Easy Gift Basket Instructions

Many years ago I taught myself how to make beautiful gift baskets of all kinds. They were easy to assemble, inexpensive, and became a popular gift for many occassions. Soon I found myself overwhelmed with orders and I had to ask my friends for help delivering them. During the Holidays my home was over-run with gift baskets and the items I needed to fill them all. I gave up one bedroom at first, then my entire dining room. Gift baskets are popular at anytime of year for many different occassion's. Once you have learned how to assemble a gift basket, those guidelines can be transferred to any type of gift basket you choose to make. I found it important to have a good amount of stock to make whatever type of gift basket I needed. Inexpensive stock can be found at garage sales, estate sales, wholesale stores and through word of mouth.

 1.) A basket,  medium size can, a bucket, wooden boxes

 2.) Stuffing, colored tissue paper,

 3.) Items for the theme, such as: Holiday might be tree ornaments, candy canes, cookies,

 4.) Plastic gift basket bag or transparent colored wrapping paper

 5.) Bows, ribbon, embellishments

 6.) Tags

 7.) Hot glue gun and glue sticks

 8.) Hairdryer to shrinkwrap plastic giftbags.

 9.) Scotch tape

 10.) Boxes to wrap gifts, or transport them.

Some people just have a special talent to build a beautiful gift basket, and other people need constant reassurance while building a gift basket. If you are good at wrapping packages, then you probably would do very well making gift baskets (and money!)

Try out by building a few and ask your friends for their honest opinion. If you have talent, you can certainly build upon your talent! Gift baskets are not difficult to make, they are inexpensive to put together, and cover all types of areas for gift giving. Word of mouth is a God-send, and if your baskets are pleasing to the eye and functional, they will be a hit!

Good advice includes making a Business Plan, as you need to have Plan B and C. Check your zoning laws, and apply for a Business License. There is a lot of on-line information regarding forming L.L.C's, etc.  Once you have the necessary paperwork you can apply for a charge card terminal, and add one more way to make it easier for your buyers to make their purchases.

If there is a Small Business Administration close to where you live, they are an excellent resource. A mentor will be assigned to you and help walk you through the process.

Purchase your baskets through wholesalers to save money. If you have the time, visit estate and garage sales for baskets and more.

Some Towns and Cities have small support groups for people just starting out. These groups are invaluable for networking!

A few month's before the Holidays, plan to visit the Corporations in your area. Bring a few of your gift baskets to the Human Resource Department, along with a stack of your brochures and business cards. You will be giving away quite a few gift baskets at first but they can also be a write-off for your business. Keep a log, and document who, what, where and when, every time you speak to someone about your business. Write Thank You notes, and follow up. Before you know it your business will take off!

Look for inexpensive ways to advertise. Short announcements over your local radio station work very well. Flyer's and brochures are a good way to spread the word! A custom-made small sign on your vehicle with your business number adds to your credibility.

Use all of the Social Marketing avenues available, Face book, Twitter, Digg, etc.

I wish you much luck, lots of networking, and a built-in time for vacation!