The Time for New Beginnings is Now

Most of us entered this industry because we’re creative — not because we love all the other stuff that is required to build a successful business—things like accounting, sales, marketing, website design and SEO.  The list is endless.

We started our business with previous experience from other business adventures, along with research into the uniqueness of the gift basket industry, and a lot of trial and error.

But what separates those who succeed from those who fail is simply that the successful business owners do the numerous mundane tasks that are essential to success.  The successful business owners realize that our industry is about so much more than just design and holidays. They are on constant watch for new ways to make their businesses grow.

Life has a funny way of throwing unexpected things at us and flexibility is essential.  We saw this back in the 2008 depression when many businesses closed their doors and again in 2020 when many business owners went out of business.

We don’t know what 2023 will bring.  Hopefully, it will bring back a bit of normalcy sometime during the year.  But none of us has a crystal ball.  We have to be ready for whatever curve balls are thrown at us.

I can remember days gone by with small screen black and white (no color) TV, with snowy pictures, static filled radio, no computers, no fax machines, no cell phones and no communication satellites whatsoever. Today we have devices our parents and grandparents only dreamed about.

As technology changed, the savvy business owners were able to be flexible and adapt.  Those who didn’t were left behind.  The same is true today.

Each of us sits by a fire that someone else built but unless we add wood to that fire, it will fizzle out and die.  Those who came before us laid the framework for our industry. As they departed, others who followed built on that framework making changes along the way.  There are those of us who have been involved for many years —watching and contributing as the industry evolved.

It is still evolving and will continue to do so in the future.  And technology is making it change faster than ever before.  But I am seeing so many new entries into our industry whose only goal is to create and show their gift basket designs in the various Facebook groups.  Sure, design is, and always will be, one of the basic bricks in the foundation of a successful gift basket business.  Without something to sell, you have no business.

But there are so many more things that are much more important   Without profits, you have no business.  Without sales, you have no profits. Without having methods to find customers, you have no sales.  Without basic planning, you have no methods.

These are the things that may be boring to many but are so essential to a successful business.

The end of the busiest time of the year for our industry is the ideal time to relax, step back and review, and decide if we should make any changes.  I, too, am doing this and, NO I’m not going to be closing my business.  I would go crazy if I didn’t have this business during this time in my life.  But as a result of life changes, will be making some changes in the ways that I operate my business.

The Time for New Beginnings is NOW!

During the following weeks, I’m going to be sharing a series of articles that will hopefully help you as you go through your own review process.  I will post in our Facebook group as well as send those on my email list an email each time that I add a new article.  It will be a link to the article itself giving you the opportunity to click through and read it or just ignore it.

Wishing you a wonderful and prosperous 2023.