What happens when you’re in an online gift basket business course? There’s lots of learning and more as I reveal five missteps my students make.
A course for action
Teaching the online course, Start Your Own Gift Basket Business, is one top highlight of my participation in this creative industry.
Other huge successes include:
- Writing How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business and The Gift Basket Design Book, the industry’s best-selling books
- Speaking at trade and consumer shows from Portland, Maine to Los Angeles, California, and many locations between those points
- Creating gift basket prototypes along with business plans for some of the largest retail stores and wine shops in the U.S.
The course allows thousands of individuals from all over the world to have immediate access to me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They can ask me absolutely anything they need to know about gift baskets.
Most of all, I can customize the basic lessons to help students create a specific plan for success according to wherever in the world they live. I find suppliers, create scripts to get sales, and much more during the six weeks we’re together.
Similar to done-for-you support, all they have to do is ask for guidance. When the course is done, each student can download and print a certificate of completion.
Questions asked and comments shared during the class are beneficial for all students and me as well. I get to understand exactly what may hold a student back from succeeding. Then I proceed to share my knowledge so nothing blocks their opportunities.
I consider any unknowns revealed in the class’s discussion area to be potential missteps, not mistakes. We all have preconceived notions about business ownership. Until you learn the truth, you’ll think something else that’s not true.
The beauty of being in the class is that the missteps turn into truths and wisdom that boost each student’s confidence.
How we solve five missteps that my students make
The definitive article on starting your business is a great starter’s guide before taking the class. From there, here are major concerns that I help students solve.
Purchasing all gift basket items from a dollar store.
This low-cost store is fine for buying design training materials. However, it’s not necessarily great for making gift baskets you offer for sale, especially if you’re starting a business.
Buying products at retail price from brand-name stores.
Such stores include Bath & Body Works and Disney. It’s not possible to buy these specialty products at wholesale cost unless you’re buying a substantial amount of goods. Buying merchandise at these retail stores causes high prices for your gift basket that customers rarely pay.
Designing gift baskets wide rather than tall.
Products ought to sit at the rim of the basket or container, which elevates height. Until you know design mechanics, you won’t know how to achieve this technique. I give students access to a 90-minute video not available anywhere else so they get it right.
Starting business with only friends and family in mind as customers.
While it’s true that gift baskets are purchased more often than an insurance policy, the number of people in your circle includes more potential buyers than you first consider.
Thinking that wholesalers don’t exist in the area.
Suppliers offering high-quality merchandise at a fraction of retail stores’ pricing exist everywhere. You simply need to learn how to find them, and that’s what I do for each student who requests my help. If you’re not in the class, there’s a wholesale guide available to find supplies throughout the U.S.
What’s the first question you’d ask me in the online Start Your Own Gift Basket Business course that will help you overcome five missteps my students make?
