Zazzle Shopkeeper Of The Week: Interview with Rhonda Albom

Rhonda Albom

Rico:
What's Your Name

Rhonda Albom

Rico:
List your shop(s) -

Rhonda Albom:

Primary Shop: - Albom Design on Zazzle
Nearly all of my products are created in this store and categorized by style (Photo-seascape, photo-landscape, humor, etc). Then I have created a series of niche stores which categorize the same products differently. These stores actually hold no products but seamlessly link back to my original store. I have explained the processes and my logic here: Niche-Strores

My niche stores include:
Albom Design on Zazzle
Fiji Pictures and Graphics
Laugh Quotes
New Zealand Fun
Planking Shirts by Albom Design

I also have an independent store: Home School Projects

Rico:
How long have you been at Zazzle?

Rhonda Albom:
A bit over 2 years.

Rico:
Are you a ProSeller?

Rhonda Albom:

Yes. I became a bronze level pro-seller recently, when Zazzle finally gave out the status this year. I crossed the $1000 commission earned mark about 20 months after I started on Zazzle.

Rico:
What's the best advise you got when you were starting out?

Rhonda Albom:
"Stop giving away all your work, join Zazzle and start making some money." Also to have a look at the Zazzle forum. So many really great Zazzlers there who are willing to help out. But remember, everyone can go there, so all advice is not always good advice. I wish I had spent more time learning at the beginning.

Rico:
What medium/tools do you use to create your designs?

Rhonda Albom:
Mostly I am a photographer and feature my un-edited work. However I do use photoshop for cropping, and occasionally for artistic enhancements (these would be major and obvious alterations. ) I also use Adobe Illustrator for graphic art and for adding text sayings or words to my photos.

Rico:
Who or what inspires you?

Rhonda Albom:

Nature, humor and my family.

Rico:
How much time a week to you spend on Zazzle?

Rhonda Albom:
Hard to say. I do internet work full time, about 40 hours per week. My blog is my primary project, and it frequently features Zazzle work. I also write on Squidoo, Wizzley and Best Reviewer - also often featuring Zazzle work, as well as other affiliates. So much of what I do is cross over that it would be difficult to isolate the Zazzle portion (for instance, is this interview "time spent on Zazzle"? ) In general I would say I spend 20% of time creating (art work or writing) and 80% publicizing.

Rico:
What's the best advise you can give someone just starting out on Zazzle?

Rhonda Albom:

My current system:

1. Plan first (Think about and research your name before you open your store. I really wish I had done this, as "albomfamily" is not really a great choice, but with over 4700 products it is way to late to change. Also, decide a direction for your store before you begin making products. Planning upfront will save you lots of time later.)

2. Create (Take your time, only publish artwork you are really proud of, and only use the artwork where on product which it looks good. Don't make too many of the same product -a few sample t-shirts is plenty, as Zazzle makes it clear and easy to change shirt style. Otherwise the traffic to them gets split. Better to have 200 views to one shirt than 10 views to 20 shirts.)

3. Promote (Products generally will not sell themselves. I use Squidoo, Wizzley, Best Reviewer, Facebook, Twitter and my blog as my primary promotion tools. Also, promote products from other Zazzlers, aside from the great affiliate program, cross promotion is always helpful. )

Rico:
What do you like to do when you are not creating art?

Rhonda Albom:

I am a travel photographer (at least that is what I want to be) so I travel when I can. I also homeschool my children who are snow sports athletes (both National Champions), so we tend to spend a lot of time in sport.

Rico:
Tell me 5 random things everyone should know about you.

Rhonda Albom:
I write a humor blog LaughQuotes.com
I live in New Zealand.
I homeschool my kids.
I am married to a rocket scientist.
I was once thin.

Rico:
List 3 of your favorite designs. Tell me something about each design.

Rhonda Albom:
One of my newest:

Memories of Malolo Lailai, Mamanuca Islands Fiji Shirt