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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.
Edited by: David Lepeska
David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.
Published on March 10, 2022
Updated on March 13, 2024
Investment range
$3,050 - $8,100
Revenue potential
$104,000 - $520,000 p.a.
Time to build
0 – 3 months
Profit potential
$40,000 - $100,000 p.a.
Industry trend
Growing
Commitment
Flexible
Do you have a knack for making great gift baskets? If you enjoy putting together creative gifts, you could turn that skill into a business. Gift baskets are popular not only as personal gifts, but as corporate gifts as well, so the market for your products would be large. You can start the business for very little money and run it from home. Gift baskets sell for around $50 each, so you could bring in good money, even working part-time.
But first, you should give yourself the gift of knowledge, so you know what you’re getting into. Fortunately, all the information you need is wrapped up in this step-by-step guide designed to put you on your way to entrepreneurial success.
Looking to register your business? A limited liability company (LLC) is the best legal structure for new businesses because it is fast and simple.
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Starting a gift basket business has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s right for you.
Trends in the gift basket industry include:
Challenges in the gift basket industry include:
Startup costs for a gift basket business range from $3,000 to $8,000. The main costs are for baskets, wrapping, gifts and a website. You can cut costs significantly if you start out by selling on Etsy or another online platform.
There are online videos about how to make gift baskets on sites like Gift Basket Review Magazine. You can get a membership for $69 and watch unlimited videos.
You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your gift basket business, including:
| Start-up Costs | Ballpark Range | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Setting up a business name and corporation | $150 - $200 | $175 |
| Business licenses and permits | $100 - $300 | $200 |
| Insurance | $100-$300 | $200 |
| Business cards and brochures | $200 - $300 | $250 |
| Website setup | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
| Baskets, wrapping, ribbons | $500 - $1,000 | $750 |
| Gift item inventory for baskets | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
| Total | $3,050 - $8,100 | $5,575 |
The average price of a gift basket is about $50. Your prices will vary based on what items you put in the baskets. You should aim for a profit margin of about 40%.
In your first year or two, you could work from home and sell 40 baskets per week, bringing in $104,000 in annual revenue. This would mean more than $40,000 in profit, assuming that 40% margin. As your marketing efforts grow, sales could climb to 200 baskets per week. At this stage, you’d rent a commercial space and hire staff, reducing your profit margin to around 20%. With annual revenue of $520,000, you’d still make more than $100,000.
There are a few barriers to entry for a gift basket business. Your biggest challenges will be:
Now that you know what’s involved in starting a gift basket business, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market.
Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.
Research gift basket businesses in your area and online to examine their products, price points, customer reviews, and what sells best. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing a custom gift basket company that allows customers to choose specific items for the basket.
You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as wine and cheese gift baskets, or corporate gift baskets.
This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away.
You need to determine what kinds of gift items you want to include in your baskets. You could specialize in wine gift baskets, or care package gift baskets for college students. You could also choose to offer a variety of baskets instead of specializing.
Your prices will depend on the items that you put in your baskets. You should try to mark them up by about 100%, giving you a profit margin of 50%.
Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.
Your target market will depend on what type of baskets you offer. If you make baskets that will attract corporate clients, you’ll find business owners on LinkedIn. You can also call on business owners directly. If you sell online, you don’t have to limit the businesses you call to local businesses.
In the early stages, you may want to run your business from home to keep costs low. But as your business grows, you’ll likely need to hire workers for various roles and may need to rent out a production facility. You can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist, Crexi, and Instant Offices.
When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:
Your business name is your business identity, so choose one that encapsulates your objectives, services, and mission in just a few words. You probably want a name that’s short and easy to remember, since much of your business, and your initial business in particular, will come from word-of-mouth referrals.
Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:
Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these.
Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.
Every business needs a plan. This will function as a guidebook to take your startup through the launch process and maintain focus on your key goals. A business plan also enables potential partners and investors to better understand your company and its vision:
If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.
Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.
Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business!
Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to gift basket businesses.
If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state.
Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your gift basket business will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely.
Here are the main options:
We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization, and answer any questions you might have.
Choose Your State
The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN.
Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.
The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist, and taxes can be filed online.
It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.
Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:
Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a gift basket business. You might also try crowdfunding if you have an innovative concept.
Starting a gift basket business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.
Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits.
You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more.
You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package. They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.
This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.
If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.
Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account.
Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your gift basket business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.
Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account.
Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.
Here are some types of insurance to consider:
As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business.
Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.
You may want to use industry-specific software, such as LS Retail, Vend, or Retail Pro, to manage purchasing, inventory, and invoicing.
Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.
You can create your own website using website builders. This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.
They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.
For your gift basket business, the marketing strategy should focus on showcasing the creativity, variety, and personalization of your gift baskets. Emphasize the uniqueness of your products, the quality of the items included, and your ability to cater to different occasions and preferences. Here are some powerful marketing strategies for your future business:
Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your gift basket business meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire.
Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your gift basket business could be:
You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a gift basket business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in gift baskets for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections.
The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in gift baskets. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership. Online businesses might also consider affiliate marketing as a way to build relationships with potential partners and boost business.
If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a gift basket business include:
At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need.
Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter. Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent.
A gift basket business is easy to start – you just need some baskets, wrapping materials, and all those lovely gifts. It’s a great business to run from home, and eventually grow into a thriving gift basket operation. You can specialize in corporate gift baskets, holiday baskets, care package baskets, or just anytime baskets.
Now that you’ve wrapped up your business know-how, go ahead and start gifting your way to success!
Yes, a gift basket business can make money. You just need to try to mark up the cost of your baskets to make a good profit. Just make sure you’re making great baskets that your customers will appreciate.
To secure items in a gift basket for shipping, you can use tissue paper or crinkle paper to fill any gaps and prevent movement during transit. You can also use bubble wrap or packing peanuts to provide additional cushioning and protect fragile items.
Some popular gift baskets include gourmet food and wine baskets, spa and relaxation baskets, and baby and child-themed baskets. It’s important to research the demand for different types of gift baskets in your area and to tailor your offerings accordingly to maximize profitability.
To ensure that your gift basket products are visually appealing and attract customers, you can focus on using high-quality and aesthetically pleasing packaging materials, such as colorful ribbons, cellophane wrapping, or decorative baskets.
To differentiate your gift basket business from competitors, you can focus on providing exceptional customer service, offering unique or personalized products, and using eco-friendly or sustainable materials.
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