Archive for October, 2007
« Previous EntriesHow’s Your Delivery?
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007Advances in transportation and communication have made consumers very impatient.
The increase of fast food, fast cars and fast information transmission has made the public expect quick, if not instant service. Also, the success of floral wire services has mistakenly lead the public to believe that the gift basket industry has wire services that work [...]
Want More Customers? Ask for the Order
Tuesday, October 30th, 2007The reason many gift basket businesses don’t get orders is they don’t ask for them. What do I mean?
Let’s say you receive a phone call inquiring about your service, your rates, and other details. Once you give the caller the requested information, do you say “Thank you for calling.” or “May I help you [...]
Promote Your Gift Basket Business or Else
Monday, October 29th, 2007Most gift basket companies are not enjoying the profits they want. The major reason? They are not aggressively promoting themselves.
While attending a design class at a wholesale balloon and party company years ago, the store owner complained that he receives numerous calls asking if they do gift baskets. In exasperation, he sighed “You folks are not [...]
Prepare for Holiday Hand-Delivery and Shipping
Friday, October 26th, 2007Hand-delivering and shipping your gift baskets is an important part of operating your gift basket business. Like most basketeers you probably do a combination. Along with gathering orders, stocking inventory and designing, you must also plan for delivery.
Here are two tips to help you.
Set realistic deadlines for shipping by visiting the websites of the major carriers [...]
Is the College Market for You?
Thursday, October 25th, 2007If you’ve considered offering your gifts or gift baskets to the college bookstore market you will want to check out Camex, the trade show and educational event for the higher education retail industry. This event will be held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX, February 29-March 4, 2008.
Camex has been [...]
Can I Conduct My Business from My Home?
Wednesday, October 24th, 2007Many homebased business owners aren’t clear about deducting expenses for using their home for business.
Here’s how the IRS responds to this question.
I use my home for my gift basket business. Can I deduct the expenses?
To deduct expenses related to the business use of part of your home, you must meet specific requirements. Even then, your deduction [...]
Frame It!
Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007Frames are no longer the ho-hum items they once were. Thanks to digital photography and fast developing techniques, making and framing photographs has become big business. Add to that the emergence of frames as a decorator item, and it’s no surprise that frames are taking center stage in the gift industry. According to industry experts, [...]
Do You Have a Hot Holiday Gift Basket List?
Monday, October 22nd, 2007When KBToys announced its hot holiday toy list today it’s likely that many parents welcomed it. Such a list from one of the nation’s biggest mall-based, specialty toy retailer can save the time and energy of overworked parents. The list groups the toys by appropriate ages and provides a brief description of features. This list is not only [...]
Is Your Gift Basket Business a Hobby?
Friday, October 19th, 2007Many gift basket designers ease into their businesses without a business plan or clear separation between their personal and business expenses. Check to see whether you are a business or a hobby. Here is how the IRS answers this question.
How do you distinguish between a business and a hobby?
Since hobby expenses are deductible only to [...]
Nurture Relationships with Your Competitors
Wednesday, October 17th, 2007Building friendly relationships with your competitors is not always easy. There is a mistaken assumption that competitors will be adversaries. And, indeed there are some insecure competitors who will be hostile, stand-off-ish, and unfriendly. Then there are those who are eager to soak up all they can learn about your operations, but totally unwilling to share information [...]
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