I'd love to have my own creative business! I just love doing.....

by J. J.
(Denver)

I owned and operated a Gift Basket Business for more than 14 years.

In fact, I had one of the largest market segments in my city.

Every few days a woman would wander into the store and say, "I'd love to have my own gift basket business! I just love the creativity of it"

Invariably this woman would focus on the joys of the beauty of a basket - how much fun it would be.

I would smile and nod.

You see what she was missing was so incredibly fundamental.

The gift basket business she saw was because, for me, starting a gift basket business entailed much more than creating a gift basket.

I was creating a beautiful one-of-a-kind product and building it hundreds of times.

So, for me, my gift basket business required that I give high regards for starting my business with a systems view.

In my way of thinking - I was Ford on the assembly line.

Every single offering had to look as good as its predecessor and the next one.

If you are thinking about starting a gift basket business of your own, then know that starting (and sustaining) your business requires more from you than just a creative outlet.

The creativity - the rush of fun - quickly disappears when you build it 200, 300 or 400 times.

But the reality of the business means that if you are successful - you will build it 200 or more times.

I have made literally thousands of bows.

Every single bow is the most important bow that I made.

Each product had to stand crisply in place and look perfect.

There was no room for boredom and shoddy workmanship.

Only one basket was ever going to count - the basket that each person received.

They did not see this as a mass offering - they saw the single gift they received.

And the caring and presentation had to be perfect each and every time.

Let's assume for a moment that you successfully start your gift basket business.

Let me ask you, when starting your business, how will you factor in the assembly-line factor?

• If you are successful - how will you handle the repetition?
  
  
  • This is the largest issue when starting a creative business.
    
    
• Can you do the same thing over and over?
  
  
  • Do you want to?

Oh, and we're not finished yet.

Successfully getting your gift basket business off the ground requires starting a habit needed for success: salesmanship.

What will you do about selling it.

You know, actually designing your gift basket business approach to factor in selling it to customers, businesses, and all interested parties.

How will you handle that?

• Are you willing to discuss your design - change it to meet the demands of your client?

Or are you going to be one of those creative people who will not budge?

• If you are an acknowledged expert in the field, then you are on solid ground and will not have to defend your design.
  
  
• But...if you are a gift basket or creative business owner, then understand that Salemanship 101 is a crucial part of your success strategy.
  
  
• You will have to sell it, and prove your talent over and over until it catches on.

In my gift basket business I quickly came to the realization that I would have to sell it over and over to the same companies for each year.

• There were hundreds of gift basket people waiting in the wings - ready to pounce on that client.

So every year, I was offering new ideas - fresh ideas - in order to recapture that client for the season.

Most of my clients stayed with me for years - but each year I made a fresh presentation and each presentation was just as important as the very first one.

When getting your gift basket business going, and you're just starting out, get a firm grasp on what it will take to make your gift basket business a success.

Creativity on demand is hard - but very worthwhile work.

If you don't feel well - the job still needs you to be on deck and excited.

Also, take nothing for granted - protect your gift basket business at all by keeping it fresh and innovative.

Approach each project with a sense of wonder, creativity, and a sense of freshness.

You will have to keep yourself directed and motivated.

You will need to be original and fresh and creative on a schedule.

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Starting A Gift Basket Business Is One Of The Most Rewarding Careers You'll Ever Choose...But Only If You Do It Right.


Click Here To Discover How To Start A Successful (And Profitable) Gift Basket Business!

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