I don't mean to bum any of you out, but right now I am feeling so down and blue. It might have something to do with spending the last week (including my whole three day weekend) non-stop, day and night preparing for the kit shipment and then packing and shipping our monthly kits. And I find myself tonight still packing up the last 10 or so. Just so much work and I am struggling to make ends meet. I think what I am most down about is the economy. Gas is over $4.00 a gallon - never thought I would see the day!!!! And that is now affecting every aspect of our lives from food prices to money we have to spend on extra's - like scrapbooking. I am also so disappointed in some of the scrapbooking manufacturers and other major players in the industry, like Creating Keepsakes and Prima. Having worked in Workforce Development for 4 years, I have a basic understanding of how industries thrive and grow and the kind of things that as an industry you just don't do if you want that industry to continue to thrive and grow. I am not sure what it is about the scrapbooking industry, but it seems to think that the scrapbooking industry is immune to the industrial laws and principles. I am watching major players make tremendous mistakes driven by greed that are leading the scrapbooking industry down a dangerous path. In most strong and thriving industries, everyone has a certain place and contributes to the industry in a particular way - but every part of the whole is critically important. In other industries you would never see the industry magazine venture outside of its role into manufacturing its own products, distributing Kits of the Month because it then shifts the industry equilibrium and enters into a competitive role with the companies that pay huge amounts of money to advertise in the magazine. Which I will tell you that I will not pay for advertising in CK, however, I have advertised in Simple Scrapbooks which is also owned by CK so I guess I am kind of guilty in that respect.
Similarly, Prima - a large industry manufacturer of scrapbooking products, recently announced that they were going to launch their own monthly kits. Now, this is not only monthly kits. It will be based on becoming a "monthly kit member" with duration options just like a Monthly Kit Club. Now, Prima not only has an awful customer service reputation and is completely unreliable on their shipments to vendors, but they too seem to be driven by greed and will now venture out beyond their important role in the industry and continue to move the scrapbooking industry towards collapse. The immediate affect of all these things is it makes it impossible for companies who sell the products to compete with the companies who make the products. This is how the industry begins to collapse.
It is hard watching all this happening and not sure...what are these people thinking? Do they think they are different and immune to the principles of business and industry? Do they care? Do they even know what the principles of business and industry are? I am starting to think that they either don't know the mistakes being made or they are just merely driven by greed and have no concern for what that does to the scrapbooking industry. Because it's not as if these two companies don't make enough money already.
O.K. That felt better to get that off my chest.
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4 comments:
I understand part of what you said and the other part went over my head. I am not a person in the Workforce Development but rather I am one who does the secretrial type work and work behind the scenes and that is what I love to do. I will trust you to work out the Workforce stuff. Carrie, I truly believe if you are doing what you love to do, you have won the battle. To have a job you don't enjoy doing makes life seem very dull and boring.
You are good at what you do and just think you only have to package up kits for 4 or 5 days and then free until the next time around. And how wonderful that you have that many people buying kits to keep you busy.
I still think you are the greatest.
I understand your frustration. I had a big long post composed, but in the spirit of brevity, I just want you to know that I encourage you to review your business plan and find peace, whatever that means for you. :-)
Good post! A lot of food for thought for sure. I only hope that things work out. Keep your chin and spirits up. Aloha!
Carrie, you have put into words something that I've been sensing for a long time with the scrapbooking industry! It seems to be the way of the world these days and it's not a good thing. But maybe, just maybe, people like you will rise up in the industry and fill that void that's being left in our wonderful hobby. Meanwhile, hang in there and know we love you!
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