About You and Me
This website is is all about helping YOU start and grow your business to success. That’s why it’s called the Success Express!
You are here to learn and I am here to help. I spent the last 30 years creating and building my own gift business. You can see it at ShopCreativeGifts That wasn't my first business, however. I've published a statewide newspaper and was a multi-million dollar Realtor. So I know a bit about marketing and growing a business.
All too often, new business owners come on strong when they start. They spend lots of time and money telling people all about their new venture. But then they run out of ideas and slow down. They sit by the phone waiting for it to ring, all the while wondering why people have forgotten about them.
Getting people to pay attention to your business takes more than money. Yes, it takes even more than time.
It takes a willingness to think past the obvious and explore the unique and different.
We pride ourselves on being creative with our products.
We must be equally creative with our marketing.
Standing out in a sea of businesses boasting similar offerings can be difficult, which is why entrepreneurs need to strive to differentiate themselves and their products or services from the competition.
If you are in the planning or beginning stages, then begin reading about how to start a gift basket business and then return here for more information, ideas, and tips.
All About Starting and Growing Your Gift Business
But for those of you who already have one, you’ll find lots of creative ideas about the gift basket industry and marketing by reading the following articles.
Are you using Email Marketing to Grow Your Business?
Are you using email to grow your business? It not, why not? It is one of the fastest ways to get information out to your customers. Remind them of an …
May 29,2024
One unexpected change in our life can create chaos or it can mushroom into many other changes. You haven’t heard from me in awhile because of one unexpected change — …
Zero Cost Business Startup Myth
When I talk at various small business events or tell others what I do, people are curious about how to make money working from home with a computer. They seem …
Labor Day – The freedom to work for myself.
Labor Day is an American holiday that is always observed on the first Monday in September to celebrate the economic and social contributions of workers. I suspect most of us …
The Evolution of the Gift Basket Industry
How the Gift Basket Industry Has Evolved Gift-giving, one of the world’s oldest social traditions, has evolved through the ages. From the apple Eve gave to Adam to the gifts …
What If?
What if you discovered you only had one year to live? Morbid subject? Perhaps. But it’s a question that we should all stop and think about occasionally. What would you …
Pros and Cons of Dropshipping
Is Dropshipping The Right E-Commerce Strategy For You? The Pros And Cons Did you know that there is a way to sell gift baskets without having to make them yourself? …
Rev Up Your Sales Engine With Internet Marketing Strategies
In today’s world, most people research products online before deciding which one to buy and which company to buy from. If you are neglecting Internet Marketing, you are leaving orders …
The Best Form of Marketing
I’m going to make two statements that seemingly contradict each other: The best form of marketing is networking. It’s hard to get business from networking events. Both are true. And …
Turn Your Business Around – The Time is Now
I’m going to tell you a story — one that may already be familiar to you . . . The faint glow from the street light outside made it easy …
Increase Profits with Bright Ideas
A business has two functions: To serve its customers better than anyone else. To make a profit.If your business fails in either function for any length of time, the business …
Turning Business Ideas Into Results
All too often, new business owners come on strong when they start. They spend lots of time and money telling people all about their new venture. But then they run …
Using Psychology to Guide Customer Choices
Have you ever had trouble trying to decide between two different products? Your customers may be having the same problem. Using a bit of psychology can help them make up their …
Customers Are Your Business!
Most businesses accept loss of customers as a fact of life — a cost of doing business. But it costs much more to obtain a new customer than to keep …
Marketing – The Spokes in the Website Marketing Wheel
The Spokes in the Website Marketing Wheel A website is not like the Field of Dreams. You can’t just build it and hope your customers will come. It takes marketing with …
How to Shrink Wrap a Gift Basket
There are several different ways to finish off a gift basket. You can wrap it in cello. You can wrap it in tulle. You can even leave it unwrapped. Or …
5 Things Every Business Owner Should Do Every Day
As a small business owner and entrepreneur, there are a few critical tasks you can turn into a daily habit to keep your business moving in a forward, positive direction to …
Declaration of Industry Independence
Sunday morning. Fourth of July. Cloudy, cool, and quiet. Just the sound of the ravens as they fight over food. Sitting on my deck with a hot cup of coffee …
Start Your Gift Business Today
Your mouth is dry. Your heart tightens. Butterflies race through your stomach. A new love affair? Perhaps, for a few. . .but for most of us, this describes the fear …
Sharks With A Passion
You’ve gotta read this article written by guest blogger Susan Placek. It takes more than a good idea, money, and a desire to build a successful business… Sharks With A …
Consider the Possibilities
Ever now and again, I make a post just to make us think and call it “Today’s One Minute Wisdom” because that is about all the time it takes to …
Making it Easier
I mentioned earlier that I am taking a writing class from a great writer who is an expert at persuading with words. I doubt if most of you have a …
Is Your Business Still Fun?
You probably started your business because you wanted to make money? But was that the only reason? Many of us had other goals as well such as being able to …
Expression Web Giveaway – A marketing idea to copy
Sometimes we stumble upon marketing ideas in unexpected places. Even if they are in no way involved in our own industry, they can be molded and used within our business. …
Dreams are Wings for the Soul
What is your dream? Are you living it today? We are in the most profitable time of year for our industry. As much as we might not want to admit …
Is Your Marketing as Effective as Santas?
One of my favorite blogs is written by New Zealand blogger Sean D’Souza and this particular blog entry is a perfect reminder for all of us at this time of year. By …
Make Your Customers Work for You!
Enjoy another great article from our guest blogger, Susan Placek, owner of “Popcorn Greetings“. Make Your Customers Work for You As an entrepreneur I know about the headaches and hassles …
Blogging – An Effective Way to Grow Your Business
If you aren’t blogging, why aren’t you? If you don’t know what it means– or how to do it–it’s time to learn. And I’m here to teach you! What is …
Strategies for Getting That Elusive Holiday Business
Many of you are probably thinking: “I have lots of time before 4th quarter hits and I need to think about promotions for the holiday season. Black Friday is a …
Time Management — Working Forward
One of the hardest challenges faced by small business owners, is that of planning, and working forward, and not just keeping up with the screaming demands of today. It is …
What I learned from Monopoly
Ken Blanchard, author of “The One Minute Manager and other business books” , told the story about the little boy who really wanted to beat his grandmother at Monopoly. He …
Blog Posts — What do you write?
Are you having trouble trying to think of what to write on your blog? There are times when I’m in a rut and just can’t think of something that …
Why customers leave
Gift Basket Business Insider August 2015 Newsletter Why Did Your Customers Leave? A friend told me this morning that when she left a church that her family had been very …
Your Website
As we continue with information about improving your website, here is something else that you need to know. What is Google looking for when it crawls the pages of your …
Do You Need a Gift Company Doctor?
We, as gift basket companies, are not the only ones struggling to survive in today’s recession. I’ve seen the size of newspapers and most of my trade magazines — from …
Are you marketing the gift that everyone needs?
Are you missing out on a niche market that affects everyone at some time or other. Unfortunately, none of us lives forever. Everyone dies–whether we want to or not. And …