LMHDesigns

Store Name *	LMHDesigns
How has zazzle changed your life? *	Zazzle has given me a consistent creative outlet in my life, sometimes when it was desperately needed. As an actor, I don't always have that to fall back on to get the muses out of my head, but Zazzle is always there, 24/7. Plus the fact that Zazzle sometimes pays more than an acting gig doesn't hurt at all :D
Zazzle is a... *	Hobby Part Time Job Addiction
What advice would you share with a friend or family member if they wanted to join zazzle? *
Several things: 1) JUST DO IT! 2) Don't expect to make anything more than what you put into it. I do okay with what limited promotion I do, and I know I could do better, but I'm comfortable with my level of income compared to my efforts. 3) Pay attention to what you design, HOW you design and how it fits on a product. It hurts all Zazzlers when customers come into the website and find pages and pages of unadulterated crap put out there by folks who have zero business being in the business. 4) Be ready to tag, tag, tag and describe, describe, describe! 5) One final word: FORUM The Zazzle forum is your first, best resource for information. Read it. A lot. Search for answers there before you start posting. They're all there. Seriously. Everything you need to know, written down for the masses by all of us who have been there, done that and designed the t-shirt. And lastly, mark up your products around the 30% range, minimum. Seriosuly.
What other PODs do you use? *	Cafepress Spreadshirt Wordans Mysoti
What do you do when you are not zazzling? *	Like I mentioned, I'm a professional actor and sometimes stage manager and assistant director. I love to read, and I'm spending the summer of 2011 discovering the American classics I've never read before, like Gone With the Wind and To Kill A Mockingbird. My literary junk food, though, are the Star Wars extended universe novels. Love them! Huge fan of Gregory Maguire (Wicked, et al), too! I'm also a Netfix junkie on top of the several regular broadcast television shows I keep up with. And yes, my name is Mike and I'm addicted to Facebook.
How many stores do you have on zazzle? *	2-4
Which do you prefer and why? 1 Mega Store or Several Niche Stores *
I have one mega store and a couple of niche stores and here's why: The Bluebonnet Shop came about because I wanted to give mom a way to promote those specific designs without have to worry about her referrals being turned off or embarrassed by some of the content in my main shop. LMH Shoes came about when the Keds were first introduced and I had ideas for designs that would be good on shoes, but not anything else (in my opinion). But the way my main shop is organized, it just didn't make sense to have a "shoes" category so bam! A new shop was born. And ignored. And I intend on rectifying that soon. In the end, I can say I'm a fan of both megashops and niche shops. I get a lot of feedback from shoppers and other Zazzlers who love my main shop and the huge variety it offers. But I totally see the need and desire of others who like to have the niche shops. I'm currently contemplating spinning off some of my merchandise that have very specific target markets, like my LMH BearWear line for that segment of the gay population, or my Leather Pride line.
I usually work... *	On my desktop at my desk
A List of your stores *	http://www.zazzle.com/lmhdesigns http://www.zazzle.com/bluebonnets http://www.zazzle.com/lmhshoes http://www.zazzle.com/mbsproductions