Comparing Digi-Business Facts with Fiction

By PChip | Category: Business Management |

Is it true that digital scrapbooking businesses are a way to make easy money?  Factual that in this industry you get ahead all by who you know?  Does the phrase, “if I make it, they will come” hold any truth?  I need lots of money to get started - yes?

Not so.  Nope.  Nu-uh. Not necessarily.  All those statements represent fiction.

Like any other business venture, it takes time and money, effort and patience to build a successful digital scrapbooking business.  It’s not easy.

If you have a solid product or service to offer and good business sense you can build your own identity in this industry and you don’t necessarily have to know any big names to become a self-made success story.

There are a bazillion digital art scrapbooking products on the market and niches with various scrappy related services as well.  Simply adding another one to the mix does not in any way guarantee people with find you or receive what you have to offer.

While it does help move things along faster if you have a nice size stash of money - it isn’t necessarily required in order to create a small company and grow it into a lucrative business.

How About These Statements?

A digital scrapbooking business will consume my life.  I need to offer something unique - something never been seen before.  I need to price my products/services competitively.  I will feel good and experience personal satisfaction.

Yesiree. Yep. Absolutely. You bet’cha!  These statements are facts in the digital scrapbooking business world.

Like launching any new business - the start up phase tends to take over our mind, our actions, and our time.  With proper scheduling and getting help wherever you can, you can lower your stress, relieve some of the time barriers, and decrease the overall burden of things.

To some extent you really do need to create a niche of your own and be as unique as possible in your offerings.  People will always duplicate and compete for similar designs and even steal each others ideas.  But the more unique you make your business, the more you’ll stand out in the crowd and be recognized for your expertise and your efforts.

In today’s digital scrapbooking market place it is absolutely essential to set prices well.  The biggest challenge remains the same here as in other businesses - to provide the highest quality item at the best price possible for the consumer or client.  There are many pricing strategies and they will differ significantly depending on the services and products you build into your business.  So do your upfront research.  Work the numbers.  Remain flexible enough to switch pricing gears if necessary.

There’s always something special about the tickle you get when you deliver a new product or service.  There’s nothing quite like seeing and hearing praises of satisfaction from customers.  It’s an uplifting feeling you experience when you have a final product in your hand ready to sell - that started out with just an idea.  In this industry you meet some incredibly creative and special people.  High spirited and extremely talented in art, style, personality, and business savvy.

Consider Yourself Warned

I just wanted to make sure you knew some of the facts and fiction associated with digital scrapbooking business building. Whether you are deep in the jungles of our industry or you’re considering a switch from from hobbyist to professional - and most especially if this is your first entrepreneur adventure - I encourage you to go into it with your eyes wide open.

Tip: Jump in with both feet and enjoy the experience. Keep an open mind as you go and try not to get discouraged. Take time to rejuvinate when needed and prevent business burnout or creative blocks. Work hard. Play hard and learn all that you can by always being a student of life. A student of creativity. A student of business.

Mini-Tasker: Write down three things you are scared of, dreading, or unsure of about your business. Then write down why you feel that way. Then let these concerns go. Tear up the paper and throw it out. I’m not insinuating you live your life as if these aren’t possible or ignore that they could happen. What I’m saying is to simply accept them as possibilities. Then let the concerns go. There’s no need or worth in dwelling on them.

Now write down three things you are looking forward to seeing come about with your digi-scrap business. Feelings you are encouraged toward. Take this list and tell your inner-self that it’s time to make these happen. Again, tear up the paper and throw it out. Trust that your subconscious will find whatever it takes to do it. Let it come to you on it’s own. Don’t force it. :)

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2 comments
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  1. David September 26th, 2007 8:35 pm :

    Tip for Day 25: Look carefully at hidden costs incurred in running about saving money! Compare your real costs to the fiction that you are saving money.

    Example: We have just invested in a Canon Pro9000 wide format inkjet. It prints on 13×19 paper with eight cartridges, giving it a wide color gamut and archival-quality ink.

    The printer comes in at about $400, a pack of 20 sheets of fine art paper is $20 and ink is $48 for all 8 cartridges (all current Amazon prices).

    So where does the saving come in?

    We just printer our first digital 12 x 12. It probably took us about an hour in all, from opening photoshop, to looking at the print. We didn’t leave the house, no photo processing fees, no gas or time to collect them, no extra purchases made because we were at the store, no background paper, lettering, adhesives, rub on transfers - we even used some of our own heart-shaped brads in a red pearl finish.

    All in all, we probably broke even - before we saw the quality of the finished product. WOW. Almost frightening. We compared the photos against the lab-done versions. No contest. Canon Pro900 wins. The letters is so sharp it almost looks unreal, even the reverse out white headline against a deep pink background.

    It looks too good to trim. I feel like framing it full-size, white border and all.

    So please think about the hidden costs. Sometimes the high road is the best, in more ways than one.

    And the Canon Pro9000 - Best print I have ever seen. Museum quality.

  2. PChip October 18th, 2007 9:07 am :

    Wow! That’s awesome! WTG with doing a full size comparison and learning where there were hidden expenses in your business. I’ll have to look further into this Canon Pro9000 when I do my next printer purchase!

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