Filling or stuffing the inside of an empty basket is easy if you’re familiar with gift basket making, but if you’re just starting, the process isn’t always simple.

I remember trying to figure out how to stabilize the basket’s inner foundation, thinking that I’d need a protractor, ruler, or compass to help me figure it out.

Then I saw a demonstration at a gift basket convention that revealed the secret foundation ingredient. Sounds like something straight out of a spy novel, doesn’t it?

That’s what I share in the above video tutorial for those of you who are starting to make gift baskets part time or full time.

If you’re a veteran designer, what material did you use to fill the inner basket when you began?

If you’re just starting, how helpful is this video, and what else would you like demonstrated in the future?

© 2008-2010 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is known as "the gift basket expert." She speaks at trade and business events worldwide and is author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business and The Gift Basket Design Book. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for videos, CDs, reports, tips, online newsletter, and much more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

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1. Gift Basket Partnerships – How do They Begin?
2. Where Did You Learn to Make Bows for Gift Baskets?
3. Ask Questions Before You Begin Designing
4. What Part of Making Gift Baskets Don’t You Like?
5. Making Dollars and Sense of Specialty Food Statistics

Making sense of the sales tax laws in your state or country is an important part of running a gift basket business.

That’s because you need to know when to collect taxes and how to remit them.

However, there are times when collecting taxes on some sales and not on others will be confusing, a good reason why getting advice from an accountant that specializes in small business rules will be a huge help. That’s a point I make on pages 71 and 72 in the updated gift basket book.

This article about collecting taxes on bagels sold in New York is a good example of a law that makes you say, “Huh?”

According to the article, New York state’s laws on bagel sales are:

• If it’s sold whole, the bagel is not taxed.
• If it’s sliced and/or topped with a spread, it’s taxed.
• If the customer leaves the store without eating the bagel, it’s not taxed.
• If the customer eats the bagel in the store, it’s taxed.

Can you imagine trying to figure out how to apply tax to a gift basket in that manner? Thankfully, U.S. laws generally mandate taxing gift baskets sold to residents in the state where you do business and not to out-of-state customers. Other laws may apply according to where you live.

What if a state’s or country’s laws specified a gift basket tax if:

• The customer owns a cat but not a dog.
• The place where the basket is delivered is surrounded by a white picket fence.
• The recipient works in construction but only on houses, not commercial buildings.

If these examples make you shake your head, you can imagine what bagel sellers are going through.

The bottom line is to know your tax laws and maintain a relationship with a knowledgeable accountant who can update you on rules you can’t possibly decipher on your own.

What problems have you experienced with sales tax laws in your area?

© 2008-2010 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is known as "the gift basket expert." She speaks at trade and business events worldwide and is author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business and The Gift Basket Design Book. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for videos, CDs, reports, tips, online newsletter, and much more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

Related posts:

1. Are Taxes Testing Your Gift Basket Business?
2. Do You Charge Tax on Gift Baskets?
3. Are Home-Based Business Laws Still a Challenge?
4. Baby Baskets – New Laws, New Liabilities
5. This Week’s Gift Basket Rap

Standing out against thousands of gift basket Web sites isn’t an easy process, especially when big-named businesses rank higher than yours within search engines.

One question I hear often at my Web site seminars is:

“How can I get to be No. 1 when people search online for gift baskets?”

My response is this:

You may not be the first listing, but there is better potential to be No. 1 in other ways.

How can you increase your online prominence? Here are three steps.

1. Make sure your site includes keywords related to your location. There’s a lot of talk and writing about how keywords aren’t useful, but when I’m searching for resources in Chicago or Miami, companies that include these keywords in their descriptions rank high. That’s what your customers want, too.

2. Add something on the site that’s important to visitors. Whether it’s a gift checklist or holiday calendar, this bonus item is one that other sites don’t offer. That will increase your visibility and sway visitors to like and trust you enough to place orders.

3. Market with more than a business card. Sure, business cards are a basic promotional tool in offline settings, but online you must be a constant marketer through social media, your Email signature, and when responding to blog posts.

Consider scheduling a pre-holiday Web site review, an easy process which is described on the page Tune Up Your Web Site Today.

What’s one way that you increase your gift basket Web site visibility?

© 2008-2010 Shirley George Frazier. All rights reserved. Shirley George Frazier is known as "the gift basket expert." She speaks at trade and business events worldwide and is author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business and The Gift Basket Design Book. Visit GiftBasketBusiness.com for videos, CDs, reports, tips, online newsletter, and much more to learn, grow, and profit with gift baskets.

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1. Is Your Web Site So-So or Superb?
2. Can Visitors Navigate Your Gift Basket Site?
3. Internet Tools For Productivity and Fun
4. Three Ways to Increase Corporate Interest in Your Gift Baskets
5. Help Clients Customize their Gift Baskets Online