tips for making gift baskets
Im trying to start a business....?
Im now a stay at home dad of my newborn for a few months 'cause my wife makes more than I did. Im trying to start this while I do nothing at home. It's a gift/sales kind of business but I have no idea what I'm doing. I wanna make gift baskets, jewelry, toys, perfumes, flowers, etc. I want to buy things wholesale and put them together, make a catalog to distribute, things like that.
What I need is a business plan which I don't know how to make or where to get it; a sales license that I believe I can get at my local city hall; the supplies, which I cannot seem to find good prices online for; and a grant, which I have no idea as to how I am going to attain.
I graduated high school, did 'some' college, and have a trade that I can always fall back on.
Can you guide me as to where I can find the information I need? Or, if possible, give me some tips yourself?
Thanks everyone.
Okay, let me take a shot at your list.
1) Business plan - go to the web site of the Business Development Bank of Canada http://www.bdc.ca/en/my_project/Projects/starting_business.htm and click on step 2. This will give you more than enough information to do a Business Plan.
2) Licenses and permits - You will need some kind of business license from the local government, so you are right about going to City Hall. You will also need to get a state sales tax certificate (assuming the state you reside in charges sales tax) and if you plan on doing business using anything other than your name you will have to register DBA (Doing Business As) -- try City Hall to get this done. If they can't do it they will be able to tell you who does.
3) Supplies - You will have to do a search for wholesalers and manufacturers of each type of supply you are seeking. You will find that prices are going to depend on the quantities you buy and when starting out quantities should be small and as a result the cost to you will be high.
4) Grant money - Forget it! Unless you are going to hire a number of unemployed workers and set up shop in a depressed neighborhood getting grant money to start a business isn't about to happen. Since you will be starting off small this shouldn't be a problem.
To keep your costs down you should look into using a web site instead of a catalog to promote your gift baskets. You can set up a web site complete with a shopping cart, paypal and credit card sales for less money than even a simple low volume catalog.
Hope this helps
Jerry-the-bookkeeper
Gift Baskets : Tips for Making Gift Baskets
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Gift Baskets for the Team's Cheerleaders
Where do you find cheerleading gift baskets? Your local stores probably do not offer them. You may have trouble finding them online. That should not deter you in your search, though.
Cheerleading gift baskets are easy to make. They are fun, too. A small group of people can make gift baskets for every cheerleader in the school with little effort.
Most cheerleaders have 7 things in common – things on which great cheerleading gift baskets can be based.
1. love of sports
2. physical energy
3. physical skill
4. rhythm
5. loyalty
6. physical attractiveness
7. outgoing personality
Look at how you can create cheerleading gift baskets around those traits.
Love of Sports
Cheerleading gift baskets can look like soccer balls, footballs, basketballs, or volleyballs. Remove the "tops" from real balls, or make cheerleading gift baskets from ceramic planters/cookie jars shaped like balls. Your cheerleaders will appreciate the tie-in with what they love. If you use planters or cookie jars, they will last for years as a reminder of cheerleading days.
Physical Energy
Place a couple of energy bars in your cheerleading gift baskets to replenish cheerleaders' supply. Small bags of trail mix are also good. Depending on your budget, you might include a gift card from a local sporting good store.
Physical Skill
How do you acknowledge physical skill? Give them helpful cheerleading books. Or go the opposite direction, and include comical fiction about those who are less physically skilled.
Rhythm
Music CDs are always appreciated, and will be a welcome addition to cheerleading gift baskets. Choose the music for its rhythm. Get music without lyrics. It doesn't have to be classical music. Just concentrate on rhythm.
Loyalty
For girl cheerleaders, include hair ribbons and bows in team colors. Give all cheerleaders a small team mascot, if available. If you have started your gift baskets early, you might want to design a special "loyalty" gift at one of the online sites that prints photos on products. Choose a great cheerleading team photo, and have it printed on tee-shirts, mugs, or other items.
Physical Attractiveness
Every cheerleader, male or female, loves the mirror. Have small acrylic mirrors made in cheerleading poses. Have both female and male mirrors made to fit your team. Tuck the mirrors into your cheerleading gift baskets, or tie them to the gift baskets.
Outgoing Personality
Any "smiley" item makes a good gift basket stuffer. Look for "smiley" faces on mugs, character clip-on's, relaxation balls, and other items. A good mug for cheerleading gift baskets would be one that includes adjectives such as "terrific" and "awesome" with a "smiley" sunshine face.
Helpful Tip
Gift baskets for the team's cheerleaders will vary according to the age and gender of your cheerleaders. Every gift basket should, however, get across the message that you believe they did a great job and want them to know that.
Line your cheerleading gift baskets with tissue paper in team colors. Allow the paper to extend well above the balls. Finish off your gift baskets with large bows of ribbon in team colors.
By: Anna Hart
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