How to Start a Gift Basket Business 1-2-3
How to Start a Gift Basket Business
Are you the creative type who enjoys the art of gift-giving? A gift basket business may be ideally suited
for you.
There are many profitable niche markets for which to provide your customized service, including businesses
and individuals. In fact, you might be hard-pressed to find someone who has never received a gift basket as a
gift.
Running a gift basket business offers several benefits - a large market from which to find customers, a
year-round demand, you can be creative and the works offers a somewhat flexible schedule.
You can use the information below to get ideas for creating really unique products and standing out from
your competition. Gift baskets are definitely not what they used to be!
The best thing you can do when you start a gift basket business is to get guidance from an expert - in the
gift basket field. Whether you pick up a book at your local library, bookstore, or meet with a gift basket
owner you may know - you can gain some valuable insight that you'll be glad you discovered before you launched
your gift basket business.
Four experts in the gift basket industry have
put together a business start-up guide specifically for people wanting to start their own gift basket
businesses. Cara Michele Cohen, Michelle Larsen, Debra Paull and Cherle Reagor provide step-by-step
instructions and answers to your questions in their popular guide, "Become a Gift Basket Business Owner".
What you get >>
- Find out what you need to get started, including licenses, permits, insurance, trademarks, legal
structure and sources of start-up funds
- How to choose a niche and developing a gift basket product line, plus retail vs consignment vs
nonretail commercial vs mail order
- What office equipment is needed, basket-related equipment, vehicles and how to take gift basket orders,
purchasing and billing
- 12 creative low-cost ways to market your gift basket business, combined with stories and suggestions
from gift basket experts in the field
- Download now >> Start a Gift Basket Business
Gift Basket Business Resources:
Selling
Your Gift Baskets
An easy way to meet potential clients and get referrals for free without having to give a sales pitch is to
get involved in your community. Join professional groups and industry organizations to network with
others. Participate and plan events involving people in your local neighborhood.
The more active you are, the more word will get around about who you are and what you do. You'd be surprised
that how the friendships you make can turn into business opportunities - simply because people like you.
Take the guesswork out of finding customers by picking up the best marketing guide I've found. You'll find
out free and extremely low cost ways to attract new clients to your business with very little effort - saving
you tons of money
Marketing Expert David Frey shows you how to implement these strategies right away, for immediate profit.
The Ultimate Small Business
Marketing Resource
See also: Sales Letter Templates & Instant Marketing Toolbox
Make Your Own Gourmet Gift Baskets
Everyone loves to receive a gift basket. Corporate gift baskets are often given by
businesses to their customers as a token of their appreciation. However, most gift baskets are person to person
expressions of love and friendship.
You can find a great selection of online gift baskets from the very expensive to the cheap. Or, you can come
up with your own unique gift basket idea and surprise a cherished friend or loved one.
It's not difficult to make your own personalized gift baskets. Most gift baskets involve a theme.
Here are some sample ideas to get you started:
Cookie Gift Basket - bake up some homemade cookies and enclose them in colorful plastic wrap, include
a personal card or poem.
Chocolate Lovers Gift Basket - include individual fancy chocolates, boxed chocolates, or the person's
favorite chocolate bars along with hot chocolate mix.
Holiday Gift Basket #1 - a Christmas holiday gift basket idea could include small stocking stuffers,
candy canes and homemade Christmas cookies.
Holiday Gift Basket #2 - a Halloween holiday gift basket can be stuffed with candy, throw in some
plastic skulls, spiders, cob webs and assorted creepy items.
Wine Country Gift Basket - wine and cheese baskets are favorites, include two bottles of choice wine
from your favorite winery or wine shop, add cheese and crackers.
Coffee Gift Basket - Your favorite coffee lover will enjoy fresh gourmet ground roasted coffee (or
their favorite brand), flavored creamer, cookies and a fun coffee mug.
Italian Gift Basket - include a variety of dried gourmet pasta like spinach, whole wheat, or dried
tomato, two jars of pasta sauce, fresh mozzarella and parmesan cheese, garlic bread and fancy olive oil.
Tea Lovers Gift Basket - you can include several varieties of black tea, green tea and herbal teas, a
mug and homemade butter cookies adds a nice finishing touch.
Champagne or Beer Gift Basket - the champagne basket would be elegant: includes a bottle of fine
champagne, cheese and crackers, and fancy chocolates; the beer basket includes several domestic and/or imported
beers, lagers, or ales, chips, pretzels and nuts.
Pet Gift Basket - dog and cat gift baskets are the most popular. For a dog you can include: homemade
doggie biscuits or cookies, a doggie collar, doggie toys. For a cat you can include: cat treats, cat nip and
cat toys. Now you know that all it takes to make a unique gift basket that will be treasured is a little
ingenuity and your personal touch.
About The Author: Copyright 2004 Donna Monday | Love Cookies? All Your favorites here: http://www.best-cookie-jar-recipes.com
Gift Basket Business Associations
- Gift Basket Business Association
NSGA is the leading trade organization for the Gift Basket Industry. Association members have available
information from starting a gift basket business to running a successful business.
- Gift Basket Association
Community of gift basket professionals.
