It's the end of the year - wow!

What a crazy year! I seriously sit here and think back to everything we've done this year and can't believe it. And the best news it that we, as an organization, community and team have been highly successful. The new partnerships, sharing of information and above all - support we've given to each other in such an roller coaster ride of a year, is to be commended. I thank all of you who have engaged, supported and got involved in The Gift Basket Association and FindYourGiftBasket.com. It's truly amazing what happens when you bring a group of caring professionals together.

My very best wishes to you and your families for a safe and wonderful holiday.

Deb

Ok, now I'm tired!

Ok so there is good news and bad news! The bad news is that I can't do Trends & Tips Monthly - it's just too much. If I didn't have a full time job, own WNA and two gift basket companies then you'd be on but I just can't. So, even though I feel bad, I do have some good news.

Last month, I met with my IT team and they are nearly done with our Online Trends & Tips Magazine. It's a LIVE magazine meaning that data is constantly rotating, moving and groovin' so you can read articles, get the latest updates, interact with information, view live video, recorded video and so much more! You know I'm a techie, right?

I know you'll be thrilled when you see it and although its not a monthly printed magazine, just think - you'll appreciate that quarterly printed magazine so much more!

More details to come.
...and, as always, we welcome contributors.

Woman in Business is a Role Model to Other Women

Meet Debbie Quintana CEO of Gourmet Gifts & The Spirit of Wellness

Debbie Quintana is a Wonder-Woman who knows she’s not a super-hero at all. She wants to be a visible example to women: that they, not some super-improved version of themselves, can live their passions, fully, generously – and profitably.

39 years old divorced and remarried; a mother, stepmother, and grandmother, Debbie holds down a full-time job at Cisco Systems, and she is an entrepreneur who’s living her passions. She is the founder/owner of two companies and two associations that express and promote the natural empowerment of women – even when they turn a profit.

Quintana is President and CEO of Gourmet Gifts & The Spirit of Wellness, companies that create unique, individualized gift baskets for both corporate and personal clients. She founded Gourmet Gifts eight years ago with her mother, turning an adored hobby (she began making gift baskets with her Mom when she was thirteen) into a profession. From Gourmet Gifts, sprang Spirit of Wellness, whose gift baskets are focused on self-care. Her customers range from large corporations who want to acknowledge events and employees, to individuals who are expressing sympathy, or ...read more

Gift Basket Companies Give Back

The great news about the holidays is that community giving back goes up, the bad news is that it has a tendency to fizzle come January, despite the needs of the community needing help. When I launched the Women's Networking Alliance back in 2007, I asked that it be a requirement each year that we do a community project and not during the holiday but rather in a time when no so many people are engaged. As we go national in 2010, all chapters are required to do the same thing.

When I sat back and asked the question of the members and suppliers of The Gift Basket Association, the answers were astounding. I specifically asked if and how they give back and to my extreme delight, the responses were wonderful. I hope these short stories will inspire you to continue to give back - all year around.

Debbie


"Last summer my then 7 year old son and I were getting bogged down in the economic slump. All we seemed to be focusing on was what we couldn't do, where we couldn't go, etc. So we decided to start doing random acts of kindness. Giving our new umbrella to the homeless guy in the rain, donating the money for a needy scout to go to camp, etc. I am most proud of all the activities that summer because now my son (and his friends that would randomly be with us) all continue doing these things at any opportunity. They have learned that the size of the gift isn't what matters and that in giving the gift they aren't just helping someone else, but helping themselves to understand what life is really about." Lisa-Marie Begerow of Garden Gate Gifts in Florida

"I really think that being involved in your community is essential. I personally love living in Westerville Ohio and show it by volunteering or donating to special events. A community is built by it's people and their generosity to others.
Short Story I started a donation program where non-profit organizations can apply for a donation for their special event. The one thing that I WILL be doing once I can afford it is start a scholarship program for our local University." Lisa Bevan - My Gift Basket Ideas

"Our philosophy on giving is that the local non-profit organizations are just trying to make the lives of others better. We give to help the cycle. It is bigger than all of us.
Short Story We're proud of all the donations we do. We're especially very active with the arts community." Deb Condo, Gift Basket Junction

"I am involved in a group called Jump Start which helps give terminally ill, cancer patients and all other patients with serious forms of illness by giving them a little lift when they feel low. When you sign up you receive an email every week or so asking to give a card or gift to one of the patients on the list. You get a little background into their lives and you choose the one or ones you would like to Jump Start that week, its a difficult choice, believe me. I am sending gift baskets or cards or whatever I can to cheer these fantastic and courageous people! I am also donating a portion of my proceeds to this fabulous organization. Everyone should give back to community. Besides making you feel better just think what you are doing for someone else, that's the real love. " Hyde Street Gift Baskets

"My family believes in giving to the community. It started with my Mother and Father. My Mother is 87 and still coordinates the food pantry in her city. My husbands family also gave to the community. My husband and I continue to reach out in many different ways, to support our community. We hope to be a good role model for our children." Meryl Mixtacki, Bask In Gifts

A common mistake

I just completed a set of consulting appointments and I felt like a broken record but I hope its helping. Actually I know its helping, I've had a lot of people already say so. It's a common mistake so I thought I'd share it with you and you can check and see if you're doing it, too. Ready?

Mistake #1 is not having a proper front web page including several quality photos that show your broad selection of themes and price ranges. Many companies only have 1 photo on the front and a lot of text. It's been my experience that you have about 15 seconds to keep the shopper and if they don't feel like they can find what they want quickly, they'll move on.

Make it easy for your customer to be comfortable, order quickly and above all, get what they want in the price range they want to pay.

It's just that simple. I'm here to help and would be more than happy to take 5 minutes to review your front page. Just ask.

Tough questions, answered

Dear Debbie,

I wanted to ask you to comment on a few things and while I realize the questions I have are uncomfortable, I think we all want to hear your answers. I haven't ever seen you answer to your critics and I personally think its time that you do. Whether you like it or not, you are a public figure and like politicians you should respond to accusations.

Here are my specific questions.

1. What is your history with Joyce Reid? She seems to have a major issue with you. This morning she posted something in one of the discussion forums that she has "major concerns" over GBA and Trends and Tips.

2. James Hartier compared your magazine to a "expired candy bar at a dollar store" vs. Rave Reviews being Godiva. What's his issue and why would he insult you like that?

I am somewhat curious as to your response and hope you will answer publicly. I think its time that this gets brought to the surface. As a gift basket designer, reading this type of banter is uncomfortable. I can't even tell you my name for fear of being blasted by them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Whoever you are . . .(and I think I know who you are :))))
You're lucky that my publicist is on vacation. She wouldn't allow me to even read or respond to this but I think you're right. It's time for this to be surfaced. Maybe some good dialogue will get it all over with.

First things first, I've never spoke to, met or had any response to multiple correspondences sent to Joyce Reid. I was a customer of her Gift Basket Network and when it came to that, she was more than happy to respond to my emails. But, when I reached out to her to ask her to join our collaboration efforts for GBA, I never got a single response. Instead, she's been making up stories about me and accusing me of not having any credibility to everyone else, except to me. My last email to her was not a nice one, I'll tell you that - I quickly got tired of hearing the BS that was being spread about me. Its one thing if you talk to me and want to have an opinion, its another thing if you are just completely ignorant. I haven't a clue what her "major concerns" are because she's never brought them to me. And to be even more blunt and honest, who really cares? Having one person out of thousands criticize me without even knowing me is perfectly fine. In the broader scheme of things, it just doesn't matter. I actually find it comical. The best part is when she insinuated in one of her blogs that I was green slime. I actually printed the article and it sits on a shelf with mint jelly (get it - green slime!) above my desk. No joke. It motivates me to work harder and succeed even more.

As far as James, I just talked to him and he didn't mean it in the way you are interpreting.

Is that good enough? I sure hope so because look - it doesn't matter what they think. They don 't know me and if they took the time to know me, they'd really be in trouble because they would appreciate who I am, what I do and why I do it....and then what? Do you really think they'd issue a public apology? Heck no. I have a list of 8 people that have shown their true colors, are disrespectful and will never, ever be a part of any portion of my life. You just named one and no, I won't tell you the rest but I think you can figure it out.

How about the "good" people work together and focus on fixing the problems we as an industry have and work together. If all of the energies that are expended dealing with people like Joyce were put into positive things, we could really do something great. I appreciate all of you wanting to protect me but I'm a big girl and I can handle it. I'm better than all of that...now, let's go have some fun and make some money, OK!

Ok, I'm sure all of this will get me in trouble but I'm in a great mood today!

Another page in the gift basket industry has turned.

I learned today that the gift basket industry has suffered the loss of yet another resource, Rave Reviews Magazine. For those of you who are new to the industry, Cherie Reagor has been hosting conventions, a high quality magazine and training resources for many years - resources that I used when I started both of my gift basket companies. As Cherie moves on to her next endeavor, it's yet another page turning in the gift basket industry book. I thank her and her staff for bringing such quality resources to our industry for many years and wish her continued success.

It goes without saying that the gift basket industry needs quality and credible resources, which is why I created The Gift Basket Association back in April. I have been designing gift baskets for over 19 years and when I finally launched my first company back in 2001, it was one of the happiest days of my life. When I started hearing stories about people struggling not only with the economy, but with resources to help them, I decided that bringing the industry together into one common platform, was necessary. GBA was born and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

With the design and release of Trends & Tips Magazine back in August, we slowly have been able to bring a new set of resources, information and collaboration into the industry. And even more important, is that we've been able to do it in a cost effective manner - truly bringing together suppliers and gift basket professionals. I'm proud to say that we have already made a huge impact with the introduction of the Online Supplier Directory, a Holiday e-Catalog, FindYourGiftBasket.com, GBA Talk! discussion forum, Trends & Tips Magazine and in January, the release of Gateway, an online learning portal for gift basket professionals.

I want to reassure you that neither I, nor any part of my association, is going anywhere. We are dedicated to improving the industry and have many exciting adventures coming your way. I'll be at Pam & Tom Newell's National Gift Basket Convention in Ohio in July of 2010 and am looking forward to meeting as many suppliers and gift basket professionals I can. I'm even hosting a little get together!

I invite you to continue to be a part of The Gift Basket Association and if you're not a member, to join us. Whether you're a supplier or a gift basket professional, we are here to bring the industry together. Everyone is welcome, we have affordable membership, GBA Talk! is free for all members, you can buy one or an annual subscription of Trends & Tips Magazine and most important, we listen and are here to provide you with real resources. I have personally fielded over 250 calls since GBA was created and have the references and testimonials to prove it. I hope you know that I am genuine, experienced and despite the opinion of a few of my critics, credible.

I want to thank all of our supporters as I realize that the leadership in this industry hasn't always been as respectful and appropriate as it should be. I have a high regard and respect for people such as Mary Ann Jacobs, Pam Newell, Flora Brown and several others that have given me the support and opportunity. I thank the rest of my advisory board, Sarah Botchick of Pioneer Wholesale, Lisa Bevan of My Gift Basket Ideas, Derek Thielke of Northwoods Cheese and Cara Cohen of The Perfect Gift NY. Without your contributions, guidance and support, my job as the founder of The Gift Basket Association, FindYourGiftBasket.com and Trends & Tips Magazine, would have been much more difficult.

Best wishes to you all as we approach the end of another year and welcome new opportunities in 2010.

Do you give back to your community?

Michael Buble was on Oprah yesterday and I loved hearing his story of faith. As early as three years old, he used to sleep with his mom's bible and would always ask his higher power to make him famous and he promises that he'll give back. Well, you know the rest of the story already and yes, he's giving back in many ways.

As gift basket professionals, we often find ourselves donating gifts for auctions. I've done one too many "galas" where they collect donations from their broader community and we attempted to make gift baskets from all of it. One year, my son's school asked us to do it and I literally ended up filling our Suburban 8 times. It was ridiculous. I mean I'm all about giving back but that was just plainly too much too ask. But, there is a heart surgeon in the organization who ended up falling in love with one of our basket designs and order 200 of them. They were $200 each. I'll let you do the math. I guess my point is that while I've never done the donations for visibility, sometimes, just doing the right thing pays decent dividends.

As the holidays are approaching, we see a 38% increase in our donation requests. Right now, I have 17 gift baskets, over 2,000 brochures, 1200 goody bag items and 1,000 extra business cards in the workshop waiting for one of my sales reps to pick up. It's almost annoying. But once again, I look at the organizations they are going to and consider the potential visibility for my gift basket companies and realize that its just simply the right thing to do. And yes, I'm crossing my fingers there will be a heart surgeon in the crowd.

As an organization, if you added up the amount of financial, product and time donations that we give on an annual basis, I bet the number would be impressive. And I'm so interested in knowing that I'm asking you to please visit our community website on GBA and log your information. We are going to report out to the media how much the members of GBA are doing to help our respective communities. We know it will gain additional visibility for www.findyourgiftbasket.com and hopefully inspire others to give back in whatever way they can. Times are tough for many and while you can't always give back, it's good to be calibrated on what others are doing.

So, my one ask of you this week - please visit the community website and complete the online form. We will not be calling out each company by name and reporting out on what you do. We'll be adding it all up and writing a press release - it's just simply great visibility for all of us. I am asking for 100% participation so don't be surprised if you get a phone call from our office asking for your information. We feel strongly about community and know that you do, too.

Thank you in advance for everything you do to help make our communities stronger, including our GBA community.

WNA + GBA = Great Visibility!

If you're tired of the local networking groups, frustrated at the lack of referrals your getting and the inability to truly make a connection with businesses you can use, then perhaps you should consider becoming a Chapter President for WNA. In 2010, WNA will be putting on twelve new chapters and its a great opportunity to get into a networking organization that is small, simple and genuine. As a Chapter President, you'll be looking for 29 members that own their own companies, literally. These women business owners have a business license, either started the company from scratch or purchased it from someone who did and have a solid personality of support and collaboration. You'll be selecting your chapter board from your members, allowing them an opportunity to step up and be in an leadership position. And every few weeks or weekly - however you and your chapter decide, you'll be having meetings to encourage discussion, partnership, learning, sharing and collaboration about business, leads/referrals and a genuine focus on helping one another.

Can it get any better than that?

Sure! If you're a member of The Gift Basket Association, you already know the efforts we're making to gain additional visibility for you and help you be a part of our efforts to uplift the entire industry through partnership and collaboration. WNA is just another one of those opportunities. Step up and lead a local networking organization in your area and you'll be in a position of leadership that will bring you even more visibility. It's a great way to increase your sales and help others.

Day Three of GBA Talk!

It's been three days since GBA Talk! has been launched and I'm still so excited. I've gotten a ton of compliments about the logo, especially those that are seeing it on Facebook. I have to admit, I love it too. I think branding is important so I love creating logo's and sayings that explain/describe programs, services and projects. Anyway, everyone is enjoying the way we built the discussion forum. We created specific categories so that you can get to what you need quickly. Lisa Bevan is a social networking specialist so she's already put some tips in there. Overall, we are having fun and in just three days, already have over 20 members, not bad!

An interesting thing happened - we received 9 new memberships to GBA once GBA Talk! was launched. I think the fact that there is just yet another reason to join pushed several people that were considering it, to join. Now for just $99 a year, they get their listing on www.findyourgiftbasket.com, ten categories, the discussion forum, discounts and a ton more. I'm proud of what we've built and thank all of your for your on-going support.

It's not a new concept but it's new for GBA

I'm so grateful to be surrounded by so many people that share the same vision as I do. Lisa Bevan, our latest advisory board member add, has been "all in" since the beginning. And when I say "all in", her initiative is amazing. She quickly agreed to be a guest blogger, wrote an article for our first Trends & Tips magazine (which was rated one of the highest articles in the mag) and has helped me bring GBA's discussion forum to fruition. Thanks Lisa for all you do. I hope I can return the favors.

Yes, I said it - a discussion forum. I know, I know, there are many of them out there but hey, the more the merrier right? Sometimes. Here's my opinion, experience and general perception on discussion forums.

First, let me tell you that I stayed away from them for many years. When I first got involved in the greater gift basket community, it was many years ago. I jumped into a few forums as a guest and I really, honestly, didn't find it to be of value. And for those of you that know me, I spend my time in places where I can help others and I get value out of it. So, off I went. When I started GBA, I decided I better get back into the broader community if I was going to make GBA known.

I talked to several different people including Adriana of GB Exchange and liked her. I liked her concepts, her professionalism and the way the board was organized was very impressed. So, I joined. Then I found out about Basket Chat and joined that one too. Gary & Dorothy are wonderful people but after going through some attacks and turmoil on Basket Chat and some ridiculously juvenile behavior, I decided that I needed to do my own. I want the GBA community to have a sense of bonding as members and a discussion forum is the best place to do it. In addition to provided a central "bonding" location, I'm hoping that it will reduce some of my email traffic too and get some of these conversations in front of everyone, not just me. I get about 25-50 emails per week asking for my advice, direction and opinion on particular subjects. Just think - if you were to get more than just my opinion!

And in terms of my opinions of discussion boards, here they are...

1) DB's are great if you have good people participating. Ego's and competitiveness must be checked at the door. If you have dominate people in the DB and their "tone" isn't appropriate, the members won't be comfortable.

2) You have to be overly cautious with your language and the way you write things. It's hard for people to know you online so if you're sarcastic, people make not take it right.

3) People have different levels of experience. What worked for you ten years ago may not be appropriate now. You have to take advice from people for what its worth and not take it a concrete evidence.

Just three of my opinions. So here's the question I get regularly...should I be a member of all the boards or just one? Here's my advice:

1) Watch the amount of time you're spending. If you're spending too much time on them, you're losing money. You could be spending that time selling a gift basket. Get in and out. I personally only allow myself 30 minutes per day to hit the discussion boards I'm a member of...GB Exchange and Basket Chat. I just don't have time to be a member of all of them.

2) Know who the people are...if the people that are give advice have bad reputations, then why would you listen? Go to their website and decide if you like their style and business model. Find people to follow and partner with that you appreciate. Don't just assume that what everyone is saying is right. There are some bad people out there and its important that you qualify them first.

3) Participate. Give as much as you receive. Even if its just your opinion or experience. Share what you know and help others. Good things happen to good people.

....more to come...if you're a member of GBA, join GBA Talk now!

The Trends & Tips survey is out!

For those of you who ordered your magazine, Trends & Tips, the official magazine of The Gift Basket Association, you should have received an email asking you to take a short survey. If you didn't, please email us at info@giftbasketassociation.com. Your feedback is critical to us as we form the next issue and plan for 2010. So far we've had many respondents and comments and we appreciate each one. It's pretty interesting to see such consistent feedback. I wanted to share some of the feedback we received with you, just as a point of reference. We will make some changes and improvements but 99% of the feedback we received is telling us we're right on the money. Out of all of the responses we got, only 1 person gave us negative feedback. That's pretty dang good and I'm proud of the whole team; especially since it was our first magazine and none of us knew what we were doing!

Overall rating 3.8/4.0
Only 1 person gave us a 2 or that score would be even higher
My favorite comment: "Awesome magazine - it's about time we have something this high quality for our industry!"

Highest rated article: Your Next Target Market, 3.9/4.0
And, for some reason, everyone loved my welcome note

Most helpful for your business: Preparing for the Upturn, 3.9/4.0

Least valuable: One person put that we didn't need to incur expenses for notes pages but if you know magazine publishing, you have to have a certain number of pages and we were short!

What you'd like to see - our most favorite comment:
Articles or interviews with successful designers - showing where they came from and where they are today. This has always inspired me to hear stories of how others were able to overcome obstacles, etc.

85% said compared to other industry and business magazines they read, this one is better.

Other comments:

"Loved the magazine, cool idea, and cant wait till the next one comes out. I am very impressed and pleased with everything in it. Congrats to all involved."

"The magazine is indexed very well. And having all of the contributors with their contact information on the back pages is brilliant! It's been a GREAT reference guide for me!"

"A great balance between content and advertisements."

"Why aren't you doing it monthly?"

"It's about dang time we get something that is properly balanced between design, business and ads."

Gift Basket Magazine - press release

Since forming in April of 2009, The Gift Basket Association has been pushing hard to bring resources to the industry. From an online directory to now, a full on magazine, GBA is making an impact and creating the buzz within the industry they had hope to ignite. Trends and Tips, the name of the official magazine of GBA, is just that - its trends that are happening now and in the future as well as tips to help gift basket companies and suppliers grow their business.

Trends & Tips is divided into sections including "be your business best", "impressions", "a better place", and an entire section for supplier and partner information. Quintana's approach is to make this a community magazine with many members throughout the gift basket industry contributing as well as industry experts and business related partners. Industry experts Tom & Pam Newell, Mary Ann Jacobs and Flora Morris Brown, Ph.d contributed as well as Quintana herself.

"The holistic approach we're taking is to help gift basket professionals improve their companies in a complete fashion. It's less about fancy designs and more about how to get new customers, manage your work/life balance and providing superior customer service. And, more important, we're doing it in a fun, easy to read manner."

Trends & Tips offers some great information and extras to make it a fun read including a word search, recipe, "good intentions" and more. You can order your copy at www.giftbasketassociation.com/magazine.html. Advertising information, single and annual subscriptions are available.

One final invite from Quintana, "We've decided to make this a quarterly publication so we invite all advertisers to get on board and be a part of this community!"

www.giftbasketassociation.com

Time to say goodbye?

Yesterday, I fired a customer. Yep, I fired a customer. It wasn't an easy thing to do. The monthly sales they were giving to us was pretty decent. It is a great company that does some great things for people and the average price of the gifts we were doing was well over $100. On top of that, its an account that one of my sales reps brought to us so in addition to giving up the sales, I'm taking away commission from her. Steady commission. So, the reason behind it? Let me explain.

The gal that ordered from us was rude, condescending and never accepted any of our gifts. She always sent them back for some sort of re-work. Her inability to communicate what they wanted was causing a moral issue in my office and we were losing money having to redo each gift. It was almost as if she did it on purpose.

When we started showing live video, it was the perfect solution. Show her what she's getting and make sure she's ok with it before we delivered it. And one day when she wasn't available and her boss was, we showed her the basket and her boss made us completely redo it. She was apologetic but realized it wasn't what they wanted....redo again.

Bottom line - sometimes its ok to give up a client, situation or person that is draining you of time, money, moral and energy.

An amazing experience

Well, it's out - the first trends and tips magazine hit the streets today. And, well aside from a blank page in one magazine, the response was overwhelming! I received so many compliments today, new advertisers interested, people joining, more orders - people were definitely interested. The most shocking thing to me is the amount of annual subscriptions we received. I figured everyone was going to just buy one issue to "check it out" but I thank you for your trust and your feedback today told me that it was all worth it. Many of you felt empowered - that you could accomplish so much with this one issue. That you could make significant changes and improvements to your businesses. And quite honestly - that's the goal. We are truly working to uplift the industry and I'm so grateful and happy that you were so pleased with the contents.

Have a little fun with it to....on to the next issue.

It's raining but still a beautiful day!

Today is one of those days where I really sit back and count my blessings. Despite the fact that its raining here in San Jose (and I have an outdoor living room & kitchen that needs to be covered FAST), it's a great day. We launched the pre-order process for the new Trends & Tips Magazine yesterday and I couldn't stop smiling. It's always a risk to start these types of projects but I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do. Now seeing the emails, comments and orders coming in is just validation.

I want to thank all of you for your positive feedback and comments. I know you're all excited and hope I can live up to your expectation! Yikes!

Yes, I'm complaining again, sorry. But, big things are coming!

Ok, so the new picture your seeing was a photo shoot that took forever - too much make up and hair spray too! Yes, I know - its a tough world but for those of you that don't know me, I'm not the most patient person in the world. I was so tired of smiling, I was growling by the time we were done. Enough complaining, sorry.

ANYWAY - we have some very exciting things coming and I can barely contain myself. The Trends and Tips Magazine is coming out next month and for those of you who are members, you might want to check in at the GBA Google Group. There are a few new announcements. Once our attorney approves the press announcement, we'll be able to make it public so I'm teasing you non-members (sorry :). But part of the excitement really has to do with you - listening to your stories and realizing that GBA needs to do more for you. I said I was serious about uplifting this industry when we first launched back in April and I meant every word. So, I know you'll be excited to see some of the great things we have.

Ok so I'll give you one - rumors are true, we are launching a magazine. After putting together this trend report, we had too much fun. When we asked our client base what they thought, there was a resounding YES! And they didn't just say YES, they said they wanted to be a part of it. So for all of you that called last week asking if the rumor was true (and listening to my little side stepping), it is. I wish I could convey how excited I am with my writing but I can't. I'm truly just thrilled to pieces and can't wait to get this first one out.

Ok, this blog post is getting too long so I better end it but let me offer you something very important - for those of you who want to ask questions, need more information or simply want to express any sentiment - you can "SOUND OFF". I will answer all entries and for those of you who want to be anonymous, sure! http://giftbasketassociation.com/soundoff.html

Are you selling to Generation X?

Tina Fermin just submitted her article for the Trends and Tips Special Publication and after doing some of my own research, I'm impressed at not only her writing ability but the content. I knew it would yield interesting content but I have to say that I'm making some serious changes within my own company. In addition to the technology integration, there is something to be said for offering products that directly relate to this generation. I'm not going to give up the trend report content but I will tell you, you should be thinking about the differences of selling to a variety of generations. It's truly an interesting concept.

How are you using technology?

Our press release that went out from my gift basket company list past Monday stirred up a lot of positive response. It appears that not many small business owners are using technology to their fullest and many reporters were interested in how we were using video. Tomorrow morning at 8am, I have a BlogTalkRadio show and I'll be explain how, technically, to set up a web cam for use in your office.

press release is here, if you're interested:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Turn-a-Personal-Attack-Into-Competitive-Advantage-Three-Lessons-From-a-Successful-Entrepreneur&id=2537688

It's SUPER fun and exciting!

Phones are busy!

I was talking to Joyce Arrieta yesterday and she gave me a compliment that I can't resist talking about. She said, "Debbie, you're always available and willing to listen" and it felt so good. Let me explain why.

When I first launched GBA, I was criticized by a few because no one knew me. I never really understood it - how does one become known other than to start something? But, like any good business person, I take the good with the bad and used it to my advantage. I made myself VERY available.

Instead of having my calls screened, I gave out my direct line number. I now answer my phone directly - solicitors and all. Everyone is trying to make a living so the least I can do is take their call. I'm not here to judge them - in fact, I don't even know them. And, maybe they do have something to offer me that I might want. You just never know. Now, I'm not advocating the solicitors that are just plain annoying and refuse to take you off their mailer when they ask but for the rest, they just have a job to do, thats all. I may not agree with their practices but its not my place to judge them. Anyway, I digress.

Two points here: (1) make yourself available and (2) educate yourself if you must judge

Trend Report Process

Another update on the process behind creating a trend report. I didn't realize how many people were actually paying attention but I've had three questions just this week so gosh, I better keep talking about it. I want to touch on the process of using surveys.

But first, just so you know, In addition to surveys, we're conducting 1-1 interviews with a wide range of people throughout the gift basket industry and abroad. So the interview part is extremely time consuming but at the same time, people are willing to share information. So far, only one person said they "didn't have time" and out of all of the people we've talked to, having 1 say no, is ok with me. The interviews are very valuable - it allow us to have a good conversation and get some valuable information that you typically can't get through a survey.

In terms of surveys, we did six different surveys for this report. Customers, suppliers and gift basket suppliers will provide direct, pertinent information to our industry. The other three are sent to economic, customer service and consumer buying professionals that can help us formulate the trends and correlate them to the feedback we get from the industry. All of this data, is pulled together to form articles, trend statements and advice for our viewers. The analysis is huge and is reviewed by a dozen different people.

There's my update for you! More later!

CBS Newstory on the Ripple Effect

It's great to get visibility for the gift basket industry but it was a bit of a sad story. CBS News ran a story on the effect the economy is having on gift basket companies and suppliers. It resonated so heavily with me tonight, as I received a call for comment. When I hung up the phone, I sat back and realized that what we are doing in our GBA community is, as so many have told me, SO necessary. While the story was a sad one, what we're doing creates hope and support; partnership and growth. Thank you for being a part of our community and when/if you're ready to contribute and step up, let me know. We have a lot going on and need all the help we can get.

You can see the news story here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5094793n&tag=mg;eveningnews

Trend Report Update

I promised I would document the process of creating the trend report so here are a few little tidbits I'm finding interesting, so far.

1) The use of embellishments is starting to really become "old news". Many members felt they are important to make the baskets look attractive but are pulling back on the amount. Instead of using a lot of greenery and flowers, they're finding customers are specifically asking for more substantial content.

2) Customers are getting pickier and wanting to do more customization than ever. I had an interview with a customer service expert yesterday and she said the same thing - that customers are being very careful where they are spending their money and want to get exactly what they want.

3) Old school customer service is coming back. Answering the phone is in; voicemail and phone trees are out. People don't have time to listen to a menu. Answer the phone, get the biz.

Just a few tidbits.

Deb

2010 Trend Report

What an interesting process! I've done trend reports before and certainly know how to do proper research but doing this in the gift basket industry is fascinating. I've been asked to document the process, provide some thoughts and insights as we build the report. I'll be providing some updates as we go along, starting with this first one.

The report was released last weekend after we spent 4 weeks designing, socializing, having it reviewed by a professional organization as as well as the advisory board. The big debate was over the open ended questions. If we leave it open, then we'll probably get a whole bunch of different responses but on the other hand, how do we encourage just open thought processes. The winner was the open ended question and boy, after seeing the responses, I'm glad we made the decision. We're getting such amazing feedback in those areas that it will lend the data quite well to the report.

Second, the debate on who to send it to. Should just gift basket companies receive this particular survey or suppliers too? On one hand, gift basket companies are the ones that have the real answers but so many suppliers have regular conversations with their customers and study/feel trends why shouldn't we collect data from them too? Decision was to let everyone comment but to quantify the data. So far, 28% of all respondents are suppliers.

A few general observations . . .

1) The responses came in fast and in abundance. Our main concern was ensuring we got a good sampling of people. Only having a few respond doesn't really lend to good data and on top of that not having a dispersed audience would be worse. So far, we've had hundreds of responses and they are well dispersed throughout the United States.

2) We've conducted over 57 interviews of other "contributors" and are finding some validation and some challenge to a few of the trends we're seeing. It's interesting to talk to specialists in the organic fruit community, designers that are talking about current and future color trends and organization experts that speak to the fact that an organized workshop adds motivation and efficiency to one's business - a common concern amongst gift basket owners.

3) Advertising interest is way up, probably because of pricing but also because we've told advertisers they can pick where they want to advertise. Offering that flexibility and a inexpensive rate is of special interest right now so I'm really happy we chose the advertising model that we did.

OK, all I have time for now. Have a great day.

Deb

If you haven't kept up with social networking and internet marketing, wake up!

Those of you, who have been in a business for a long time and haven’t been diligent about keeping up with the technology times, may be wondering if now is the time. It’s overwhelming, difficult to understand and a bit intimidating but once you figure it out, avenues such as social networking and internet marketing can yield great results. The best part is the majority of the opportunities you have to increase your awareness are free. So, get involved. There are plenty of resources out there to explain how to “tweet”, Facebook and blog.

It’s painless, I promise.

Gift Basket Companies & Florists - Partner Up!

This tough economy has its negatives but it also can bring upon some opportunities too. Many small businesses are feeling the pinch of slower sales and getting creative with your marketing plan is a great way to increase your sales and prepare yourself for the future. Working with others in your industry can have amazing results and while the historical competitiveness between florists and gift basket companies still exists today, set it aside for a moment and consider some possibilities.

Here are a few similarities between the two industries:

• Both are doing significant internet marketing or have a connection that is directing customers to do business with them.
  
• Both are providing customer gifts for the same types of events such as birthday, sympathy, congratulation, thank you, get well, etc.
  
• Both get calls for the other product. Often times, customers want to send both flowers and a basket.
  
• Neither wants to get involved in the other industry. Gift Basket companies won’t profit from doing an occasion floral arrangement and florists don’t want to take on the inventory.
  

The Answer? Partner Up with a local company. Develop a program of selling each other’s products via your website or simply in your shops. It’s an opportunity to gain more business. Set aside, for a moment, the concept that they’re going to pick either/or and consider that if your customers are looking for a gift basket and you’re a florist, they might just find you and decide to get flowers instead or both.

I joined Basket Chat!

I just recently heard about an online discussion forum called Basket Chat. One of my close partners hinted to me that I should check it out. It is great! It's well organized, fun, direct and will be a great way to learn, vent and participate with other members in the industry. You might just want to check it out. The website is www.basketchat.com.

On another subject, I know its hard to balance all of these social networking activities. GBA has an online Google Group, there is GB Exchange, Basket Chat, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and on top of all of that, a lot of us enjoy blogging too. If I could just make a recommendation to you. It's important to maintain quality and participation to all of these areas.

Develop a "spin"
You might want to consider spending just 30 minutes a day doing what I call a "spin". My spin includes hitting a list of 15 different locations and at a minimum reviewing whats going on and posting where it makes sense. That means I have under 2 minutes in each location and I have to admit, I don't always hit all of them and sometimes spend more than 2 minutes but it keeps me focused and it makes sure that at least daily, I'm staying involved.

Only post if you have something substantial to say.
Think about how you could add value to a particular thread. Validating, resonating and showing involvement are important but I recommend keeping a healthy balance between good content and socializing.

Stay involved.
Don't forget about it. As you do these activities, your gaining credibility. Post with quality and share.

Keep a high level of integrity.
If you're not sure if you should say it, don't say it. Don't risk hurting someone's feelings by making statements that they might read, especially if they don't deserve it. We're in a fun industry, there shouldn't be something so outlandishly confidential that you can't say it. I mean, really, we aren't the FBI!

The release of the GBA Newsroom

Well, we did it. After weeks of hard work and some seriously creative energy, the GBA team released our online newsroom today. The idea came from the concept of our members who have all stepped up and offered to get involved. They've asked how they can contribute and well, quite honestly, that's what building a community is all about. We've asked several members to contribute to our newsroom and will be able to communicate real time information in this "newspaper" environment. We hope to make this a daily stop for all of our gift basket professionals out there.

I'm amazed by the feedback already. It's only been an hour or so since it was released and so far, we've received 6 new members, 3 compliments and 1 referral form filled out. I can't wait to see what happens next week.

I've gotta run but I hope you're enjoying the building of the GBA community. I'm certainly thrilled!

Introducing the GBA Advisory Board

SAN JOSE, CA - May 25, 2009 - The Gift Basket Association is pleased to announce the members of their first advisory board. This board, hand picked by founding member, Debbie Quintana, has been selected for their dedication and expertise in the gift basket industry. "I've been making gift baskets for the last 19 years but I will never call myself an expert. I feel strongly that we need to have a diverse range of professionals to provide feedback to some of the programs and services of GBA. I am proud to work with these individuals to help grow our community. I am so very grateful and humbled by their willingness to step up and help us all." The GBA Advisory Board is already in action and ready for our community. "I am honored to work with a group whose goals include education and giving back. I look forward to an inspirational learning experience!" says Lorie Obernauer, Vice President and Owner of the well respected Apex Gift Foods and Keystone Ribbon & Floral Supply. Obernauer was chosen to be on the board to represent the distributor sector and viewpoint of the industry. "I have been excited to get to know Debbie and see a today's look at our industry with lots of new technology. I believe this industry needs lots of different avenues of education and style to give the designers a different prospective for their businesses. As we know, no two businesses are alike and we don't want them to be. I believe GBA gives the industry that extra option of added resources to the industry." said Pamela Newell, co-owner of Gift Basket School, Inc. and host of 2009 Gift Basket Professional Convention. In addition to Obernauer and Newell, Quintana also chose Derek Thieke, owner of Northwoods Cheese to represent the manufacturing sector of the industry as well as two gift basket company owners, Cara Cohen of The Perfect Gift New York and Sandy Keller of Ace of Hearts Gift Baskets in North Carolina. Last and certainly not least is Mary Ann Jacobs, a highly respected consultant, mentor and trainer for gift basket professionals. The first project for review to the advisory board will be the survey for the 2010 Trend Report. This survey will be released to thousands of professionals in the industry to garner their forward-looking opinion of the industry. "The 2010 Trend Report will give our members the ability to forecast and prepare for the up and coming activities of the industry. As a gift basket company owner myself, I study quite often so I am ahead of the design curve, this report will yield very important details allowing us to be even more prepared." says Quintana. "It's time for us to build a strong community to help each other. The advisory board and trend report will help our entire community and allow us to truly support one another. This is just the beginning, we're just getting warmed up!" For more information, please visit The Gift Basket Association Advisory Board Member website. We invite you to join The Gift Basket Association and FindYourGiftBasket.com for just $99 a year. Suppliers can sign up here. Gift Basket Company owners can sign up here.

GBA is an association designed to bring the gift basket industry together with the ultimate goal of increasing sales in the gift basket industry. We are a centralized portal of information with a sincere, genuine and honest passion to help professionals and suppliers grow their business. We are building a community.

What's your inspiration?

As artists, its important that we're continuously inspired. Inspiration and motivation come from a variety of sources. What's yours?

Inspiration and motivation come easy for me and sometimes can be my downfall. I get easily excited about a lot of opportunities and as most of you know, I'm busy enough as it is...taking on more work should not be a part of my daily routine. After started GBA, I decided that was it - I needed to foster and grow my existing adventures and take a break from starting anything new. So, here it is today - I put my foot down on new projects. Moving forward, my total attention is geared towards my two gift basket companies, The Gift Basket Association and The Women's Networking Alliance. There, I said it.

But where does the motivation and inspiration come from? Have you thought about what inspires you to design a new basket or study a new opportunity? What about a new idea that would compliment your company? If you're having trouble getting motivated or finding inspiration, here are some ways to perk it up:

1) Watch for negativity. I know it sounds great but there is some negativity in our industry and everytime I see it, I get motivated. I look at it and say, "hmmm. I don't ever want to talk like that or be like that. How can I ensure I'm NOT like that?" It inspires me to be a better person. Use negatively to drive your positivity.

2) Take a walk. Clear your head and start thinking about the things that make you happy, content and elated. For me, it took a trip to Sonoma for me to realize that I wanted to create gifts that meant something to me. Our Tuscany gift basket came from that trip and we sell about 1 a week.

3) Partner with good people. Pick good people to be around regularly. One of the reasons I started the Women's Networking Alliance was to surround myself with good, hardworking, caring people. I am so inspired by all of them. It's a two way street so make sure you inspire and motivate them too.

As always, I'm here if you ever want to talk and perhaps I can help you find your motivation and inspiration.

Debbie

Three hot tips, that are already working for our members!

I was so excited to have a GBA member call me today to thank me for the tips in the last GBA newsletter. She already put the assisted living tip to work and she got an order on the spot. Usually it takes more work than just one meeting but she happened to catch them at a really good time. You go! I'm so happy. Just in case you missed tip three ideas, here they are again. I hope they work for you, too.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

Who's there?

Opportunities. Open the door!

If you haven't already checked out a few of these ideas, you might want to give them a shot. Low financial investment, low risk and a nice return, if they pay off.

Have a baby!

Last year, we said that Gourmet Gifts, our gift basket company, had a baby - it's GG Jr. It was perfect timing as people still wanted to give but couldn't afford to give a lot. Our Gourmet Jr mini versions of our gift baskets went over very well. Whether you use a cello bag or a mini container, you probably already have product in stock. We recommend keeping them all under $15, if you can and you might just be surprised. Get some ideas, here.

Get Personal.

If you aren't offering personalized products, you might want to. For Mothers Day, we're printing kids pictures on mugs, mousepads, aprons and more and including them in our gift baskets. It's making Dad look really good! We use TML Gifts and Terri, well she's just wonderful. You can buy 1 or 100, doesn't matter. She just loves what she does. Tell her Debbie Q. sent you and you just might get a special gift with your order.

Seniors Want to Shop, Too!

Don't forget about assisted living facilities as potential customers. In addition to do their gifts, their clients can't get out easily and shop, don't necessary have the ability to shop online and still want to send a little something to their grandson on his birthday. We created a short catalog using PowerPoint, in big print with all gifts under $25. They can pick out what they want and with the help of the assisting living facility, we handle the rest. If you'd like to see our catalog, just email Nicole at our office and she'll shoot you a copy. You have our permission to not re-invent the wheel!

Can you give back?

It's a tough economic time for many of us but for some of the organizations attempting to raise money for charities, research, etc. it's tough. If you can consider giving back, I'd love it if you signed up to receive an email twice a week from Peter Shankman. If you don't know him, you should. He's brilliant and amazing and has added a lot of value to my life in so many ways.

Twice a week, he publishes an email of people looking for donations. Some are asking for gift baskets to auction off, some asking for little items for goodie bags, etc. All in all, they need our help and while there is no promise of business to follow it, they are very good at giving sponsors visibility.

I invite you to join at: http://www.helpareporter.com/gb/.

We're looking to expand our partnership with him so watch for news to come!

Debbie

What's your goodness today?

Those of you that know me, even a bit, know that I'm a big fan of giving back. I've received so much support, goodness and cheer from so many around me that I find it humbling and somewhat embarrassing at times. I love the term "pay it forward" and use it quite often. For me, I've learned that "what goes around, comes around" is true and being a good person, doing the right thing and so on, are all a part of my daily life. I could on with more anecdotes because my friends send them to me all of the time. I must have enough books on the subject to start my own library.

This morning, we've already received 6 requests for donations and I approved all of them. It's just one of those days, I guess. We, as I'm sure you, get a lot of requests for donations and giving back is important to me but sometimes, its just so much. It's hard to draw the line on the amount of donating so until I can figure out a happy medium, I'll always support my community and those around me.

What's your goodness today?
Have you done something for yourself today, too?

Audio Blog 4.19.09 has been sent!

Hi Everyone,

If you're already a member of GBA and you're a gift basket company owner, you should have already received this weeks audio blog. Please feel free to respond here or submit your questions, comments, etc. at: http://www.debbiequintana.com/Tips.html.

If you aren't a member yet and are interested in joining: www.giftbasketassociation.com and www.findyourgiftbasket.com is where you need to go.

Have a great week. I'm hitting the pool. :)

Deb

Upcoming Events

I wanted to comment on a few important events that are coming up.

Pam and Tom Newell are having their convention in July and if you haven't heard about it or weren't planning on going, you should. Information about the convention is here: http://www.giftbasketprofessional.com/ and its packed full of exciting stuff including Mary Ann Jacobs. Fun stuff and I'm sure will be a great time!

Sherry Allen is holding her No Limits Conference at JDW Distributors in June. You can find details here: http://www.nolimitsconference.com/Events.html. Being on the West Coast myself, I might just try to get to this one.

Here's to continuously learning,
Deb

Last minute requests on the rise?

Is it me or are customers waiting until the last minute to order gifts? We've been watching our metrics and we're seeing a trend in same day deliveries, next day pick ups, overnight shipping and they're certainly on the rise. I needed to understand why it's happening, change some operational processes and be prepared.

My opinion of why its happening is two fold. First, I think people are busy and easily forget what's on their plate. Although they don't mean to forget that special birthday or anniversary, it happens. Second, people are trying to save money and not shop but when the day comes, they regret not doing something. Where else can you get a birthday present delivered the same day? A gift basket company.

In terms of our operational processes and being prepared, we've made some changes.

First, we factor in a pit stop back at the shop for our drivers. Instead of packing their schedules with solid deliveries, we do leave some time for them to return back to pick up additional deliveries. If we don't have them, its ok - they get off early.

Second, we're keeping stock of our top 10 gifts - just two each but it helps - it doesn't interrupt our regularly scheduled production and allows us a head start on the gifts our customers are asking for - all we have to do is customize it (if they want), wrap and off it goes.

Lastly, we take our shipments up to UPS at 11am and then they pick up at our shop at 4pm. Before, we just shipped out once a day.

One last comment - we started marketing the fact that we do same day deliveries and you'd be surprised what that did for us - it absolutely brought in more business, the problem - we needed to be more specific on WHERE we do same day deliveries. Once we learned that lesson - it's been just fine.

Here's to last minute orders, unorganized clients and our ability to help everyone AND make money too!

Why list on an online directory?

Dear Debbie,
I'm not really up on the internet stuff and wanted to know your opinion of online directories. I mean I know you like them because your creating one but how will it benefit my company? I typically get my business from word of mouth. Does an online directory really work?
Shelly
~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Shelly,
Great question, I actually had a conversation with an internet marketing expert today so your timing is great. I'm going to give you a "before" and "after" response. You could call it "old school" and "new school" if you want :). Keep in mind this is my experience, others may have different experiences.

Old School: Mostly word of mouth business, locally. Leads from networking. Print advertising (that was all that affordable). Repeat business from happy customers; even recipients that come to you for more of what they got.

New School: In addition to the above, you now have this amazing opportunity to do business globally. But you have to be recognized. The more your on the internet the better and online directories, blogs, search engine optimization, keyword advertising work great.

I've been in one for about a year now and literally can tell that customers are finding me and clicking on my company. The one I'm on was created by Joyce Reid and its called www.giftbasketnetwork.com. It really proved to me that online directories work. Joyce's website is really organized, clean, neat and highly effective.

Know this - it's not that people are searching for online directories - its that they are "googling" custom gift baskets San Francisco" and if you've got a lot of yourself out there in the internet world, you'll come up towards the top of the search which should, increase your business!

I could talk on this for hours but I intend to have a expert on our BlogTalkRadio show soon. I hope that helps.

About BlogTalkRadio

Well good evening from a little chilly San Jose. It's been a great day and I fielded a lot of questions from you about BlogTalkRadio. Many of you aren't familiar with it so I thought I'd describe/explain it here in the way I know it, experience it and use it.

BTR is another form of social marketing/networking but via radio - and similar to radio talk shows that you may listen to but over a regular phone or your computer. There is a host, a 'switchboard', a dial in number or an IP address so you can listen live. Listeners are muted, and like radio, we can take a caller for a live question. There is also a chat room where you can ask questions. So, here's how it works for us...

Dawn (my Gourmet Gifts operations manager) started a show called, "Coffee with Debbie and Dawn". We invite guests to the show and interview them. This gives them some visibility to their business and allows our listeners and customers to hopefully, learn something new. With Nicole at my side (I'd be lost without her), the show starts with a little music clip and then its up to me to start talking to kick the show off. Nicole manages the switchboard and can tell when people have questions they'd like to ask, she'll let me know and we'll "take a call". All she does is take them off mute and off we go. There's also a live chat she monitors and will tell me if there is a question in the chat room.

AND, its recorded so if you happen to miss it - you can listen later!

I hope you'll be able to join us on Friday at 10am Pacific time. This entire show will be about The Gift Basket Association and I have two special guests that we're interviewing.

What's your favorite cookie?

Believe it or not, I had an interview today and one of the questions they asked me is "whats your favorite cookie?" She was more curious than anything but I had to give it some serious thought. Being in this industry is fun - we get samples sent to us regularly, we have an abundance of suppliers we use so it was hard to answer but I did it.

Tea cookies - Alice's Stick Cookies
Sandwich cookies - Gloria's lemon raspberry drops
Biscotti: Be-Bop

....but then there's Nikki's chocolate with chocolate, TGG's lime cookies, .....ok I'll stop. I'm making myself hungry!

What's yours?

Another amazing few days. . .

Ladies who Launch taught me the phrase "what was your movement"? It's something I ask myself regularly - what did I accomplish in the last week. In the Women's Networking Alliance, we ask the question every three weeks. But ask me now - I dare you!

Just in the last three days, I've fielded (personally) exactly 115 questions, comments, suggestions, concerns and the like about the Gift Basket Association. I am so excited and overwhelmed by the support that I'm actually sending gifts out to a few people who have truly made a difference for me this week. Sometimes you just never know if you're doing the right thing - you think you are but how will you know? After receiving the feedback I've gotten in the last few days, I'm absolutely certain I'm doing the right thing.

My thanks to all of you but a few people in particular - Mary Ann Jacobs, Pam Newell, Patricia Sharkley and Rita Wilhelm for your willingness to help a girl with a truly genuine dream - push forward.

It's on! Wow!

What a great day. We released the first round of the Gift Basket Association this morning with the intention of getting the attention of gift basket companies and suppliers. You never really know what's going to happen and I purposely didn't ask the team how it was going. When I got off work, I reviewed my report and wow. 27 inquiries (new members, questions and ordering of advertising). 27 in one day. Nice.

I mean, honestly, where else can you the attention of gift basket companies, find great products, share and collaboration, support your community and raise the bar on your operational practices for $8.25 a month? We're just charging enough to cover our operational expenses because now, is no the time, to be charging exuberant fees. Now is the time to make opportunities for everyone and enable them to gain visibility and new customers. I'm hoping that we'll accomplish just that.

Thanks to all of you who jumped in today and signed up. I'm amazed.

Questions coming in fast!

We've gotten a lot of questions from those anticipating the release of the Gift Basket Association. We're going to answer them here so everyone can see the answers. Just a reminder, if you have a non-related GBA question - a general question about business or Debbie Quintana, we invite you to her website which is www.debbiequintana.com. She answers a variety of different questions a few times per week.

Frequently Asked Question #1
Q. Is the membership application available now or do wait until the release. I'd like to be first in my state!
A. You'll have to wait until the website goes live but we'll be posting members as they come in. The application is short and sweet so it won't take you long.

Frequently Asked Questions #2
Q. Will the supplier directory be published or will it be an online document?
A. Both. We'll be collecting and publishing the suppliers as they come in to make sure everyone has access to them immediately. But, next year (or possibly sooner), we'll be publishing the directory in print and CD form.

Frequently Asked Question #3
Q. I'm watching where I'm spending my money VERY closely. Business is down and the economy is really make us worry about the future of our company. How is the GBA going to help me personally?
A. Short answer - we've hired an expert SEO/internet marketing firm to push the GBA out hard. This will drive traffic to our site and hopefully, bring customers to you. Second, the resources, certification program, community involvement activities and the trends report will enable to you make your business better than it already is....position yourself properly for when the economy bounces back. Lastly, you'd be surprised what happens when you start collaborating with other gift basket owners. I've watched Debbie's relationships develop and its amazing.

Frequently Asked Question #4
Q. There are a few other "networks" out there, what is your opinion of those and how is this one different?
A. We have been very successful with other networks and think that anyone who is willing to put forth and effort to help the rest of this in the industry should be commended and supported. That being said, Debbie asked us to create an environment that was more than just a portal for customers to find a good gift basket company - she wanted something that would raise the bar on quality, encourage eco-friendliness and promote all aspects of this industry.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at info@giftbasketassociation.com.

Help is coming!

I've had my fair share of challenges, as we all do, and now, as I talk to other gift basket company owners - I realize that its an economy that requires unique, innovative and different approaches. It's no longer about old school gifts, its time to renew, refresh and rediscover our own world. All of that being said, the Gift Basket Association is looking for suppliers that follow that concept - what supplies do you have that are new, fresh and would be exciting for our customers?

If you've got something new - I'm interested in hearing from you. Bring it! You can contact me directly at debbie@thebestgourmetgifts.com. Let's reinvent gift baskets together.

Here we go . . .

It's been a long time coming and an idea that came about year ago when I first started Gourmet Gifts. How do I really know the right way to create and market a gift basket company? There are a ton of resources out there but I found them to be outdated, lacking the pizazz that I was really looking for to make a difference.

Here I am years later, a small business consultant specializing in gift basket businesses, realizing the same problem exists. Whether is the competitive nature of the gift basket industry or the sheer lack of knowledge sharing, we, as gift basket owners can do a better job of supporting one another. The gift basket industry is a billion dollar industry - and growing. And in this tough economic time, we need to pull together to support one another.

So (can you hear the music?) we've started the Gift Basket Association. It's an association of gift basket owners that will band together to provide each other with support of ideas, discussions around emerging trends and make it easier for their customers to get the products they want quickly.

GBA connects gift basket companies so that we can have "same day" delivery without expensive fees. We can connect with companies of similar styles and when our customer needs "same day" across the United States, we've already established a relationship and are making *a little* commission.

If you're ready to be collaborative, share, learn and above all, continue to raise this industry up - we're ready to have you! Welcome to the Gift Basket Association