After coming across a recent forum post, in the scrapbooking and paper crafts forum, here at families.com, I decided to start writing about getting paid to scrapbook. So many scrapbooker’s are wishing they could use their creativity and skills to earn a little extra money for their families. And there are so many ways to go about doing it. We are focusing on creating customized scrapbooks, right now.
After talking about experience, customers, supplies and cost in an earlier article, there are still several factors left to consider.
Pricing or How Much To Charge?
I did some research on this awhile back, and asked several of my scrapbooking friends what they charge. While some scrapbookers charge a flat fee with labor included, most scrapbookers decide to charge by offering package deals with add-ons. This method works better, and I will discuss it in a future article. Now, knowing what to charge is very difficult, because it depends on where you live, how demanding the market is, and how much you are trying to earn on top of your normal supply purchases.
Bulk or Wholesale
You also need to decide if it is more appropriate or cost friendly, to purchase your items in bulk or at wholesale prices. This can save you a considerable amount of money, however you will wind up with tons of one item. If you think you will use it all, I still say this is the best route to go.
Services to Offer
Perhaps you are only interested in putting together scrapbook albums with the photos for your clients. But have you thought of also creating some albums with layouts all ready for them to simply input the photos and journaling? There are several different ways you could do your business. You could even charge by layout for single layouts that someone might wish to have done.
Length of Time
You need to carefully consider how much time these projects are going to take you. Most scrapbookers take at least 30 minutes to an hour to complete a layout. Depending on the size of the project, it could take you a couple of weeks. It also will depend on your personal life and what is going on. Be sure and allow for enough time to finish each scrapbook, because the last thing you want, is an unhappy customer. Remember that word of mouth is the best advertising out there.
Portfolio
A very important step. You will want to offer your own albums as well as a portfolio of any work that you have done. This makes it easier for your clients/customers to see first hand, what you can do, and what they might want. Allow them to give you a lot of feedback on what they are looking for. You might also wish to photograph the albums you have completed, so you can include them in your portfolio.
There are dozens more ideas and things to consider, when beginning your own business. Hopefully this got you thinking. Many more upcoming articles will deal with the different unique aspects of a scrapbooking related business.