forrja: The Skills of the Entrepreneur

 The Skills of the Entrepreneur 

  Table of Contents Introduction

Introduction xi 1 The Lucrative World of Scrapbooking 2 Not Just Paste and Scissors • Today’s Marketplace 

• Scrapbooking Careers • Some Interesting Statistics 2 The Skills of the Entrepreneur 12 Do You Have What It Takes? 

• Figuring Out Where You Fit In • Ten Fears that Block Success • Quick List Method to Set Your Goals 

• Let’s See What’s in Your Future 3 Setting Up Shop 24 Legal Structure • Sole Proprietor • Partnership • Corporation • Registering • Insurance 

• It’s All in the Name! • Setting Up Your Bank Account • Record-Keeping • Licenses and Permits • Merchant Account • Need a Loan? 

• Employer Identification Number • Your Business Plan • Know Your Bookkeeping 

• The Taxing World of Taxes 4 The Home-Based Scrapbooking Business 52 Zoning Laws 

• Staying Friends with the Neighbors • Setting Up Delivery Service • The In-Home Shop 

• Family Support • Checking Out the Competition • Wholesale Distributors • Staying Professional 

• Creative Memories 5 Going Retail 70 The Pros and Cons • Selecting a Site:Yep . . . Location •Overhead 

• How’s the Competition? Employees • Display Dos and Don’ts • Business Hours 

• Table of Contents Prelims.qxd 4/22/05 7:12 PM Page iii Signage • Vendors and Deliveries • Inventory • Marketing 

• “What Would I Have

Signage • Vendors and Deliveries • Inventory • Marketing • “What Would I Have Done Differently?” • 

Typical Start-up Costs • A Word about Franchises

6 The Electric Entrepreneur

Today’s Internet Business • Designing a Web Site • How to Stand Out from the Crowd • Registering Your Domain Name • Who’s Your Host? • Credit Card Setup • Need a Cart? • Auctions • Message Boards • E-Mail • Chat Rooms • Affiliate Programs • Wave Your Banner • Taxing Questions • Packaging

7 Designing Your Own Products

Finding a Market • Patent Search • Making a Prototype • Pricing • Copyrights • Trademark • Packaging • The Art of Sales

8 Teacher, Consultant, and Commissioned 

Teaching Classes from Home • Teaching in Stores • What Do I Charge? • Finding Customers • Inventory Control • Taking It on the Road • Success Tips • The Commissioned Album • The Scrapbook Consultant

9 The BIG Picture

Planning the Scrapbookers’ Extravaganza • Trade Shows and Expos • Seminars • Holiday Events • Computer Scrapbooking • Writing Magazine Articles • Scrapbook Magazine Illustration • Publishing a Book

10 Let’s Advertise

What Exactly Are You Selling? • Planning an Advertising Budget • Professional Contacts • Yellow Pages Ads • Placing Display Ads in Magazines • Placing Print Ads Wisely • Direct Mail • Organizations • Special Events • The Internet • Referrals • Promotional Materials • Trade Shows and Expos as a Means of Advertising • Networking • The Stationery End of Things

11 If You Have the Passion,You Have the Potential

Motivation • Offering More than Your Competitor • Goal-Setting • I Have Too Many Orders . . . Now  12 Contracts, Forms, and Checklists 172 Different Contracts for Different Setups • Bookkeeping Forms • The Business Plan • Personal Checklist • Business Checklist • Sample Query Letter for Book PublishingWhat? • It’s Never Just a Business!

Acknowledgements

So much goes into writing a book that it is hard to separate the elements of creative support and pragmatic contributions. Many wonderfully talented people gave of their time and effort to make this possible. 

I would like to thank Jeff Newman for his indispensable help with the illustrations that head each chapter. Jeff is an enormous talent who not only supported me throughout the writing of this book, adding insight and making sure the cartoons “popped” with his great eye for detail, but also took his time away from other graphic design projects to do so.

Thank you Jeff . . . you are deeply appreciated, and the most consistent of friends. The time and talents of the following people are so warmly acknowledged:Ann Kingrey of Get Gone Cruises, a scrapbooking cruise company with a huge heart for causes. Jacque at Camp Crop, a mountain retreat for the scrapbook enthusiast. Russ Williams at Invention Home, the one-stop shopping Web site for patents and inventions. 

Russ, your enthusiasm for your project is well founded! Michele Gerbrandt and Debbie Mock of Memory Makers magazine for their invaluable help. Penny McDaniel of Legacies, a scrapbooking store in Loveland, Colorado. Penny gave so unselfishly of her time in allowing me to peek behind the scenes of a scrapbook retail store. 

Thank you, Jeanne Maire of Your Crop Shop in Arvada, Colorado, for your time and insight into retail scrapbook stores. David Kovanen, president of Addicted to Rubber Stamps and Addicted to Scrapbooking. David spent a copious amount of time informing me of the pros and cons of running an Internet store. Thank you so much, David. 

Don Meyer, Director of Marketing and Public Relations of the Craft and Hobby Industry, gave me pages of statistics on the world of scrapbooking.Thank you, Don! vii Prelims.qxd 4/22/05 7:12 PM Page vii viii David Sutphin of Dream Maker Software showed me the amazi

 9 David Sutphin of Dream Maker Software

 showed me the amazing new world of computer scrapbooking and his wonderful site,www.coolclipart.com. Janel and Sandy at the Paper Attic in Sandy, Utah, for their time in answering my questions about retail setup. A huge thank-you to Suzi Moran, Sharon Colasuonno, Kelly Rice, and Susie Monaro of Creative Memories. 

They not only graciously showed me their home-based businesses, but they also offered me referrals to their satisfied customers, invited me to crops, and sent me volumes of information on the largest scrapbook franchise in the world, Creative Memories. 

Much success to you all! And to Cheryl Lightle, President and Cofounder of Creative Memories, for her generous contributions to this book. Brandi Ginn from Colorado, a talented scrapbooker who turned her love of the art into a productive career, writing and submitting artwork to scrapbook magazines and books. 

Jacob G. at the Microsoft Business Solutions Retail Management System Corporation for his input on point-of-sale solutions for new businesses. As always,I want to thank Nicole Potter of Allworth Press for her invaluable editing of these pages. Nicole always takes my efforts and polishes them into something I’m proud to be a part of.

Thank you for your humor and patience, Nicole. To Michael Madole, Tad Crawford, Derek Bacchus, Jessica Rozler, and all the people at Allworth who took their time and talent to make this book what it is, I say a heartfelt thank you! What a joy to work with you! 

There are numerous others who slipped me an anecdote, added a sideline, or put me on the path to information I needed.Thank you so much for caring about the outcome of this book. On a personal note, there are the people in my life who make me passionate about being here. My four gorgeous sons, Mike, Brandon, 

Casey, and Ryan, and my beautiful daughter-in-law Janel, make my heart sing and fill my days with laughter and spontaneity. I love you! To Gary—you always manage to be there in your own way.Thank you. My mother, Collette Wells, who has been my inspiration since I could hold a pen or a paintbrush: I love you, Mom. No one had a better mentor,