3 Basics for Your Gift Basket Business

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to just make gift baskets and not worry about dealing with the administrative work?

Actually, this is possible if you’re running a hobby. But if gift baskets are your business, the office component must be addressed.

The way you handle administration is vital to your success. It’s not as tedious as it seems if you streamline the process with tools that simplify office work.

Here are three that elevate my clients’ businesses.

1. Web Site. Many designers, whether in a home office or retail space, do not have a site or even a Web name. I learn this by seeing the number of people who attend my Web Sites for Retailers seminars at trade shows throughout the U.S.

For first time Web site owners, your site includes:

I use GoDaddy.com for name registration and hosting. Although I hear both positive and negative talk about GoDaddy, so far I’ve not had any problems but have had problems with many other hosting companies.

The bottom line is that every company has its glitches (mine and yours included), so we choose, learn, grow, and make changes from the experiences. Most of all we take action. Create and maintain your Web site.

2. Financial Software. What good is running a business if you aren’t tracking revenues and expenses? Good decisions about what to buy and where to stop spending are best made when you know where the money is. That’s why many of us choose QuickBooks or another finance software to:

Even if QuickBooks is not for you, there’s something else on the market to fit your needs. Buy it, install it, and let it be your revenue assistant.

3. Marketing Materials. There are many literature products to send to customers both online and through traditional mail. For years, postcards have been a basic staple in our marketing arsenal.

I happen to make mine through VistaPrint, and gift basket designers also choose options found through local commercial printers, which is wonderful because communities stay strong through local bonds.

You’ll see some brochure options on these pages if brochures are a better option than postcards.

Two more basics that I’ll talk about in the future is a dedicated, organized workspace and business development forms, which are ready to use or, with patience, can be made as needed.

Which of these areas are most difficult for you to create?

Be sure to return on Monday for the Gift Basket Business Blog Carnival to learn all about holiday hostess baskets.

Shirley George Frazier

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Tagged as: business forms, financial software, gift basket business, gift baskets, how to create a web site, marketing materials