What is a Scrapbook?Scrapbook is a book consisting of blank pages with pockets or envelopes. It is basically used for organizing photographs or stamp collections etc, into which clippings or notes or pictures can be pasted. In terms of process, Scrapbooking can be defined as a process of preserving personal and family history in the form of a scrapbook. Generally, scrapbooking requires extensive journalism and is practiced widely in USA.
Scrapbook as a business?, and why?Statistically speaking, scrapbooking is third most popular craft in USA and the largest one in craft and hobby industry. Sales of scrapbooking products has increased a lot from 1996 and 2004. Traditional scrapbooking industry grew up to $2.5 billion by 2005, but has come down to $1.6 billion by 2010 due to rise in digital scrapbooking. But scrapbooking is still an art, and takes some skill to do it correctly.
How to make money by through scrapbooking business?If you are looking to take advantage of this ever-increasing scrapbook industry, and earn money from it, then you can look at the following professions related to it
1) Scrapbook consultant You can either create scrapbooks for others or offer consulting services to help others in making nice, attractive looking and long-lasting scrapbooks.
2) Scrapbook instructor: You can also give coaching and seminars to upcoming enthusiastic scrapbookers.
3) Direct Sales Consultant: Most successful start their scrapbooking business through direct sales, and there is a lot of potential getting good income through it.
4) Even Organizer: Event planning company could be successful venture for those who love to connect with others and help them in doing so. You can create scrapbooks for events like marriage, treats, get-together, etc.
5) Product Designer/Manufacturer: You can license ideas from scrapbook enthusiasts to a larger manufacturer or even fund them start to their own company.
6) Scrapbook Retailer (online and offline): It needs a lot of research of your local area, and time commitment apart from investments to get into scrapbook retailing. But, since this industry is still showing a lot of growth, so it can be a successful venture for you.
There are even more ways to earn money through scrapbooking like writing articles, books, and e-books on scrapbooking, developing or designing web sites for manufacturers or designers, submitting your own designed layouts to other magazines, selling scrapbook products on eBay and amazon, and joining affiliate programs of scrapbooking designers or manufacturers.
What all skills are required for Scrapbook business?If you are looking to break into scrapbooking business, then apart from skills you need potential customers, suppliers and advisors. Attending seminars and coaching programs on scrapbook business can not only help in honing your skills and learning latest trends, but also help you in learning great ideas from other new comers in the same class. Instructors can only guide you so much, you need to have an eye for design, apart from patience and imagination to arrange different elements of a scrapbook page. One should be ready not only to get into details quickly, but also gather their thoughts finally and do careful editing of photographs in an organized and neat way. Not only you need to have strong desire of learning more about this craft, but also an ability to meet deadlines since your customers might be planning to present your scrapbook as a gift to someone special, and if you don't complete their work on time then you will get bad word of mouth and this customer may not come to you in future.
If you want to invest money in Scrapbook retailing, then you need the skill to gather the relevant data like customer demographic and other types of profiling, and do a lot of data analysis before deciding to open a physical or online retail store.
Once you have started designing scrapbooks, then you can start promoting your designs in schools, nearby stores, and even set up a booth at local craft fair or school bazaar displaying your albums and take custom or large orders from impressed customers.