that's not...

Let's pit Heidi Swapp against Paris Hilton in a scrap-off. Blonde on Blonde - 30 minutes, 10 products, 5 photos. GO!

ScrapBiz: Providing Business Support for Nearly 7 Years

2009-01-16T09:48:00.001-08:00

Today, I sent out an email to my ezine list (you can sign up at the left if you want to receive our free business oriented ezine). I wanted to address something that came up this week - the implication that the scrapbook industry didn't already have good, sound business support groups.

CLICK HERE if you'd like to read the email. ScrapBiz is in the business of supporting businesses and has successfully done just that for nearly 7 years now. Why re-invent the wheel?

Will Digital Scrapbooking Follow the Same Unfortunate Path?

2009-01-16T07:47:00.000-08:00

We're having a discussion at ScrapBiz right now about how to bring new scrapbookers into the industry. It's been the greatest challenge of our industry mostly because not too many people wanted to do the "dirty work" of marketing. So, we lived under the delusion that EVERYONE discovered our wonderful hobby by 2000 and then we just all moved forward into more complex techniques and a greater variety of albums, themes and sizes. Yet, as I wrote over a year ago, beginners are the heart beat of our industry.

Now, here we sit, 9 years later wondering where everyone is. I guess you could say we're suffering from heart failure. The average interest in a craft or hobby lasts about 7 years. Two years ago, we started bleeding customers who stopped scrapping or moved on to digital scrapping. We've picked up a few here and there but few businesses have had the courage to spend their marketing time and money on gathering in new scrappers.

Is digital scrapbooking walking that same path? In some ways, I think it is and in some ways, I think it might not be.

I see several places where you can take online classes or watch tutorials on how to digi scrap. That's a good thing. I liken that to the many basic classes stores offered in the early days. Nearly every store had a "scrapbooking 101" class that taught the basics of layout, color, photo cropping, tools, etc.

But, on the other hand, when I go to consumer message boards dedicated to digital scrapbooking and see someone wander in and ask about getting started, I see other digital scrappers tell them to go get Photoshop Elements to get started. That's not a beginner's program. When I suggest something REALLY simple like Scrapbook Max!, I will often get razzed for suggesting it and the original poster gets told again to go get a program that will probably just frustrate them in the end.

YOU might be able to do fantastic and magical things with PSE, but not everyone CAN (or even wants to). Much of the scrapbook universe does NOT alter their photos in PhotoShop. Most of us just slap them on the page. So, simplicity in putting them on the digital page is really what most of us want.

I went to a friend's house the other day to show her how to digi scrap. She has 4 kids and is ready to do at least SOME of her photos digitally. I showed her Scrapbook Max! and I showed her the program at PhotoBooks{etc}. Even those two options intimidated her. Just because she can use Facebook doesn't mean she's comfortable with all aspects of her computer. Is she being left in the dust by the digital industry? Perhaps. If she had asked about it at a consumer board instead of asking me, she would probably have gotten the PSE suggestion and would have never tried it.

So, if the digital scrapbook industry is smart, they will figure out how to continually invite new people to try digital scrapping without intimidation or the assumption that everyone's already doing it. Learn from our mistakes. I don't think we (the traditional industry) have.

Dealing with Unpleasant Customers

2009-01-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

Every business has at LEAST one - that customer that when you see her coming, you know she's going to ruin your day. Your selection isn't good enough, your prices are too high, she wasn't smiled at properly last time she came in, etc. She keeps coming in but you fail to understand why if nothing makes her happy.

So, my brother suggested a new Customer Relations Management Technique. Put one of THESE babies by your front door (perhaps out of sight on the roof) and when Debbie Downer or Wanda Whiner gets out of her car and starts for your door, you "discourage" her from entering the store. Okay, now we all understand why my brother doesn't own a business. In his own words, "Gives new meaning to the term 'heated customer exchange', doesn't it".

Tuesday is TOOTSday!

2009-01-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

I love Tuesdays at ScrapBiz! It's TOOTsday! It's the day that you officially tell us something good about your business! You can Toot (your own horn) any day of the week but on Tootsday, we see a lot of good news! As as I said today at ScrapBiz, "Tell me something good!"

I'm going to PMA 2009

2009-01-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

Wanna see me in "action"? You can see me at PMA 2009 but you can also see me HERE. In the little video box, hit NEXT like 14 times and you'll get to my bit.

Seriously, though, scrapbook retailers would learn a lot by coming to PMA 2009. One business owner who is going said she was going blind trying to read all the class descriptions and decide what she had time to attend. There are SO MANY good choices!

See you at the show!

Photo Book Fundraiser info

2009-01-08T12:07:00.000-08:00

PhotoBook Fundraiser Press Release

2009-01-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

Picturing a New Kind of Fundraiser

Non-profits tap into custom photo gift trend with new fund raising option

(EVERETT, WA. January 7, 2009) If you’ve ever bought measuring cups you didn’t need, magazines you don’t read, chocolate that was over-priced or saved labels from soup cans, then you can appreciate the fund raising efforts of non-profit organizations.

As it becomes less socially acceptable to send children out knocking on doors to sell wrapping paper and cookie dough, it becomes more difficult for non-profit groups such as PTA’s and Booster Clubs to raise money. Many have turned to online resources such as shopping sites that give a small percentage of sales back or grocery store affinity cards that pay back every time they’re used. But, they often pay very little so a lot of supporters need to participate to make an impact.

PhotoBooksEtc.com, an online photo book and custom photo product site, announces an easy fund raiser that offers groups 10% back on sales through their club site.

“Many schools and booster clubs I have talked with this year are trying to find low-impact ways to raise money by selling products or making partnerships with companies that families are using anyway,” says Kim Guymon, owner of PhotoBooksEtc.com, “almost everyone has photos that they want to display. Our products are something that nearly everyone will enjoy making and receiving.”

Non-profit groups can request a free account from PhotoBooksEtc.com merely by verifying their 501 c 3 status and providing a contact for the group. A link will be placed on the fundraiser page of the PhotoBooksEtc.com where supporters can go make products. PhotoBooksEtc.com ships the product directly to the customer and then gives 10% profit back to each group for sales made through their link. “All the group has to do is promote their link,” says Guymon, “it’s a no-brainer fundraiser. Everything is done for them; we just need to know where to send the check.”

###

If you’d like more information on Photobooks{etc} and it’s new fundraising program please email Kim Guymon at Kim@Photobooksetc.com.

Hi, I'm a customer...

2009-01-02T17:34:00.001-08:00

I should wear a label when I shop - a full disclosure kind of thing. It should read, "I will critically evaluate your customer service because that's part of my job so be nice to me." Actually, I don't want extra special treatment, I just want, like all customers, to be treated like I matter.

That didn't happen in one shop I went into just before Christmas. And, honestly, this little shop-keeper is probably not in the position to pretend like customers are invisible.

This is one of those shops full of the cute but useless stuff. The shopkeeper has a really good eye for products so I like to go in and see what's new. I went in that day to see what she had in for Christmas. It matters that it was sunny that day and they were exposed to the sun through their front glass windows and door.

LITERALLY, as I went to grab the bar of the clear glass door and push it in, she was rushing the CLEAR GLASS door from the other side to push it out. She got there first and pushed it open, headed out with it and proceeded to prop it open to let air in the store. At some point during that maneuver, I managed to actually get through the door myself and into the store. It was so strange, it was as if I was COMPLETELY invisible. There was no, "Oh, excuse me" or "Hi" or any other acknowledgement that I was in the same county at all. She just rushed out while I was trying to enter. Even when I got IN the store, her husband - standing behind the counter - never said a word. But the very next person who walked in about 15 seconds later got a "Hello! How are you?!" My thought was, "They must matter and I must not today".

Honestly, I was so distracted by the little experience that I sort of lost my desire to shop and left after doing a quick sweep of the store.

What if you treated every customer like they were going to be hyper-critical of their experience with you? What if every customer who walked in the door could potentially be a "secret shopper" who would be evaluating your business. Think of it sort of like the restaurant owner who should assume that everyone who comes to dine is a food-critic who will be writing a review for a local paper. Customer service is what could set this little store in the expensive place apart from, say, the Pier One half a block away.

If you want to survive, you've got to treat every customer like they matter - because they do!

New Year's Resolution: Scan, Scan and then Scan Some More!

2008-12-30T08:59:00.000-08:00

Last week, I asked a question at a large consumer scrapbook board about slides. I asked how many people had them or were worried about them. The answers were surprisingly and collectively a big YAWN for the most part. Many people admitted that they or their parents HAD slides but most said they either would tackle the giant chore "someday" and "on their own" or that they just couldn't be bothered to worry about them right now.

I am in a panic over mine and I wish people understood that they should be too. They don't last forever. They lose their color, fade to white or fade to black. I've seen all three in the slides I have been scanning. I scanned the slide above just the other night. It's a picture of my husband (sitting) and his older brother who just passed away from ALS in September. It's probably from 1969. My husband has very few photos of himself as a child and this just makes me sick. Slides of my trip to Australia in 1985 have a dark cast to them and slides of our wedding in 1987 have lost their luster, too.

One of my deepest photo fears (the one that keeps me up at night) is that by the time scrapbookers and other family archivists decide to be worried about the 40 year old slides, they'll be unusable.

My New Year's Resolution is to scan everything I can get my hands on this year. Those images are precious and priceless, I need to preserve them!

Preserving newspaper articles in scrapbooks, and other useful tips

2008-12-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

The Image Permanence Institute will be at PMA next year. Daniel Burge, their Archival Advisor, will be joining us at the PSRO/PPFA Face to Face Showcase 6:30-8:30 pm on Tuesday March 3.

This information is from the PSRO Retailing News in early November:

How do I safely preserve a newspaper article in my scrapbook?

Because lignin in newsprint will accelerate the decay of an original newspaper clipping, it is best to make a photocopy of the clipping on good-quality office paper (acid-free, lignin-free, and not recycled), and put the copy into an album. Treating the original newsprint with a deacidification spray may reduce the rate at which it decays, but the treated original won't last as long as a photocopy. Also, even if treated with deacidification spray, newsprint cannot be stored safely next to photos; pollutants from lignin can stain and mar photos. Still, the original newspaper clipping is worth keeping in a separate box or folder, and a deacidification spray may help it last there a little longer.

What should I do to preserve my photographs and scrapbooks?

Keep them in a cool, dry area; use preservation-quality scrapbook materials; and handle them carefully. Keep scrapbooks stored vertically on shelves to prevent pressure damage to photos and memorabilia stored inside. If horizontal storage is preferred, keep an album or scrapbook inside a close-fitting box.

Are the photos I print on my computer archival?

Some types of digital prints are long-lasting, but it takes some technical knowledge to determine which types are and which are not. If you really want to pursue the inkjet printing route, it is always best to use the printer manufacturer's recommended inks and papers. It is also best to use pigment inks as opposed to dyes; but be careful to read the packaging, as some ink sets use pigments only for the black ink.

How do I ensure my journaling will last as long as the rest of my scrapbook?

Use pigment ink pens that are fade-resistant, lightfast, bleedproof, and waterproof. Some pens are called permanent, not because they last a long time, but because they don't wash off with water. These "permanent" pens can still fade, and some do quite easily. Some are even very harmful to photos. So pick a pen ink that's water-based and also water-resistant.

How do you preserve an ultrasound/sonogram print?

Most of these images are printed with thermal imaging paper. This paper can brown when exposed to the light for even a short time. They are also sensitive to heat and pressure. Keep these images in the dark, out of the attic, and be careful when handling. Make copies of these important pictures with a photocopier or scanner and printer.

Source: "The Archival Advisor: IPI's Guide for the Family Photo Collector, Genealogist, and Scrapbook Maker," from the Image Permanence Institute, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y.

Santa Photos: A Suggestion for Photographers

2008-12-19T08:55:00.000-08:00

This is a shout-out to my photographer friends in the photo industry. I want to have a photo of my kids with Santa taken. This is probably the last year they will both believe and I want a really nice photo with a great Santa.

I'm not satisfied with the mall Santas, nor the quality of the photos I get there so I'm on the hunt for a great Santa at a local independent photo studio. I see the signs and ads all over for them. But, here's the problem, when I go to their websites to check out their Santas, I am not seeing what I need. Most of the sites don't even mention their Santa photos and I am even finding blogs linked off these sites that have nary a mention of their Santa photos. Why would you not do SOMETHING to let customers know what they're getting? Blogs are easy to update. Post me a photo and put my mind at ease about your Santa photos!

If I'm going to make an appointment, dress my boys up (no easy feat) and pay $50 for a sitting and photos, I want to know what I'm getting. I don't want to arrive at the studio to see what I call "Wino Claus" - some thin-haired hatless Santa in a festive shirt sitting on a metal chair covered with a Christmas-colored blanket. I want the full-on deal - bushy, curly beard, hair as white as snow, beautiful plush velvet suit on a jolly fat man sitting in a large throne-like chair. And, if you're offering that kind of quality - then show me!

I think Santa photos are a great way to drum up business during the holidays. But, hanging a sign outside your studio may not be enough. Many consumers are savvy enough to go looking for more information at your site before they decide to make an appointment. Make it easy for them to find the information they require. Honestly, if I can find a site with the correct information in the next day or two, that's who wins MY business.

Okay, I'll go back to the scrapbook world now.

New Scrapbooking Consumer Report by PMA

2008-12-17T10:56:00.000-08:00

The 2008 U.S. Consumer Scrapbook Report has hit the streets! I haven't had time to read it, yet, but if you're a PSRO member, you can download your copy by logging into the PMA site. This type of research is very valuable to our industry and there is very little of it out there. How can you plan effectively if you don't know what your customers are doing? I appreciate PMA doing the research!

You can find a quick summary of the findings HERE.

If you're already a PSRO member, you can download your free copy of the report HERE. If you're not a PSRO member, click HERE to get a trial membership (why not give your business a Christmas present?) Be sure to write "Kim Guymon" in the referral box - they like to track their referrals. Once you join, you can access the basic report.

Arm yourself with knowledge about the industry. That will help you make some informed decisions regarding the growth of your business in 2009!

Wars are not won by evacuations

2008-12-16T07:51:00.000-08:00

I love this - Winston Churchill said it. He also said, "Never, never, never give up!".

I see lots of evacuations going on in the scrapbook industry right now. Some are necessary because, I assume, the war is un-winnable for that business. But, I fear many are just taking their scissors and going home because they think it will never get better.

Earlier this week at ScrapBiz, one of our members posted a great article from her local paper about busting the recession. One of the great points was that while everyone else is pulling back, it's a good time to surge forward with your marketing activities. That doesn't mean you have to go crazy, but it means you need to step it up.

BECAUSE, if you can even hold steady and, with luck, increase your market share even slightly during the tough times, everyone else will have to play "catch up" to you when things get better. You'll have some momentum (and new customers) to work with while others are trying to re-start their engines.

If you've felt like a little fish in a big pond, now can be your time to be the big fish. For instance, many magazines are slashing their ad rates because there are fewer subscribers and fewer advertisers. Now might be a good time to invest in an ad. The subscribers still hanging around are going to be the ones who have money to spend AND are hard-core scrappers. You're going to get greater bang for your buck.

Now is also a great time to slash your expenses to the bare minimum. Focus your funds on activities that create revenue and slash the ones that don't. For instance, going to a trade show may be a good thing, but taking another employee with you may not. Don't skip it just because you don't want to go alone. It may be necessary for your business to be there. It's okay to go by yourself - I often do. If you don't want to be lonely, then join ScrapBiz before you go and you can come to our dinner, meet other members and not feel alone at the show.

Look at attending PSRO - there are going to be some FANTASTIC classes there that will help you be a better, more savvy business owner. One of the challenges of our industry is that it's changed over the last few years and we didn't pay a lot of attention to the shift. We were experiencing some issues before the economy did. Learn about the changes and how to tackle them at PSRO and discover new products and services at PMA to reflect the recent photo-centric shift of the scrapbook industry. Due to the economy, hotels in Las Vegas have slashed their prices for PMA - I've never seen that done. Usually prices shoot way up during a large trade show. Expect air fare to drop also. That makes the show an even greater value!

Another way to add to your revenue stream without a lot of cash is to sign up for PhotoBookBiz. It's just $49 to sign up! All you need to do is add the unique Rocket Life platform link to your current website and you've just increased your potential revenues without having to buy or stock any additional inventory! When customers make photo books or photo products at your site, you make money! It's simple and easy for you.

So, don't evacuate, keep fighting! You might have to change strategies or attack from a different front, but fight on if you can! Scrapbooking and memory preservation are not just frivolous hobbies. They are meaningful hobbies that most people will continue on with despite the economy. Be there for them!

Not Exactly a Scrapbook Craft

2008-12-13T12:33:00.000-08:00

But crafty still the same. I made this wreath probably 15 years ago. It's a green wire wreath frame from the craft store and then just random pieces of fabric in Christmas colors torn in strips and knotted around the frame. I STILL love this cute little wreath. I pull it from the box every year and give it a hard shake and it comes back to life. It was literally made from scraps so I guess it's a scrap wreath!

This is my life...

2008-12-11T07:07:00.000-08:00

I think this was drawn just for me - LOL! But that's okay, because I love to see others realize their dream of starting a business!

This is what happens...

2008-12-10T08:01:00.001-08:00

When you ask 9 and 11 year old boys to set up the Gingerbread Village for you. Instead of happy families of gingerbread people, you get Stormtroopers and Lego Warriors battling it out in front of the gingerbread chapel.

What kind of shoppers are your customers?

2008-12-09T09:24:00.001-08:00

I think Amazon has a wing in their warehouse where my orders are stored this year. I have dropped a lot of money into their laps. We are Amazombies at our house and usually hit Amazon first when we start shopping.

I don't like shopping at real stores very much. I needed a black skirt a while ago and did NOT enjoy "the hunt" for one. I had to drive to so many stores until I found one I liked. That's why I like Amazon. I'm don't like the hunt - I just want to get in there and get the job done and be gone. I'm a TERRIBLE shopping buddy and a total shopping loner. Maybe that's why I have boys - I have no patience to shop. I had to go shopping with a teenage niece once and wanted to poke my eyes out before the ordeal was over. She tried on EVERYTHING and then had to come out and twirl for me so I could "oohhhh" and "aahhhhh" and tell her it looked good.

So, is your online scrapbook store set up for different types of shoppers? I thought THIS was a great analysis of the different types of shoppers and what they want from you. The way YOU shop isn't the same way your customers will. If they get frustrated by your site, they will move on.

Video Business Tip: Don't Worry, Be Happy!

2008-12-05T03:06:00.000-08:00

Okay, I have a web cam and I know how to use it! I'm going to try to give you at least one quick business video tip a month.

Is it cRaZy to start a business now?

2008-12-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

I have heard some people say that it's crazy to start a scrapbook business in a recession. Really, it's never a bad time to start a business.

Yesterday, our government declared that the economy has been in a recession since December 2007. According to statistics, the recessions of the past 50 years have averaged 11 months in length. If we've already been in a recession for a year... well, do the math. While this one might last a little longer than average, most people are predicting that by Spring, we'll be swinging up again.

Also, scrapbooking is not going away. Several ScrapBiz members have commented that at their events and with their businesses, customers don't seem to notice there's a recession. They are continuing to offer great selection and exceptional service to their customers and their customers are staying loyal to them.

No business is an overnight success. It takes time to build one. Time is on your side right now. It's the PERFECT time to purchase the ScrapBiz Business Start-Up Package and get working on your dream!

Downturn or Shift in the Scrapbook Industry?

2008-12-01T09:52:00.000-08:00

About 18 months ago, I had a conversation with my friend, Dennis Conforto, about the scrapbook industry. We were both sort of being demonized for saying that photos, not pretty paper and embellishments, should be the focus of scrapbooking or memory preservation. Some retailers and "artists" were calling us heretics for daring to say that because they felt like it devalued what they were doing/selling. Dennis said something like, "Just wait, in a couple of years, they'll all be saying the same thing we are."

He was right. I'm hearing and seeing more and more scrapbook retailers say, "What can we do to adapt?"

You'd have to be in a cave to not notice that the scrapbook industry has suffered some bumps. I don't believe the industry is shrinking. We've got members at ScrapBiz who are wondering if their customers know the economy is in bad shape. Their customers are still buying stuff like crazy. As long as there are stores selling scrapbook products, there will be women (and men) buying it.

But, there has also been a shift in memory preservation. "Scrapbooking" is just one aspect of preserving your photos and stories in a usable format. Digital scrapbooking, photo books, photo collages, photo gifts, altered art, online blogs, etc. are all now part of our industry. Many of our customers practice a mix of many different forms of memory preservation. Yet, the traditional scrapbook store still looks like it did in 1999 - it sells paper and embellishments.

The latest edition of the Creative Leisure News had a great comment in it.

"A number of independent retailers are having trouble, too, possibly for the same reason. Their closing their doors give the impression that scrapbooking is declining. Cindy Wyckoff. Owner/Editor-in-Chief of Scrapbook Dimensions magazine (www.scrapbookdimensions.com), has a different opinion:

"I believe that scrapbooking is not slipping, but evolving. Many people find themselves wanting to keep their memories and do something with their photographs, but don't have the time to do the traditional scrapbooking or have the creative desire to do it. There are other exciting options out there for them. The scrapbooking stores could jump on these ideas, but they don't seem to be open to doing something different."

The December issue of Real Simple published an article, "Memory Keepers," which described various ways to preserve photos and letters - and none of them were scrapbooks. Instead, the article profiled women who made a coffee table photo book, a wall display box, a written book of stories, a cookbook, and a quilt."

The December issue of PMA magazine had a GREAT article about a store in British Columbia. Go to page 38 and start reading. This store is described as "PMA IN A STORE". What a great description. This store owner covers the gamut when it comes to photos and memory preservation - from cameras to photo processing to photo books and gifts to traditional scrapbooking - they carry it all. And, I bet if you could look at their bottom line, they are probably doing better than the traditional scrapbook store BECAUSE of their diversity. They can serve nearly everyone with photos. People generally take photos because they want to remember something special. So, when they come into this store, they can choose the path they want to take to display and preserve those photos. This store aims to serve whatever path their customers choose to take rather than saying, “Oh, you don’t use card stock anymore? Thanks for being our customer. Good luck to you in the future.” Instead, they say, “Oh, we have photo books!” And, conversely, to the photo book customer who would like to make a special traditional album, they can say, “We have those products!”. No one gets shown the door just because their scrapbooking or memory preservation went in another direction.

I am very much looking forward to PMA 2009 and most especially PSRO 2009. I think that scrapbook retailers would be well-served to attend and learn about the various opportunities to tune up their stores and bring them into the 21^st century. Because, as Mike at the Creative Leisure News also pointed out, when plastic canvas creations became all the rage, cross-stitch only stores were encouraged to add those supplies to their inventory. Many “pooh-poohed” such things. And, the moral of the story was, “are there any cross-stitch only stores left?” Not many.

Paper Slabs are the Root of All Evil

2008-11-26T01:11:00.000-08:00

Okay, maybe that's overly dramatic. But, I believe that we, the industry, made a HUGE mistake selling giant packs of scrapbook paper. I'm firing up to read THE LONG TAIL by Chris Anderson. I haven't read it, yet, so I can't give you a total review. But, the premise of the book is that it's better to sell LESS and more exclusive products over a longer time than it is to sell a bunch of cheap and common products at one time - sort of a "less is more" theory.

When slabs of paper came to our industry, they really should have been met with resistance by retailers. Instead, we got romanced by the GIANT PACKS of pretty papers and we ate them up. One thing we failed to see is that when customers buy 250 sheets of patterned paper at one time that they will really not need paper again for a LONG TIME. Paper is the life-blood of our industry.

Customers quickly started drowning in slabs, pads and bulk-packs. I, myself, had something like 1500 sheets of paper that I finally gave away to schools just to get rid of it. I would never use most of it but at the time, it sounded like a GREAT idea.

In the Long Tail theory, it would have been better for us to sell small packs or single sheets and keep customers coming back regularly. Instead, we loaded them up and kissed them good-bye and thought us very smart to have sold $12 worth of paper to ONE customer. What we failed to think about was that Suzy Scrapper would not need paper again for over a year. And, if Suzy Scrapper isn't coming in regularly to buy paper, then she's missing out buying other things, too. Ooops.

Keeping customers coming in the door regularly is necessary to the survival of your business. The slabs were a big mistake that we can't take back. What we CAN do is encourage customers to use up or even donate their paper to a school or hospital. You could even have a paper exchange program where for every certain number of sheets of paper a customer donates to your store for YOU to donate to a charity, you give them a discount or some free paper with purchase.

Okay, off to start The Long Tail over the long weekend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Toys R Us - how NOT to run a business part two...

2008-11-25T11:41:00.001-08:00

Back in September, I had THIS run in at Toys R Us. Well, I had a similar occurrence today. How does that saying go? "Burn me once, shame on you. Burn me twice, shame on me." Well, they've burned me twice and I'm done.

When you add it up, I attempted so spend nearly $300 with them since September but they don't seem to want my money.

Today, I ran into to pick up a couple of scooters that were normally $119 but were half price. The ad has a preview today and then runs all weekend. So, I went in to get TWO of those scooters. It was like the Rip Stik episode all over again - I thought I was in a movie.

Now, I KNOW they have only had ONE type of these particular scooters because I have been looking at them there for months. They are the type with the little pump bar in the back to accelerate them. So, I assumed it was THAT scooter. But, when I scanned it, it came up at $89 and wasn't on sale. So, I went clear up to the front of the store to ask and I got, "Uh, they're back with the bikes." I said, "No, they aren't". So, they had to call someone who then walked around looking very perplexed. I said, "There isn't even an empty spot on the shelf for the $119 scooter and I've never seen them here." He assured me they had some at one time. I kept saying, "No, you didn't". He finally said, "We don't have any, sorry." My response was, "What are my options? Can you sell me the $89 one for half price?" His response, "No".

So, the lesson here is two-fold:

Don't lie to the customer - they never had any in the first place
Don't advertise what you aren't going to have. This ad is good all weekend. I was there within an hour of the store opening on the first day of the ad and there wasn't even a SPOT for these scooters let alone a price label or sale tag.

So, I went to their website and found them for the sale price there, but they want to charge me $36 for shipping. I can't drive to a store and pick them up for the cost of gas, but I'm welcome to ORDER two online and pay nearly the savings in shipping.

Never again... It's no wonder businesses struggle and fail at times. Many would rather wallow in the swamp of their own stupidity than take a customer's money.

Ask Not What Your Customers Can Do For You...

2008-11-23T20:32:00.000-08:00

But Ask What You Can Do For Your Customers. (sorry, President Kennedy).

Another thread is posted at 2Peas about a store owner who sends out an email and essentially reminds everyone that she can't stay open if they don't come purchase stuff. She says something about needing so many people buying just $20 a day from her to help her keep her doors open.

It's not the worst I've seen. Click HERE for a REALLY BAD example of an email from a store owner. BUT, still, it looks like a request for charity and that the store owner feels she is owed survival by her customers.

Rule number one in retailing is (say it with me), "CUSTOMERS ARE SELF-INTERESTED". They don't care that you need 20 people to buy $20 of paper from you each day. They want to know what you are going to do to entice them to come into your store and drop some money.

You don't have to be cheaper than the big box stores, but you can remind your customers that if they shop YOUR store, they get ideas, service, selection, etc. that they can't get at the chains. Give them a reason to want to come.

Let me put it another way. I know of two women who were both recently hospitalized. One is very demanding. You could never do enough for her. You could come visit every day and she would complain that you didn't come TWICE a day AND bring her flowers. Consequently, when she was hospitalized, she had to beg and guilt people into coming to visit her. Visiting wasn't that pleasant as she was generally just crabby the whole time you were there.

Contrast this with the other woman who nearly died in a head-on collision last summer. She's been in the hospital for MONTHS and will be there until probably February of next year. Despite her severe injuries, the costs and the legal wranglings (she was hit by a drunk teen), she is always pleasant and cheerful to be around. So, people are happy to go visit her often.

So, if you compare this to store owners who are probably all suffering a degree of financial hardship right now, which store would you rather go to? Would you rather go to a store where the store owner was cheerful and provided you with great service and ideas that kept you coming back or would you rather go to the store that complained that you weren't doing enough to help them pay their bills?

I'd rather shop at store who earned my business rather than one who demanded it.

Are you a Mamarazzi?

2008-11-17T02:52:00.000-08:00

We went to the holiday concert for our elementary school last week. I actually DIDN'T take any cameras with me. After 7 years of concerts, I have found that A) the photos never turn out that great in the dark auditorium from 20 rows back and B) I never do anything with them anyway. So, I decided just to enjoy the concert.

Being camera free gave me the chance to view the "Mamarazzi". A "Mamarazzi" is a mother with a camera who is out to get the "Money Shot" - the one photo that makes people stop and gasp when they see it on a scrapbook page. The "Mamarazzi" will go to great lengths for that shot.

You could hardly see the concert for the glow of the cameras being held overhead to try to get a shot without the head of the person in front of them. One Mamarazzi crawled over 8 people from the center of a row (and these are not well-spaced rows - you literally have to crawl over people to get out) so she could stand in the aisle through half of the last song and take photos. Of course, that blocked the view of people behind her (and violated the fire code for the civic auditorium). When she was satisfied with her shots, instead of respectfully waiting until the last song was over, she crawled BACK over the top of people to get back to her seat. It was really obnoxiously rude.

I have pretty much stepped away from bordering on a Mamarazzi lately. I have come to realize that I don't need to take my camera to EVERY soccer game. I only took it to ONE this year - took a bunch of great shots and then spent the rest of the season enjoying the game. I left it home and enjoyed the concert, too. It's been kind of liberating. I have plenty of photos to scrapbook and I'm starting to realize I don't need to document every second of my kids' lives to be a good mother. I was nearly to the point where I was watching them grow up in a little window on my camera.

But, like the Mamarazzi, we are all in a quest for that PERFECT shot - the kid diving for the ball, splashing into a pool, doing the perfect leap, smiling the best smile. It's what drives us as scrapbookers at times. But sometimes, we need to remember we already have 300 shots of them dancing and it's time to get down to business and scrap the photos we already have and stop worrying about the photos we might be missing.

Holy Smokes - Creative Memories Files Chapter 11

2008-11-13T15:05:00.001-08:00

LINK to the article.

I wonder what the future of Creative Memories will be? My gut tells me times are tough for the direct sales companies. I don't see many recruiting messages anymore for most of them. I would imagine that it's very hard to sustain that model since there are so many places you can get scrapbook products these days.

Custom Scrapbook Paper

2008-11-13T04:15:00.000-08:00

This is one of the coolest things ever! As you know, I'm a HUGE fan of updating the traditional scrapbook store using technology and cool finds from the imaging industry. Our customers are more tech savvy than they were 5 years ago and retailers should be too!

Craft Sassy has introduced what would have been impossible just a few years ago - CUSTOM SCRAPBOOK PAPER! Using the similar concept of printing a single photo book on a digital press, they are able to print a SINGLE SHEET of custom scrapbook paper!!!

This is SO COOL! I have received samples of their paper and the quality is breathtaking. Maura offered to print an image for me so, liking to challenge new things, I found a pretty detailed image to her print. I knew it was good before I even received it when her husband, the printer, was impressed by how it turned out. The vellum was unbelievably beautiful. Every detail was clear and crisp. Even though the paper stock is smooth, I ran my fingers over it because it looked textured as the image gives the impression of texture on it.

The only way you could tell it was printed on a different press was the slight waxy feel to it. I would recommend a good permanent adhesive due to the different surface texture. But the paper is acid-free so you don't have to worry about it harming your photos.

You could have paper made from your children's artwork or from a beautiful piece of cloth or whatever your imagination can come up with.

If you're a retailer or kit-maker, you can have your OWN CUSTOM PAPER made that no other kit club or store has! We are all looking for ways to set our businesses apart from others doing the same thing - having your own line of custom papers is an easy way to do that!

Contact Maura at Craftsassy if you want more information! She'll be one of the featured suppliers at my class at PSRO 2009! We'll have SAMPLES!!!!! But don't wait until then!

Desiging your own Christmas Card

2008-11-12T06:12:00.000-08:00

I have card blanks this year and had all the intent to make my own Christmas cards as I have done in the past. I was going to put a recipe on the front of each card. Well, as time is ticking away, I decided to ditch that idea and go for the photo card.

But, just like I don't like showing up in the same outfit as someone else at a party (happened at my Junior Prom - same Gunne Sax dress - how embarrassing), I don't like sending the same photo card as everyone else. So, I went over to Dreamstime and did a search for "Christmas card" and got a TON of backgrounds that would work to design my own.

I found the one above - it's pretty non-traditional but I like it. I've got a Xerox Phaser laser printer that prints out photo quality prints so I'm going to print them at home on nice paper.

That's one less thing to worry about for the next month. I might even be that really annoying person who sends them off the first week of December. We'll see... I still have to address them all.

Got Five Minutes? Start a Business!

2008-11-10T15:34:00.001-08:00

Want to be a business owner 5 minutes from now? How about a PhotoBookBiz? As fast as you can fill out the form and pay, you can have your own photo book and gift business.

The coolest part is what you DON'T have to do:

You DON'T have to buy any inventory
You DON'T have to ship any products
You DON'T have to process any credit cards

You even DON'T have to set up a website - you can literally set this business up at a blog. But, if you want a website, we have a simple template available to purchase. All you need is a domain, a host and a web designer who can upload and personalize it for you (you can see what the template looks like at PhotoBooks{etc}).

Of course, you'll have to round up customers but you're already way ahead of the game in the first 5 minutes!

If you've got 5 minutes, grab your business and get going on your way to success!

Help Wanted

2008-11-07T12:23:00.000-08:00

I am teaching a class at PSRO 2009 on technology in the traditional scrapbook store and I need help from traditional scrapbook store owners who have embraced technology. If you are a store owner (or know one) who has added custom photo books and gifts, photo scanning, a large format printer for printing scrapbook pages, a photo kiosk, digital scrapbook products and classes, etc., then PLEASE contact me at Kim at ScrapBiz.com!!!! I want to hear about your experiences with technology!

Thanks for your help!

A great holiday photo project

2008-11-06T05:55:00.000-08:00

This is a great (and easy) project for a gift. Frame a beautiful poem about FAMILY with photos of the family. It's really, really simple!

Are you going to be there?

2008-11-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

I am! In fact, I'll be teaching a class and leading a tour of the show! There are so many interesting things to discover at PMA and with the addition of a special PSRO Convention this year, you will have some FANTASTIC educational opportunities that will truly help you be a better business owner!

PSRO is a tremendous opportunity for retailers and suppliers in the industry. If you are a forward-thinking retailer wanting to respond to the changes in the industry in the last few years, then you'll discover lots of "goodies" at PMA. That's exactly why I'm leading a tour of the show specifically designed to show scrapbook retailers what PMA has to offer.

My class will also focus on helping retailers in our industry tap into the technology offered by the greater photo industry. We'll show you all sorts of fun products and services you can offer your customers that will bring your store into the 21st Century.

If you want to learn about how to run your business and how to tap into technology to make your business better, then come to Las Vegas in March and join us at PSRO 2009!

Why PhotoBookBiz Works

2008-11-03T06:31:00.000-08:00

The last (boo-hoo) edition of Scrapbook Retailer Magazine has or is about to hit your mail box. Check out our full page ad in the middle part of the magazine (look for the ROCKET!). In talking with my oh-so-smart husband the other day, I came up with all the reasons I love the choice I made of working with Rocket Life! It's a GREAT program unlike any other I have seen out there and fits PERFECTLY with my philosophy that independence is the best road to success!

Here are my Top Ten reasons I think PhotoBookBiz is a GREAT opportunity for retailers in our industry:

Works with all types of businesses - it doesn't matter if you want to just have a business out of your home helping friends make books or if you are a bricks and mortar store. It works with online stores, home-based businesses and stores!
Competitive Prices - you get to set your own price above your wholesale cost! This was EXTREMELY important to me. And, the fact that you can compete with other companies was important. I didn't want anyone to have to sell their books so high that their own customers wouldn't use them.
Creativity Platform - the Rocket Life Smart Arrangement Technology means that you can make a REALLY FAST book. But, you can also do all the work yourself. AND, it was also important to me that digital scrapbookers could upload their OWN digital products and easily use them. This software works for everyone from the beginner to the advanced photo book maker/digital scrapper
Class Opportunity - the creativity platform, while pretty easy - has a learning curve just like any piece of new software. But, once you learn the tips and tricks - you have an "aHA!" moment. With an LCD projector and an internet connection, you could easily teach your customers how to use the program in a classroom setting. Then, the ability to offer discount codes for attendees is like icing on the cake for those who pay to attend the class.
Quality - the product quality is top-notch! I've ordered a lot of books from a lot of different companies and the PhotoBookBiz/Rocket Life books and products are some of the best in terms of quality.
Private Label - nearly everything that comes to your customer after they place an order has your brand on it. From the confirmation emails generated by the system after the order is placed to the envelope that the product comes in to the products themselves, it's all YOUR brand and YOUR name.
Cost of the program - it's $98 to sign up. Other companies are charging FAR MORE for a private label option like this
Margins - the profit margins vary by product but so far, PhotoBookBiz businesses are averaging between 20 and 25% profit on their total sales - which is HUGE given the next point.
No shipping or inventory or credit card processing - all that's handled by Rocket Life! Wouldn't it be nice if it worked that way with traditional scrapbook products?!
Digital scrapbooking with a profit! The traditional industry has struggled to figure out how to monetize digital scrapbooking. It hasn't made sense to teach classes or sell CD's and we've lost a lot of our traditional customers to digital. This gives retailers a profitable way to tap into the growing popularity of custom photo books and digital scrapbooking.

Happy Halloween Photo Book

2008-10-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

By PhotoBooks{etc}
Don't forget you can get 10% off your order of $50 or more until December 15 when you use the word HOLIDAY in the coupon box at check-out!

Sometimes you just can't WAIT to have time to scrap...

2008-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

This is gonna be a REALLY FUN layout to do!!! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!