Scrapbook Nightmares Part 2

I'm fascinated with the idea of going in and helping a struggling business survive. The problem is that most failing businesses are so far in debt that they would never invest in a business consultant to come and help them turn their sinking ship around.

I've been watching Kitchen Nightmares on BBC. I blogged about it a couple of weeks ago. But the more I watch, the more fascinated I am by it and the more business lessons I see for scrapbook stores.

The issues that are killing these restaurants are always the same.

• Bad food
• Expenses too high
• Customer base (and therefore income) too low
• Overly complicated food
• Lack of experience in running a restaurant
  or no one seems to be in charge

These are the same issues that kill retail scrapbook stores:

• Poor product selection (bad food)
• Expenses too high
• Too few customers coming in
• Too much selection without little coordination (overly complicated food)
• Lack of experience in running a retail
  store

The solutions to the restaurant problem are always the same:

• Concentrate on fresh, seasonal and quality
• lower expenses by buying locally or learn to make great food with less expensive ingredients
• Market your business (he often takes them into the city and creates a buzz on the street)
• Simplify the food
• Learn to treat it like a business and run it accordingly

So, the scrapbook translation of that would be:

• turn over products quickly to keep them fresh
• lower expenses wherever you can (do you have to go to EVERY trade show and take an employee with you?)
• reach out to the community and introduce people to your store and to scrapbooking. Don't rely on those who already shop your store to support you
• Simplify your selection - you can't carry everything
• Learn how to run your business. You're in it to make money.

The funny thing is that some people fight against CelebuChef Gordon Ramsey every step of the way. They don't want to hear that they are making mistakes. They are full of pride and debt and don't seem to want to change it. It's always hard to be told you're doing something wrong. But, when you're thousands of dollars in debt, at some point, you have to face up to the fact that you AREN'T doing it right.

I think many struggling scrapbook stores could be saved and kept from closing. The question is, how do we, as an industry, teach owners how to be successful? It can't be done for free, but when you've mortgaged your home and you're up to your eyeballs in debt, can you find the cash to bring in a professional to save you? I guess it depends on how bad you want to be saved.

But, even on a small and much less expensive scale, a business education group like ScrapBiz can help you. For instance, Gordon Ramsey told one chef that he wasted too much time fussing over dishes that were overly complicated with too many things on the plate. Gosh, that's exactly what I tell Scrapbook Artists NOT to do in the ScrapBiz Business Start-Up Guide. If you're being paid per page to make a custom book, you can't have too many ingredients or spend too much time fussing over the page without losing money. Keep it simple and clean. We talk about all the issues that people don't realize might be affecting their bottom line.

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Two pet-peeves or issues have popped up this week about the scrapbook industry and I'm feeling really "bugged" about them.

First - I was thumbing through a recent issue of Memory Trends Magazine (check out my article on page 82 about retailers and scrapbook artists working together!) and there was an ad for a new scrapbook idea-type book. It was by someone whom I have NEVER heard of. It had the author's photo and said something about "She'll be in our Memory Trends booth to autograph her book!" HUH?! And, I'm supposed to be impressed why...? What is it with this industry thinking that people who write books are "autograph worthy". If someone said, "Come sign your book, Kim!" I'd laugh them right out of the room. Why should anyone care?! Why would anyone think they SHOULD care?! Writing a book doesn't make you a hero worthy of worship.

It's like the "SCRAPPER OF THE YEAR" contest. They parade that poor woman around at the shows and other poor women feel the need to run up and worship at her feet. Then we forget who she was a week later. What's up with that attitude? I don't get it. People worthy of admiration have done something to change the world, in my opinion. Stringing words together in a sentence or gluing photos on paper isn't exactly revolutionary. I'm not saying scrap celebrities are bad people, I'm just saying that I'm puzzled over their status. They're just like us. They just had "connections" or were in the right place at the right time. They are talented people but not MORE talented than everyone else.

Second - companies who give trips away to consumers to trade shows bug me. Trade shows are not the mall or circus - they are shows specifically for retailers and service providers to conduct business with manufacturers and distributors. You should only attend if you have reason to. My husband is supposed to be at a large show this week in Vegas. I had to laugh when I pondered anyone giving away a trip to BICSI. No one would line up for it, that's for sure. It's a trade show - where business is conducted. It's not anything anyone would want to win a trip to. Nor, do I think any company would offer to give one away. Again, it's a TRADE SHOW. Most of us just make a mental note when we see a "celebrity" (gosh, I hate that word) at a trade show. They get on with business and so do we. I can't imagine how much they don't like being put on parade like that at a trade show. That's why they attend Expos and Conventions. When they are at those, they expect to be worshipped, but not at a trade show. It happens, though. Usually by first-timers. Then we are so over it and the "celebrity" becomes "furniture" the next time that we hardly notice.

There is nothing wrong with admiring someone's work. But, I think it goes over the top when you spend precious time worshipping them - donating to their pet-cause, standing in line at a show to shake their hand, plotting how to rub shoulders with them at a trade show, etc.

Here are a few quotes about fame that I liked. I think they ring true.

"Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one thing endures and that is character."

~Horace Greeley

"Fame is the thirst of youth"

~Lord Byron

“Fame is a fickle food - Upon a shifting plate"

~Emily Dickinson

“Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other."

~Erma Bombeck

“Celebrity is the chastisement of merit and the punishment of talent."

~Emily Dickinson

Are You a REAL Biz Owner or Do You Just Play One on TV?

Have you ever heard that line? It's sort of a joke used on TV shows from time to time. Someone will be in the middle of a medical crisis and a good looking man will come to help and someone will ask him, "Are you a doctor?" to which he'll reply, "No, but I play one on TV!" As if that made him a REAL doctor.

I see a lot of "business owners" around like that. They are playing "business", but not really BEING a business. For instance, there is one particular online store that probably has 15 nasty threads about it at Legume Land (2Peas). Time and time again people post to beware of this business. This owner ALLEGEDLY (I've never ordered from her) just runs a crappy, bad business with the worst communication and customer service ever. When customers don't get their products and she FINALLY responds to them, she always blames the mail system for losing the package or the customer for lying to her. How she is still in business is beyond me. She keeps churning up new blood who has never heard of all the problems. At a certain point, she'll run out of people to do "business" with. She's not a real business, she just plays one on the internet, I guess...

But, the ones that get me are the "Scrapbook Artists" who undercharge or forget to charge at all. To quote High School Musical, "Getcha' head in the game"!

One of the biggest challenges of women is that we are too nice at times. We agree to do things but forget to talk about the "sticky" subject of money. We don't want to really bring it up and just hope it all works out in the end. It doesn't make any sense to dance around pricing and then take on the project without a firm idea of what you'll make. Then I see them fretting about charging $200 for a 20 page album PLUS supplies. Well, you should have never taken on the project without a firm, signed agreement on price. If the client doesn't scrap, their idea of "fair" and your idea of "fair" may be miles apart. Then what are you going to do??? You'll probably cave when they freak out about $200 and say, "Ahh, just give me $100 and we'll be even." Honestly, you could have made t-shirts in a sweat shop for a week and made more money. You have to be fair to yourself and you have to ACT like you're in business - even if this is your very first client and they just fell into your lap. You must step up and charge what you're worth and not worry about the client thinking it's too much. But, this must be agreed upon before you even take one envelope of photos from them.

Don't play "business" like 5 year-olds play "house". Once you undervalue your services and talents, you will have a hard time playing catch up. Pretty soon, you are working for free and clients are getting great benefits from your work at unbelievably ridiculously low prices - and they are telling all their friends. ScrapBiz can help you set up your business LIKE a business - and teach you to take yourself seriously enough to reap the rewards of sharing your talents with the world!

Scrapping for others...

I believe that the services part of the scrapbook industry is just begging for growth. Nearly every person in an industrialized country has photos in a box somewhere. Most of them wish they knew what to do with or had time to deal with the photos so that they could enjoy them. Enter, the freelance SCRAPBOOK ARTIST!

A few years ago, there was a book circulating that claimed that you could make $10,000 albums and that S4O (scrapping for others) was the thing that was going to make you rich. That notion is so completely unrealistic that it irked me that it was even being "sold" as possible. Maybe ONE person in CA made an album for some Hollywood Producer's wife ONCE. But, the "golden goose" is not going to happen to 99.99% of Scrapbook Artists. You will likely find your customers to be more "mainstream" - retirement albums, birthday albums, anniversary albums, baby albums, business albums, etc.

Another false-hood circulating is that it's unethical, illegal, etc. to sell supplies to your customers. Some claim that it's legally impossible to be both a retailer AND a service provider. Interestingly, those claiming that are themselves BOTH a retailer and a service provider. I say it's smart business to do both. My auto mechanic sells me the parts that he uses to fix my car (retailer and service provider). My florist sells me the flowers she arranges in a vase (retailer and service provider). Why, then, is it so different for a scrapbook artist? It's the smart way to do business. Your customers are going to have to purchase their products from SOMEWHERE and SOMEONE will make a profit off that purchase - why not you? It will GREATLY increase your bottom line!

The other issue that scrapbook artists need to get over is the notion that every page must be an original piece of art.......... okay, if that statement makes you squirm, get up and walk away for a few minutes to think about it before you continue reading. You must learn to use page templates for efficiency in both time and materials.

Let's break it down into another scenario. Remember I Love Lucy? Ricky Ricardo was the owner of Club Babaloo. He put on shows probably 6 nights a week. He was a musician which is also an artistic pursuit. Did Ricky put on a completely original show EVERY NIGHT??? Nope. It would have been inefficient to make the band learn a new set of songs 6 nights a week, 52 weeks a year. They probably put together a new show seasonally. They may have added a song or two here or there - for Christmas, for Valentine's day, etc. But, the show was basically the same each night for many weeks or months. Was Ricky LESS of an artist because each show was practically a duplicate of the night before? Nope. Did the audience feel ripped-off because their show was the same as the one the night before? Nope.

Now, let's apply this to scrapping for others. If you have a basic birthday page and you make that page for Customer A on Monday and then make virtually the same page for Customer B on Wednesday - both customers are going to be thrilled with your work. A and B are never going to see that you did the same page, nor will they care. And, here's the best part - the first time you make a page, it might take you 2 hours from conception to the minute you slip that baby into the sheet protector. But, the next time you make it, you will be able to pull it together in 1/4 the time. The next 10 times you make it, you will be even quicker. And, you'll have all the materials on hand (that you already sold to the customer) so there's very little time invested in coordinating products. That allows you to buy a pack of Bazzill and use it all. It's YOUR original page - duplicated many times. That means more $$$ in your pocket because you are faster and more efficient.

So, if you are a scrapbook artist, don't be a starving one. I see so many people undercharge for and overthink their pages. The customer came to you because they don't scrap. You have to get over the notion that they came to you for "art" - they just want their photos in a nice album that they can show others. It's not a HOF entry.

If you want more information about scrapping for others - check out ScrapBiz. We have had a lot of S4O members TOOTING lately over their successes. They have set up their businesses using smart business principles that will give them the best chance of financial success.