“I remodeled my garage into my home office, which was fine, and economical.”

This quote, from a recent article about a gift basket designer and how she started her business, points out one of many options we have for setting up shop in a home location.

Sometimes, though, we’re unable to create space at home to make gift baskets. It’s not because we don’t have space or the imagination to create a studio. Sometimes laws in our state or country forbid us to make a living at home, even when the business doesn’t harm or abuse any one or thing.

That’s when drop shipping may be your best option. Why? Because you can still satisfy customers by having someone else make and ship gift baskets for you while you earn comissions offering products you love.

All the facts behind setting up a gift basket drop shipping business will be uncovered in this evening’s teleseminar, Drop Shipping: 12 Things You Must Know to Make Bundles of Cash When Someone Else Makes Your Gift Baskets. Click here to find out what we’ll discuss, and you can ask questions at the end.

If you’re home based, where in your home did you set up your gift basket business?

Shirley George Frazier

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“What if a lot of people order gift baskets at the same time?”
“How do I handle all the work?”

That dual question is frequently asked in classes and at trade shows after my demos or presentations. The questions are valid, as I know more than a handful of designers who went from no sales to mega orders, especially around the Christmas holidays.

These questions also reveal the fear of success. You start a business to become your own boss, control your destiny, and bring joy and comfort to other people’s lives. But those goals come at a cost. You’ll have to:

• Cut ties with full-time employment.
• Create a dedicated workspace possibly outside of your home.
• Hire temporary or permanent help to handle big jobs.

It’s enough to make your head spin. So why not keep working for someone else so you don’t have to make these decisions? Come one, that’s not what you want.

Thankfully, drop shipping firms are a comfort during the transition, picking up lots of the slack so your business appears much larger than it is.

Drop shippers not only take a lot of the designing and shipping off your hands; they also provide a broad range of products, such as cheesecakes and flowers, items you want to offer but can’t store in your inventory.

It’s wise to consider membership with a drop shipping firm now before the holiday season arrives. Many drop shippers won’t allow you to join between October and December, which is their busy season along with yours. They order enough product to accommodate their members, not to assist designers who suddenly realize they need help.

If you’re not familiar with the services drop shipping companies provide, click here for a video introduction to gift basket drop shipping and to learn more about who they are and what you can expect when working with them. Also available for more insight are a drop ship report and 60-minute CD interview with an industry expert.

What’s stopping you from drop shipping? Explain your dilemma in the comments area, and let’s iron out this problem now so that you’re prepared for explosive sales.

Shirley George Frazier

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Did you know that the art of making and promoting gift baskets can become so successful for some designers that it nearly keeps them working around the clock?

That’s what almost happened last year to three designers. Their individual businesses began growing faster than they could handle.

Each of them asked me to review their business plans and help control the growth before they went out of business from exhaustion.

I suggested several solutions, one of which was adding a drop shipping option for times when business became too hectic to manage.

First, they listened to the recording between Emmitt Holtzclaw of Gift Marketing Alliance and me where Emmitt explains how drop shipping grows and manages sales without buying additional products or hiring more staff. Emmitt provides a wealth of examples on the 60-minute CD, which you’ll read about at the bottom of this page.

In the end, two of the designers incorporated drop shipping while the other added a partner, another alternative I mentioned to each of them.

I’d like to know about your experience with drop shipping. How has it helped your business?

Shirley George Frazier

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Gift basket articles are plentiful on the Web through media sources that are constantly searching for designers to interview now that the holiday season is here.

Here are two citings to stories that may be of interest to you.

My hope is that the article links added below are still be available online when you read this.

Company Adds Person Touch to Gift Baskets, an article from NewsAdvance.com in Virginia, interviews a designer in business for just under 20 years. The insightful point in this story is that she decided to work with a drop shipper this year.

Here’s her quote about the partnership:

“This year, I decided that with the economy, maybe we could do more business without having to stock thousands of items.”

You’ll find a video about working with drop shippers on this page.

California’s MyDesert.com interviewed the owner/designer of Gift Baskets and More in a snapshot article revealing details about the year started, number of employees, and costs.

One point I’m glad to read is that the designer not only wrote a business plan before starting but also reviews it regularly. This is a tip I stress in the book, How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business.

Here’s what she says about her plan and pricing strategy.

“I update it every quarter. For instance, in this current economic climate, I lowered my price points to meet my objectives.”

It’s not too late to send your local media details about your business to encourage promotion. If you’ve already contacted the media, what did they say or Email about writing your story?

Shirley George Frazier

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“Why didn’t I think about working with drop shippers before?”

That’s what one designer asked me during our weekly problem-solving discussion.

This designer, who’s based in a Midwest state, learned from her city’s officials that although she is able to operate a gift basket business, there are certain products that she cannot sell.

This problem goes much deeper than the traditional wines, alcohol, and home-baked items we’re familiar with being on the “can’t buy” list.

The two of us started reviewing each drop shipper on the vendor’s list you’ll learn more about here, and we were able to find two drop shippers that solve her creation and delivery problems.

Finding these firms was vital to her success, as she already had an order for 642 gift baskets from four local firms that decided to place early holiday orders in exchange for a nominal discount.

No way did the designer want to return the full, up-front payments she received, and now she doesn’t have to. In fact, she won’t need as much space as previously thought for designing since the two drop shippers are taking care of one third of her orders.

I’ve recently received orders from long-time clients working in three industries, and for other companies that I cannot assist, I’ve introduced them to several local gift basket designers, two who work alone and one with a small staff.

All three have drop shipping accounts, so they can handle my referrals, which will earn each of them a third of the total $150,000 order.

A new video all about gift basket drop shipping is available on the Drop Shipping page.

How do you plan to handle the overload that’s surely on your way in a matter of weeks?

Shirley George Frazier

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Every October, gift baskets are one of the main topics in Florists’ Review magazine.

The editor asks me about the trends in drop shipped gift baskets, a service that can be advantageous to gift basket designers and florists.

The benefits are numerous depending on your situation.

1. You cannot make gift baskets due to state restrictions on home-based businesses, so drop shippers provide you with a way to make money without breaking the law.

2. Your inventory is broad, and you cannot buy another thing, so drop shippers who stock alternative products fulfill orders with items you do not carry.

3. You are so overwhelmed with orders that in order to satisfy customer demand, you’re forced to outsource the overflow to a drop shipper.

On the flip side, many designers have little use for drop shipping because their clients prefer the unique appearance of customized gift baskets. They view ready-made designs as cookie-cutter replicas that have no place in their customers’ hands.

What’s your take on drop shipped gift baskets? Do you swear by the service or swear at it?

Shirley George Frazier

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After speaking with Emmitt Holtzclaw, president and CEO of Gift Marketing Alliance, about how his firm elevates gift basket businesses into a brand new category of excellence, he nearly convinced me to re-enter the industry full time.

When my business opened in 1990, everything revolved around what I purchased, designed, delivered, and service provided to clients after the sale.

This is still true for most of us, but never did I imagine that joining ranks with a gift basket drop shipping firm could open so many doors of opportunity.

Customers who order gift baskets will also require cookies, cheesecakes, and bouquets. What happens when you cannot deliver these goods?

1. Customers go elsewhere.
2. They give someone else the sale.
3. You are considered a “gift basket retailer” rather than a “gift solution specialist.”

Why let clients go to another firm for their non-gift basket gift items when a drop shipper makes you the one and only person they call or Email every time a gift is needed?

I could go on, but Emmitt spilled all of the details on a one-hour CD we recorded yesterday.

Wednesday’s Basket Biz newsletter featured the call information and a deadline of Thursday for ordering the CD, but this is so important for you that I’m extending the pre-order pricing.

Until Sunday, the Drop Ship Report and CD interview with Emmitt are available for just $47. You can order through this link.

If you want to increase your business and sales without the hassle of ordering lots of inventory, this information is for you. Best of all, it’s not hype; it simply makes sense to let another company handle all of the details while you make money.

Shirley George Frazier

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It’s disheartening to learn, from some aspiring gift basket designers, that the cities in which they live continue to prohibit them from making gift baskets and selling them from an organized, home-based workspace.

You would think, in these days of mass layoffs and workplace challenges, that laws would be modified. Unfortunately, city rules and regulations are slow to change.

I’ve spoken with a few designers who are working with their local mayors or councilmen to change the laws. As I’ve mentioned in the past, we’re not creating businesses to harm children or animals, nor are U.S. based designers employing individuals who may not own proper residence documents.

The bottom line is that gift baskets bring individuals and corporations together in times of joy and comfort, strengthening ties and acting as the link to multi-million dollar deals. There’s no doubt that the product you create is responsible for jobs and business growth.

It may take some time for city charters to change, allowing you to operate a home-based business, one that does not encourage walk-in customers.

Until then, it may be wise to create sales through drop shippers, companies that will create and ship gift baskets for you and share the profits.

Some designers maintain long-term relationships with these firms to generate increased online income and to also ensure that any overflow business is still satisfied, especially during the holidays.

You can read the introduction to the Drop Ship Sources directory here. Then consider starting a relationship with one of these firms so that you can capitalize on gift basket sales whether you’re able to make them yourself or outsource the entire operation to an able firm.

Shirley George Frazier

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