Start a digital scrapbooking business in Sacramento

Start a digital scrapbook business in Sacramento for fun or profit

You can start your own digital scrapbook business in Sacramento with little to no financial investment, but there are several things to consider before you begin.

Decide which type of digital scrapbooking services and/or goods you will offer.

Among the various types, you can:

1. Start a blog or website with freebies and/or digital scrapbooking tutorials, and add affiliate ads or Google AdSense ads to your site. Pros: Free to do Cons: Will take at least several weeks to get enough traffic for your ads to start paying off.

2. Sell your digital scrapbook supplies online through your own blog or website shop, another website's existing shop, or through services like Etsy, eBay, or eCrater (free). Pros: Start making money as soon as your shop gets traffic, and create a design once to sell over and over again. Cons: Many online shops have closed recently, probably due to both the recession and abundance of free digital scrapbook supplies online.

3. Offer to create digital scrapbook layouts for others for a fee. Pros: Free, if you make your own elements or download free. Cons: N/A

4. Teach others to create digital scrapbook products. Pros: Can be high-paying if you are willing to actively promote yourself. Cons: You can't do this from home unless you want to have strangers come to your home and use your computer. Otherwise, you will have to train people in their homes, or find a local venue with a computer room in which to hold your classes.

5. A combination of any or all of the above.

Legal requirements for a digital scrapbook business

No matter which business structure you choose, you will have to start filing quarterly taxes once you begin making an income from your business. You may also need to register your business name with Sacramento County, and you will need a Sacramento County Tax ID, in addition to your Social Security number. You may also need to collect and report sales taxes, even if you only sell goods or services online. Begin by reading the City of Sacramento's online guide to starting a business.

If you want to offer lessons in your home or have clients visit your home on a regular basis for business purposes, you will need to first check your homeowners' association rules or ask your landlord if you rent your home or apartment, to determine whether this is allowed. Local zoning ordinances may apply, as well. You can't afford to skip this step if you want to avoid legal problems later. SCORE, or "Senior Core of Retired Executives" is a good resource for free legal help and strategic advice on starting your own business.

Copyrights for commercial scrapbook supplies

Many commercial-use digital scrapbook supplies are available online to buy or download for free. It is important to note and abide by the terms of use in these products. If you scrap for individuals for a fee, many products are marked as "S4H" (scrap for hire) or "S4O" (scrap for others) friendly. These are sometimes referred to as "Angel Use" policies. Any of these license terms usually allow you to use the products when other people pay you to scrap for them, but they may require you to specifically credit, or attribute, their business names in writing to the customer. Read the terms of use files that accompany your downloads very carefully to be sure you don't infringe on any copyrights.

Most commercial-use digital scrapbook supplies that are marked as "CU" friendly have terms of use similar to those of S4H and S4O, but they may also allow you to resell their digital elements as part of your own digital scrapbook kits. Some CU designers may even allow you to resell their supplies as-is, but this is the exception, rather than the rule.

Other copyright issues

Before you start your digital scrapbook business, be sure to define your own terms of use, and include a text file specifying your terms in a folder with every digital product you email or make available for download.

Offering digital downloads

If you have a website, your account probably has limits on the amount of digital space available on your host's server. When your business is new, you may want to store your product on your own computer and email zipped folders to your customers. You can also offer a limited number of downloads free on services such as Rapidshare.com. One of the best and most affordable options for hosting direct downloads is e-junkie.com. If you search for "promo code e-junkie," you can often find codes to try the service free for several weeks. Or call your web host and ask what they recommend, but be wary of agreeing to expensive services and shopping carts that you may not need.

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