An Interview with Jackie Zannino - Label Creations

Enjoy my interview with Jackie Zannino of Label Creations.  I met Jackie thanks to Google!  I was new to the craft show circuit and needed Hang Tag  for my products.  I found her online and felt she was the right fit for me - a female owned, home based business!  The rest is history!


FCBA: What is your name? Where do you live? (City/State/Country
Answer: Jackie Zannino, Simpsonville SC – USA


FCBA: Are you married? Children? Grandchildren?
Answer: I am Married to my best friend and this January we will celebrate the big 10! We have two amazing boys, Josh 6, and Zach, 3


FCBA: What is the name of your business? What products to you make/sell
Answer:   www.Labelcreations.com

Personalized Address Labels,Vinyl Labels, Tic-Tac Labels, Bag Tags, Checkbook Covers, Canning Labels, Bookplates, Favor tags, Note Cards, Hang Tags for Crafters & Events, and so much More! Always FREE Shipping in the USA!


FCBA: Who is your target client?
Answer: Women, women, women! We DO love to shop, don’t we??

FCBA: When did you start your business? What was your motivation?
Answer: I started this business in 1997, while still employed at American Express – I was an event coordinator there and was always creating something or other! I knew that when it came time for mew to settle down and raise my own family, I did not want to work outside of the home. so I started with a little bitty, 3 page website that only sold Address Labels. from there it grew to what Label Creations is today!

FCBA: Is this your only occupation? Do you work full-time/part-time?
Answer: I am also gainfully employed by my two sons. No pay, but the best job I’ve ever had!

FCBA: How long before starting your business did you (Sew, Crochet, Knit, Paint, etc)?
Answer: I have always made personalized items for friends and family.

FCBA: How do you advertise/build awareness?
Answer: I made A LOT of advertising mistakes, Spend A LOT of money, but through the years I have become very conscious of where every advertising penny goes and REALLY weigh the pros and cons of each!

FCBA: Do you use Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc)?
Answer: LOVE FaceBook....a little addicted I think! I do have a twitter account as well.

FCBA: How much time do you dedicate to promoting via social media?
Answer: Definitely not as much as I need to!


FCBA: Do you have an online store? Website with shopping cart, Artfire, ETSY, Zibbet, etc
Answer:  www.labelcreations.com



FCBA: How successful is your online store?
Answer: Thanks to this economy, the last few years have been rough, but I am sticking it out. I am starting to see a turn around thank goodness.


FCBA: Do you offer in home shows, local craft shows, business expos, etc?
Answer: I have done local craft fairs around town.

FCBA: How successful are your in person sales?
Answer: Honestly, as successful as they were, what goes into getting it set up, etc. was very hard and time consuming, so I stopped for now. might go back one day...maybe when the kiddos are older.

FCBA: Looking back, what are some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way?
Answer: Funny story (well...funny NOW!) When I first started this business I knew NOTHING about copyrights! so there I was, printing up Disney characters, movie stars, anything and everything that people are into and that were an easy sell. Hey! who doesn’t want a Marilyn Monroe Address label? Soon enough the “lawyers” caught on and send out some pretty strongly worded letters. thankfully I came away unscathed financially. These days I know all the artists I work with, or I design my own art. MUCH safer that way!

FCBA: What would you do differently? And why?
Answer: I would not have spend so much loot on advertising that got me nowhere. I wish I was more selective. Hey...when you know better, you do better! (thanks Oprah!!)

FCBA: Where do you see your business in the next year/5years?
Answer: Still rockin’ the labels!

FCBA: What is one thought that you would like to leave with our readers?
Answer: Buy my Stuff!! hahahha!


Follow Jackie on Facebook at www.facebook.com/labelcreations.

Thank you Jackie and I wish you continued success!!
Andrea

Be Creative!  Be Blessed!!

The Power of One Contact, My Journey to Queen B.

As many of you know, I started my business back in December of 2007.  It was a small endeavor that was born out of a love for handbags. I attending a "Shecky's Girl's Night Out" shopping event in the Design district of Miami in support of a friend's handbag business.  While there I fell in love with this amazing leather handbag.  So I bought it!  The handbag was given to me in a plain brown shopping bag, and as I left the event, I thought to myself......hhmmmmm, she should make dust bags for the handbags that she sells.  Much like all the other medium and high end handbag designers make.  Since the bags were not her original, the dust bags could bear the name of her company and would add a really nice touch to her presentation.  So I went away with that thought in my mind.....I even called and offered it as a suggestion to further her business along.  Not even thinking that I could make these. 

The next day, I woke with the thought in my head that I would attempt to make them; after all why not?  So off I went to Walmart where I bought a Singer Simple sewing machine and some scrap fabric.  I came home and took apart one of my dust bags and said....ok....here goes!  And so Bags for Bags by Andrea was born! 

I hosted a launch party at home with a few friends who all thought I was on to something! 

I made bags for Shoes, Bags for Wallets, Bags for Handbags, Bags for belts, Travel Laundry Bags, Lingerie bags, etc.  I got orders for Christmas presents and pretty soon I was buying more and more fabric.  I even ordered hang tags for my products!  This was becoming official.

Then someone said, you know you can do truck shows, craft fairs and home shows.  So I started to research local shows.  I jumped right into the craft show circuit and soon the requests started coming in for new items.  I started making Hanging Grocery Bag Holders and those became the best selling items at every show.

I did the craft show circuit for about a year and eventually heard about ETSY, so I opened my ETSY store and found that I was a small fish in a huge pond (no Ocean!).  I built my first website with the help of Yahoo Web Services...what an learning experience that was!

Then on March 22, 2009, I did a show in Coral Springs Florida.  It turned out to be my worst show and my best show at the same time.  The booth fee was $69.00, I donated $15 worth of products to the charity of the day and I sold $37 worth of products.  You do the math!  I also met someone who was just starting out on the show circuit as well and we hit it off right away, over a Green Handbag (from her booth) and a Exotic Print Dust Bag from my booth.

Here's why that show was also my best show ever!  When I met Queen B, we started to share our upcoming events, we shared booths to keep our entry fees down (Oh boy...we and our products almost got washed away at one rainy day event!).  We shared business ideas, often via Black Berry messenger or a quick phone call or email,  and then we hit the Social Media circuit....Facebook has taken us to Countries that are only on our own personal Bucket List.  Our businesses have gone to New Zealand, China, UK, Australia, Jamaica and so many more.

Today we continue to share ideas and share in each other's successes.  Bags for Bags by Andrea is now Fabric Creations by Andrea and Queen B's Accessories has added a few more ventures to her family.  She is quite Empressive!!!

That my friends is the power of networking!  Sometimes just one encounter can be the platform for unbelievable growth and success.

To my friend Queen B, I wish you much success.   I lift my glass to our continued Tweets, Facebook posts, Blog entries and local events!

Follow Queen B here  www.facebook.com/queenbaccesssories, www.facebook.com/empressfootwear, http://www.theempressivestylz.blogspot.com/

Be Creative!  Be Blessed!!

Andrea