Michelle Thompson Builds Business Around Scrapbooking

Today I had the honor of interviewing Michelle Thompson, scrapbook maker extraordinaire. When Michelle's children looked at her creations as "presents" you'd open on Christmas morning, her heart burst with excitement. But as her skills grew, so did the need to help other parents-parents who didn't have the creative talent or the time-create the same precious gifts for their children. Discover how she uses her creativity to build a business on a tight budget...

How did you get into designing custom designed scrapbook albums?

I began scrapbooking on a personal level 7 years ago. I attended a Creative Memories® party hosted by one of my co-workers and was instantly hooked. I loved the idea of getting my pictures out of the boxes in my closet and into a storybook that was safe for my photos.

I attended monthly crop parties from 6pm-12 am and the next morning my children would want to see what I made. They loved looking at our family scrapbook and remembering past events.

Over time, we discovered a new use for our scrapbooks. They've become ways to familiarize our children with their paternal grandparents; grandparents they see only once a year. Each year before our trip we pull out our scrapbook of previous trips and relive those memories. The best part about our scrapbooks is our children will have keepsakes to pass on to their children. And that's why I started my business, to help others do the same.

What has been your biggest struggle finding customers and how did you overcome that struggle?

Advertising my business. I am overcoming this struggle by doing whatever I can to get my company's name in the eyes of the public. I attend craft shows, exchange advertising fillers with other work-at-home businesses, post business cards on bulletin boards, donate handcrafted albums to various charities for silent auctions and door prizes, and work on cultivating long-term relationships with my customers.

If you could share just one tip with our readers about the value of persistence, what would it be?

NEVER GIVE UP! Sometimes things may not go your way, you may fall down and lay there for a while, BUT always get up and try again! The only way to truly fail is not to give up or not try at all.

Update: Michelle's website's gone inactive. Appears to either have lost her domain name (it's important to always buy 2 years in advance!) or has since decided to forgo an online presence. The interview, however, is timeless so I'm posting.

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