Jun

29

Money for Business, Fragrance Mixing, Client Surveys

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BASKET CASH FOR BUSINESS
Years ago, a New Jersey-based gift basket owner won $10,000 in cash and a laptop through an American Express contest. I was thrilled to read the story, but I’m sure she was more thrilled to use the money for her shop, which still thrives today. Wednesday’s newsletter tells you about another gift basket designer who won a grant and how you can uncover funds for your business.

MIXING CHOCOLATES AND SUDS
Can sweets and scents be combined in the same basket? I never gave the two a thought until I realized how strong a smell came from my perfumed soaps. This quick article provides more insight into this seemingly-problematic situation.

SERVING CLIENTS WITH SURVEYS
How do you know if your gift baskets benefit clients? Creating and distributing surveys are one way to find out. Best of all, it doesn’t take lots of time to put one together. This tip will lead you to another source that helps you launch a survey to sell more gifts and baskets.

Jun

25

Finding Money for Business

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One day I’ll always remember is the day I received an Email from a woman telling me that she had just won a $3,000 grant to start her gift basket business. She found a link to the grant in an article I wrote about finding money for business.

I wrote the article after scouring the Internet to find real sources for money, not those fake come-ons offered by unscrupulous firms. One company offered a contest for business startups, and they were distributing $25,000 in seed money. That’s the link she visited.

After writing and submitting her plan, she won in her specified category. She was thrilled, and I was pleased to know that the contest was genuine.

Opportunities still exist to find money on the net. If there were none, I wouldn’t waste time mentioning it. I’ve personally found money some for startups at a New York foundation that specializes in helping aspiring entrepreneurs, students, non-profits, and others find cash.

Most of all, you must rely on yourself to fund your dream. There’s no getting around that. One way that many in business have done this is to set aside 10 percent of every employment paycheck, placing it into a savings account as startup money.

If you cannot withhold $30 from a $300 check, dedicate whatever percentage you can manage. It will take time to gather the necessary dollars, but each month you will have more than the last.

After that, the focus turns to reinvesting your business dollars. But that’s the subject for another newsletter.

You’ll find more information in the finding money section, which includes a page on contests and grant sources.

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