Are you looking for customers that will order 100 or more gift baskets at one time for special events, charity functions, or employee celebrations?

Before you wish for such a customer to come your way, take a look at the photograph on this page of 192 baskets donated to a health center.

Look closely. Can you imagine how much room it takes to make 192 gift baskets and how much room it takes to store them before delivery?

• How many people will you need to hire for such an order? You can’t do it alone.
• What space do you own or can lease quickly? You can’t complete this order at home.
• Where will you purchase supplies? Wholesalers on your list must have quantities you require in stock.

Fulfilling mega orders, as it is called, is more than a pay day. It requires lots of advanced planning, and even then, something can go terribly wrong.

What type of procedures do you maintain in your company that proves you’re ready for this challenge when the client tells you to proceed?

Shirley George Frazier

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There was a time, specifically after Christmas or Valentine’s Day, when I’d enter my design studio, and instead of it appearing to be a welcoming environment, it resembled a toy factory explosion.

Stuff was everywhere, random drawers were open, and shred was nearly up to my ankles. How could I possibly feel enthused about designing in chaos?

If this is what your workspace looks like right now, commit to cleaning up before you do one thing, make one call, or take one picture.

If you have an order to fulfill, I won’t stop you from doing that. However, you may not be as enthusiastic during the process as you are when the environment is clean and orderly.

My energy is high during the morning hours. That’s when I feel as though I can take on the world designing gift baskets, packing them for shipping, and returning telephone calls to prospects who request bids for conference gift baskets.

No matter when you feel energized, dedicate 15-20 minutes of that time to organizing your workspace so you don’t waste energy searching for baskets, scissors, or inventory you’ve yet to unpack.

When your design space was a disaster zone, what were you unable to find, and what convinced you to organize your space so that it didn’t happen again?

Shirley George Frazier

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Although I live in a large home where I decided to start my gift basket business, my thinking about how to set up my workspace was limited.

In fact, the idea of setting up a space didn’t exist. Here’s what I mean.

In the first three months of business:

Talk about chaotic.

I was so happy about being in business that creating the proper atmosphere was not my primary focus, but the chaos quickly convinced me to change gears, which increased my productivity and sales.

Whether creating designs at home or in a storage room within a shop, designating a space that allows you to create custom gift baskets or experiment with your design style is the ultimate turning point in your business.

It alerts your mind to the fact that your enterprise is real, that you are in business to not only make money and create a rewarding lifestyle, but that your business benefits the people who are impacted by what you offer and deliver.

When you walk into that dedicated space, you suddenly want to create a masterpiece to enhance a personal or professional relationship between the customer and receiver. Your workspace positively changes your mind. That’s why it’s important to create this special environment.

What emotions about being in business come to mind each day when you walk into your design studio? Do not be concerned if it’s not a good feeling. Share it here so that we can offer ideas and change your circumstances for the better.

Shirley George Frazier

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Who can remember which bow looks better on a hostess gift basket or how bad the traffic pattern was when delivering gift baskets to a corporate address in a busy downtown area?

My answer is made up of two words – not me.

I can’t recall what I had for breakfast this morning, so there’s no way my mind knows which door I entered last year when bringing gift baskets into an office located in New York City’s Times Square.

That’s why I take notes after creating gift baskets, delivering them, or documenting what customers prefer during the order process.

Do you do the same?

Sure, it takes time to stop what you’re doing and write down the instructions and insights, but doesn’t that make the next opportunity easier? If so, then taking notes is worth your time.

Here’s another example: a customer recently asked me to add “that thing” on the bow, “just like you did on last year’s Christmas baskets,” she said. If I didn’t write down that “the thing” was miniature bubble clusters, I’d disappoint her, and she might start working with another designer because I didn’t pay attention to detail.

If you haven’t started documenting what works and what doesn’t in business, consider starting a journal now.

How have your custom notes saved you time or saved you from embarrassment?

Shirley George Frazier

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How do you plan to bring the 2008 business year to a close? The way you end sets the tone for how you’ll build success in 2009.

Here are a few ideas for ending the year on a high note.

Clean up cluttered corners. Where are the pesky areas within your workspace, the areas that make you cringe each time you must rummage through a pile to find what you want? Try to organize that area today.

I took my own advice this past Monday, inspired by the Gift Basket Design Studio Extreme Makeover and cleaned a messy floor pile. No wonder I couldn’t find my best pair of scissors!

Create a binder system to house important information. Binders are good office buddies that compile financial, competitive, and marketing data. The main focus before starting is that you must commit to binder management rather than putting them on a shelf and never opening them.

I have four binders – the three mentioned earlier and one for brainstorming.

Write your own success chart. You’ve overcome many challenges and are deservedly proud of that. Why not flaunt your success on paper in an area where you’ll see and be inspired by it everyday?

My success chart is posted on the side of a printer, which is next to my computer. I can’t miss the list, and it acts as a great foundation to build new success. Try it for yourself.

Most of all, be thankful for your accomplishments so that you duplicate what worked again and again, and remember the problems only as a part of business you vow not to repeat.

I’m very thankful to all of you who visit the GiftBasketBusiness.com family of sites, share comments, and consider us as your silent business partner.

What’s your biggest success for 2008?

Shirley George Frazier

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One problem that you may be facing this season is the ability to stay organized. I know this problem well.

Here are daily questions I ask myself, starting with the most popular.

Where are the scissors?
Where’d I put that order?
Did you see the UPS form?

My workspace is organized in the evening so that it’s sparkling clean when I arrive the next morning.

This picture of a Canadian designer’s workspace, shown in DailyGleaner.com, is another example of order. You can get a close-up look at her gift baskets by clicking on the picture.

My scissor solution is to anchor several pairs with cord at several stations. But I admit to cheating, undoing the cord and moving the scissors when needed elsewhere. That throws everything into chaos, so I try not to do that anymore.

The Gift Basket Design Studio Extreme Makeover video shows how three gift basket veterans changed a busy workspace into a clean, gift basket making machine.

There’s also the book, Organizing Your Craft Space, which provides lots of tips that helped me to re-organize for better control and use of space.

What’s your biggest organizing challenge?

Shirley George Frazier

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