21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Definitive Guide for Gift Basket Business Owners, February 10, 2007
Many aspiring gift basket designers have the creativity, but need the business startup help, design instruction and marketing strategies Shirley George Frazier so generously shares in How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business. Beginning with telling business owners how to identify their target market, she moves to all the tools and considerations required for success.
More than just exposition, every chapter gives easy-to-follow samples of key documents such as a business plan, credit reference sheet, sales invoice, purchase order or forms and checklists. Even seasoned gift basket business owners will find ideas and forms they can use. The guide to creating a news release, for example, is a vital aid to promoting business.
After 16 years in the gift industry, I have fielded thousands of questions from newcomers and veterans. Amazingly, every frequently asked question is answered here: Do I need insurance? How do I price my basket? What's the best way to organize inventory? What do I need to know before setting up a website? How do I get credit? How do I pack a box for shipping? What type of accounting do I need to have in place? Can I put wine in my baskets? How do I get set up to accept credit cards?
There are three features that elevate Frazier's book above the level of her competitors.
First, the detailed step-by-step drawings showing not only how to construct a gift basket from scratch, but how to wrap the basket and make changes.
Second, the list of gift basket product ideas; contact information for associations, organizations and trade shows; and a wealth of links to websites in side bars throughout the chapters.
Third, the quotes from experienced gift basket designers sprinkled throughout giving authenticity to critical aspects of the business.
Although targeted at the home-based business owner, How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business offers essential information for hobbyists, beginners, veterans, and retailers as well.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good solid information, August 31, 2007
This book gives a good solid overview of the gift basket industry. It is not really a gift-basket construction or design book. (If you have never made a gift basket, or aren't really sure how to construct a basket properly, I'd recommend her other book "The Gift Basket Design Book." For design ideas and alternative construction ideas, I'd recommend "Bountiful Baskets" by Sara Toliver.) This book, though, quickly addresses pretty much everything you'd need to know to get started in business. My favorite parts were where quotes from other gift-basket owners appeared. I wish there had been more of those.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
gourmet gift, January 27, 2008
This is the second book I've read written by Shirley George Frazier. I've wasted a lot of money and time on information and research. If I would have bought this book 4 months ago, I would have spent far less money. This book is information packed. She has done everything for you. This book has everything from start-up to marketing and promotion. The only thing you have to do is implement what's there. I've said it, and I'll say it again, this lady is brilliant. This book should be apart of every home-based gift basket business. If you haven't read it, you are doing yourself and your business an injustice.
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