It's easy to get caught up in our daily routine - after all, as gift basket company owners, we wear many hats. But are you really spending your time the way you want to? Are you doing those little extra things that make you happy? If your answer is no, then perhaps its time to conduct a little time and motion study on yourself.
It's really simple - keep track of how you are spending your time for an entire week. Yes, we said it - literally track what you are doing for 7 days and do it in 15 minute increments. It's a ton of work but it yields amazing results. Once you're done, start making some decisions. Should YOU be doing it? Can you delegate it? How can you become more efficient so you can fit in the things that matter?
Join us for a live conference call and share, partner & collaborate with other gift basket professionals.Seats are limited!
New Holiday Hot Chocolate from Kitchen Helper
In The Spotlight - Twila Kaye's, Twila K. Heiselman
Community Corner
Technology
Business Tips
Editorial Notes from the Desk of Debbie Quintana
Business
Columns
Community
Editorial
Education
Food & Recipes
Newsroom
Green Corner
Opinion
Shopping
Spotlight
Technology
Calendar
Education
Send an Online Referral and WIN!
We're so impressed with the amount of online referrals and help being passed back and forth between members that we decided to formalize the process. For any referral or collaboration you do between members, you'll be entered to win the prize pack of the month! We want to reward your partnership and collaboration. Visit the networking page here.
What's happening in your community? Are you volunteering? If so, we'd like to hear your stories. Give us ideas on how we can help out in our communities by sharing the ways you are giving back.
Send your stories to info@giftbasketassociation.com and we'll feature you here in the community section of the GBA website.
"Dear GBA,
I've been supporting my local Red Cross for three years. They have a variety of different supplies that are donated to them and we bag, ribbon and label them. We give them 50% off the labor and provide free bags, ribbon and labels. It's our way of giving back. We do about 250 bags a month and they use them to give to people that are affected by local emergencies and crisis such as fires. They include chapstick, hand santizer, lotion, gum and mints and go over very well.
Sincerely,
Maggie Alonna"
Food
Can you believe its going to be a year soon?
Last year at this time, we were conceptualizing, socializing and dreaming about what it would be like to create an association of gift basket professionals and suppliers. Little did I know what I was getting myself into and I'm so thrilled. I've met awesome people and together, we've built an organization that is truly uplifting the industry.
Entertainment
Feedback, Tips & Questions
We want to know your thoughts!
For tips, advice and direct communication with Debbie Quintana, visit her website at www.debbiequintana.com.
If you're looking for small business advice, we recommend checking out Comcast Lessons Learned. They've got some great articles about small business challenges and solutions.
It's authored by ...
Marcia Layton Turner is a bestselling business journalist and author whose work frequently tackles business strategy and marketing issues. To-date she has authored, co-authored, or ghosted 15 books for major publishing houses, such as McGraw-Hill, John Wiley & Sons, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan. Her guide to entrepreneurship, the Unofficial Guide to Starting a Small Business, was named one of the Best Business Books of the Year by Library Journal when it debuted.
It goes without saying that trying something new is risky in a variety of ways. Emotionally, financial and professionally, taking on a new challenge or giving something a chance can be scary. I knew that GBA was necessary and knew that it would work but there was always a little part of me that was unsure. This has led me to think about other things that I want to do with my own personal business and I found that I'm taking bigger risks now, which is working for me. One piece of advice....always ask yourself...what are all of the potential outcomes? It's a great way to really take stock of what you're doing.
Good luck and as always, let me know how I can help you!
gorgeous and even miss the green when creating packaging....we love chocolates and wines and wanted others to know organic choices are amazing...it is annoying to get a box within a box when receiving a gift...it is wonderful to bite into a cookie knowing it is delicious and made with the finest organic ingredients....we were tired of smelling flowers that were super-charged with pesticides...we wanted our babies to be clothed in pure organic cottons...we like companies who care about customers and put that caring into each gift package...we want to support eco-friendly artisans and farmers... we like to spoil ourselves and our friends with the extraordinary."
Trust me. Visit them online and see if they'll drop ship for you!
Yesterday, I received a gorgeous box with some amazing products in it. It was my sample from Organica Deluxe. These gifts are eco-friendly and wonderful. From their website: "We created Organica Deluxe because.... we wanted a beautiful place to buy eco-friendly and organic for ourselves and our friends. "We recognized that organic companies often miss the
Twila Kaye's offers a wide variety of unique solutuions for your gift giving needs. Our customer service is beyond compare. We are dedicated to providing you, our customer, with quality gifts and services that will never be forgotten.
Lion Ribbon is premier supplier of ribbon and accessories in business for over 100 years. We are a USA manufacturer and importer. Please call 800-551-LION for customer service or to schedule a rep visit.
Our specialty is creating custom designed gift baskets that are one-of-a-kind and handmade to order for any occasion. With our Affiliate Partnerships we are now able to offer a greater variety of gifts and gift baskets sure to please.
Checkout The Gourmet Retailer's calendar for upcoming events in your area. Events in March include:
2010 Virginia Food and Beverage Expo
The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will present the 2010 Virginia Food and Beverage Expo on Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center - to find out more infomration - visit their websites at http://www.vaexpo.com and www.vafinest.com
The Ultimate Gift Show and Gift Basket Professional Convention
Pam Newell with "Gift Basket Professional" has announced the "The 2010 Ultimate Gift Show " and "2010 National Gift Basket Professional Convention" - July 23, 24, 25, 2010. Click here to find out more and register: http://www.giftbasketprofessional.com
I found this service and use it everyday. Not only does it allows you to send thank you cards to your customers, but you can also ad your logo, images and use your own hand writting. They have thousands of cards to choose from.
