Monday, November 8, 2010

Starting a gift wrapping business

Starting a gift wrapping business can be a rewarding experience if you are looking to start a small business.

You will help to add to the seasonal cheer by assisting people in creating wonderful surprises for their loved ones.

You will put your craft ideas to good use, earn good money doing so, and – best of all – you can begin this business with very little investment.

Your gift wrapping ideas can earn you a pretty good income – particularly during the gift-giving seasons.

People who are short of time yet need to have their gifts wrapped can leave their items with you to be wrapped while they continue with their holiday errands.

Starting A Gift Wrapping Business – Location
A large worktable is all you need for starting a gift wrapping business. Any corner of your home, such as space set aside in your living room, will do nicely.

You can also turn your garage or attic into a work area during peak holiday seasons.

If your home is too cramped, you can travel to your customers’ homes to do up their gifts there. You can even hire a van and set it up as a mobile work area. This way you can travel to the location and still have an organized work area for business.

Some enterprising gift wrappers get into an agreement with local gift stores and malls to set up their businesses there on a temporary basis. This way you will be getting a steady stream of customers who will be loaded with gifts of all kinds. They will only be too happy to have someone at the store wrap their gifts for them.

Promoting The Business
While you can wrap gifts for occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays all year round, the peak season is during holidays and festival times. By promoting your business, you can ensure that you do not miss customers at these times of year. The gift wrapper should advertise well before the seasons start.

Use geo-based (i.e. local) internet advertising where available and stick handmade posters in shop windows to let people know that they can get their tedious wrapping done by your business for a small fee.

Supplies
The nice part about gift packaging is that you can start out with little money – gift wrapping supplies are not too expensive. Obtain a variety of gift wrapping paper, as you will need to wrap gifts for people with different kinds of tastes.

Have children wrapping paper, a business gifts wrapper, wrappers with religious motifs, and wrappers with cute designs. Variety is key!


Source supplies from a crafts store or gift corner, as you will find a good range of packaging at these places. Also be sure to have a stick of glue, a pair of sharp scissors, and plenty of tape handy. Gift boxes are also necessary, because many people will hand you an item that needs to be boxed before you can wrap it. Don’t forget the name tags!

If you want to stand out from your competition, use special supplies to stand out above other gift-wrapping services. You can consider using some of the following:

Place card holders
Handmade paper
Fancy ribbons and textiles
Handmade gift bags
Acrylic papers
Handmade tags
Embossed papers
Starting a gift wrapping business is fairly easy. Creativity and hard work during the peak seasons will see your business booming in no time at all.

Related Startup Resources
Check out the following related resources that can help you learn more and get started with this small business (will open in new window)...


Business Plans and Financials

Industry Report - Packaging & Labeling Services In The US
Need help creating your business plans? Our planning software can help.
BizMiner Industry Financial, Market, and Competitive Analysis

Small Business Bookshelf (powered by Amazon)

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