Interview with Kaleena Montano of Kaleena Rae's Zazzle Store

 Kaleena Montano  

Rico:
What's Your Name?

Kaleena Montano

 

Rico:
List your shop(s) -

Kaleena Montano :

Kaleena Rae's Zazzle Store

My store contains a variety of nature and wildlife photography products as well as some clipart/patterns. I also have a special section for pet products that are mostly Dachshund themed. I am a dachshund breeder so I create keepsake products for my puppy buyers and other dachshund lovers.



Rico:
What type of product do you sell the most of?

Kaleena Montano :

I am a fairly new to Zazzle so I have only sold 22 of my own products to date. Mostly Binders and Greeting Cards.



Rico:
How long have you been at Zazzle?

Kaleena Montano :

I joined Zazzle in July 2011



Rico:
How did you find Zazzle?

Kaleena Montano :

I did a google search looking for a place to sell my photography.



Rico:
Are you a ProSeller?

Kaleena Montano :
I am not a proseller. 




Rico:
What made you decide to open your own store?

Kaleena Montano :
It was free and creative. Exactly what i was looking for. 



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

Kaleena Montano :
I did not receive any advice when I started out. I found the website on my own using google and have only recently found the zazzle forum full of supportive people.

 

Rico:
What was your first sale (include link)?

Kaleena Montano :




Garden Planner 3 Ring Binders

Garden Planner 3 Ring Binders by KaleenaRae
See other Catapiller Binders

 


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

Kaleena Montano :
I use Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 to edit my photography. Paint.net to edit my clipart and digital papers.
 

Rico:
What is your favorite aspect about Zazzle?

Kaleena Montano :
I like the wide range of products they have available to work with. 



 
Rico:
Who or what inspires you?

Kaleena Montano :
I find inspiration from the great outdoors and my house full of wiener dogs.

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

Kaleena Montano :
I probably spend 40 hours a week either creating or promoting. I wasn't reaching anyone other then friends/family and puppy buyers until I discovered the promoting section of the zazzle forum. There were great ideas and tools there and such helpful people. 



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

Kaleena Montano :
If I knew someone that wanted to try zazzle I would tell them to fill their store, tag really well, and then i would show them all the places they can promote.
 

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

Kaleena Montano :
I am a single stay at home mother of two young children and a dog breeder. So my hands are full when I'm not working on zazzle.

 

Rico:
For most each product or design they create is special. What is your most favorite design and why (include link)?

Kaleena Montano :






Dachshunds eat honey badgers dog water bowls

Dachshunds eat honey badgers dog water bowls by KaleenaRae
Browse Dachshund Pet Bowls

I'm totally obsessed with this dog bowl. I am a Dachshund breeder and their original purpose was to hunt badgers. Honey badger themed products are all the rage right now and one day this qoute just popped into my head. I've sold several and it gets viewed everyday. I own one myself too and it makes me laugh everyday.

 

 

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

Kaleena Montano :

I'm 24 years old

I've been professionally raising purebred dogs since I was 15

My family teases me for enjoying the Kardashian reality shows

I love gardening

I sometimes have nightmares about my camera breaking, it would be devastating to me. 

 

Rico:
Include links to 3 of your favorite designs you want me to feature. Tell me something about each design.

Kaleena Montano :


Dachshunds eat honey badgers dog water bowls

Dachshunds eat honey badgers dog water bowls by KaleenaRae
Browse Dachshund Pet Bowls

Dachshunds were originally bred to hunt badgers so I gave myself a good laugh when I put a spin on the honey badger theme creating this bowl. Its been a big hit as far as views go but has not yet been purchased. 

Garden Planner 3 Ring Binders

Garden Planner 3 Ring Binders by KaleenaRae
Browse Catapiller Binders

I love this garden planner so much I purchased one for myself. The fat tomato worm is pleasing to the eye even if he is a garden enemy. 

 Wildlife 2012 Calendar

Wildlife 2012 Calendar by KaleenaRae
See other Wildlife Calendars

Wildlife is my favorite thing to photograph. I put a variety of species into this calendar. It looks stunning in print. 

Rico:
If you could purchase ANY item (from someone else) what would it be? Why?

Kaleena Montano :

 

Cute Dachshund Clean / Dirty Dishwasher Magnet

Cute Dachshund Clean / Dirty Dishwasher Magnet by JKLDesigns
Shop for other fridge magnets from zazzle.com.

This is the only thing i have purchased from someone else's store so far. It is so cute I couldn't pass it up.   If i had all the money in the world though i would probably buy some fantastic photos or pieces of art on wrapped canvas. 

 

 

Rico:
Zazzle has helped many people meet goals that they otherwise wouldn’t have achieved. What has Zazzle helped you to achieve in your personal life?

Kaleena Montano :
As a stay at home mother it is nice to make a little money from home. Its also extremely rewarding to sell my "art". Somebody thought this photo or product was good enough to own and I created it. That's pretty cool. 

 

 

Rico:
Where else can our readers find you online? (Facebook, Twitter, other blog or website)

Kaleena Montano :

Facebook

Pinterest

Lovebug Doxies

Twitter

Zazzle Delights Blog