Many aspiring gift basket designers have the creativity, but need the business startup help, design instruction and marketing strategies Shirley George Frazier so generously shares in How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business. Beginning with telling business owners how to identify their target market, she moves to all the tools and considerations required for success.

More than just exposition, every chapter gives easy-to-follow samples of key documents such as a business plan, credit reference sheet, sales invoice, purchase order or forms and checklists. Even seasoned gift basket business owners will find ideas and forms they can use. The guide to creating a news release, for example, is a vital aid to promoting business.

After 16 years in the gift industry, I have fielded thousands of questions from newcomers and veterans. Amazingly, every frequently asked question is answered here: Do I need insurance? How do I price my basket? What’s the best way to organize inventory? What do I need to know before setting up a website? How do I get credit? How do I pack a box for shipping? What type of accounting do I need to have in place? Can I put wine in my baskets? How do I get set up to accept credit cards?

There are three features that elevate Frazier’s book above the level of her competitors.

First, the detailed step-by-step drawings showing not only how to construct a gift basket from scratch, but how to wrap the basket and make changes.

Second, the list of gift basket product ideas; contact information for associations, organizations and trade shows; and a wealth of links to websites in side bars throughout the chapters.

Third, the quotes from experienced gift basket designers sprinkled throughout giving authenticity to critical aspects of the business.

Although targeted at the home-based business owner, How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business offers essential information for hobbyists, beginners, veterans, and retailers as well.