Chances are that you fancy starting your own scrapbook business because it is already your hobby and passion. Luckily, scrapbooking is becoming a very popular pastime for lots of people, both young and old. Because of this demand, you should be able to tap into this lucrative market.

There are many stores selling craft products however there is always a place for niche sellers like you. If you decide to specialize purely in catering for the needs of scrapbookers, then you will need to find yourself a reliable wholesaler.

#1 The first thing to do is to find all the craft wholesalers you can and request price lists. The internet is the ideal place to look for wholesalers. There are many directories which list wholesale suppliers, some you will have to pay for whilst others are free.

#2 Once you have found all the suppliers you can, you will need to look at their terms and conditions such as minimum order, carriage costs and delivery times. Compare what each wholesaler has to offer and do not be afraid to bounce them off each other i.e. you could say “XYZ craft wholesaler has a minimum order of $50, can you match that?”

#3 When you receive your order, make sure that you check to see that it is complete and there are no damages. Some companies will only allow you a few days to check that there are no problems. If after that time you find there are missing items then you won’t be able to complain.

#4 There are a number of ways that you can sell your goods, either at crafting exhibitions open to the general public or on the internet. eBay is a very popular way to sell goods as there are so many loyal customers shopping on eBay already. If you want to promote your eBay or web store the easiest way is via forums. Find craft forums on MSN, Yahoo or via your favourite search engine. You should get involved in discussions and give advice to people who are looking for inspiration. This is an ideal way to gain trust from your customers and become known as an expert. Be careful not to spam the forums i.e. don’t let your first post be a link to your craft store. Instead you should introduce yourself and talk about your love of scrapbooking.

There is a lot of hard work involved in setting up any business and you should not go into this lightly. Make sure that you do a business plan, take notes of how much stock you will need to hold, work out your profits and decide if you are prepared for this. If this is the first business you have set up, find out if there are any business advisors in your area. Many advisors are provided free of charge by the government so you should make use of all the resources you can. Once you have your company set up and running then I’m sure you will agree that it has been well worth it.