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You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as gift wrapping for corporate clients, or an online store to sell wrapping paper.
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Written by: Carolyn Young
Carolyn Young has over 25 years of experience in business in various roles, including bank management, marketing management, and business education.
Published on May 18, 2022
Updated on December 23, 2022
Investment range
$8,550 - $19,100
Revenue potential
$120,000 - $255,000 p.a.
Time to build
1 – 3 months
Profit potential
$36,000 - $77,000 p.a.
Industry trend
Growing
Commitment
Full-time
Do you love shopping for gifts just so you can wrap them creatively? Most people don’t! That’s why the gift packaging market is projected to grow more than 40% over the next decade.
Gift wrapping is a skill and an art, and if you have a knack for it, you could start a gift wrapping business, ride this growth wave and turn your abilities into a rewarding career. You could open your own kiosk and get business from hundreds of passersby every day.
But before you break out the tape and scissors, you’ll need to learn how to start and grow a business. Fortunately, all the information you need to launch a successful gift wrapping business is packaged into this step-by-step guide.
Starting a gift wrapping business has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s right for you.
Trends in the gift wrapping industry include:
Challenges in the gift wrapping industry include:
Startup costs for a gift wrapping business range from $8,500 to $19,000. Costs include renting a kiosk or a store, and an inventory of gift wrapping paper.
If you want to hone your gift wrapping skills, you can take online gift wrapping courses through Udemy.
You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your gift wrapping business, including:
Start-up Costs | Ballpark Range | Average |
---|---|---|
Setting up a business name and corporation | $150 - $200 | $175 |
Business licenses and permits | $100 - $300 | $200 |
Insurance | $100-$300 | $200 |
Business cards and brochures | $200 - $300 | $250 |
Website setup | $1,000 - $3,000 | $2,000 |
Kiosk or store rental deposit | $2,000 - $5,000 | $3,500 |
Inventory and equipment | $5,000 - $10,000 | $7,500 |
Total | $8,550 - $19,100 | $13,825 |
If you are properly skilled, you should be able to charge about $10 per gift, depending on the size. You can sell rolls of premium wrapping paper for about $15 per roll. Your profit margin after product costs and overhead should be about 30%.
In your first year or two, you could average three gift wraps and $300 in sold products per day, bringing in $120,000 in annual revenue. This would mean $36,000 in profit, assuming that 30% margin. As your business gains traction, sales could climb to an average of $700 per day. With annual revenue of $255,000, you’d make a healthy profit of nearly $77,000.
The only barrier to entry for a gift wrapping business is the competition you’ll face for your products from large gift stores.
Now that you know what’s involved in starting a gift wrapping business, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market.
Research gift wrapping businesses in your area to examine their products and services, price points, and customer reviews. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the local market is missing a gift wrapping business that also makes customized gift baskets or offers fabric bows.
You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as gift wrapping for corporate clients, or an online store to sell wrapping paper.
This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away.
In addition to gift wrapping services, you can sell wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, tissue paper, gift boxes, gift bags, and greeting cards.
You should be able to charge an average of $10 to wrap gifts. Prices for the wrapping paper and other items you sell will vary. After all your costs, you should aim for a profit margin of about 30%.
Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.
Your target market will be broad, so you should spread out your marketing to include sites like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. You could also reach out to major local retailers and big box stores to see if they might be interested in a partnership.
You’ll need to rent out a kiosk in a mall or a storefront. You can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist, Crexi, and Instant Offices.
When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:
Your business name is your business identity, so choose one that encapsulates your objectives, services, and mission in just a few words. You probably want a name that’s short and easy to remember, since much of your business, and your initial business in particular, will come from word-of-mouth referrals.
Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:
Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these.
Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.
Every business needs a plan. This will function as a guidebook to take your startup through the launch process and maintain focus on your key goals. A business plan also enables potential partners and investors to better understand your company and its vision:
If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist at Fiverr to create a top-notch business plan for you.
Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.
Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business!
Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to gift wrapping businesses.
If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state.
Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your gift wrapping business will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely.
Here are the main options:
We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using ZenBusiness’s online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization, and answer any questions you might have.
The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number, or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN.
Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.
The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist, and taxes can be filed online.
It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.
Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:
Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a gift wrapping business. You might also try crowdfunding if you have an innovative concept.
Starting a gift wrapping business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.
Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits.
You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more.
You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package. They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.
This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties. If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.
Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account.
Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your gift wrapping business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.
Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account.
Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.
Here are some types of insurance to consider:
As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business.
Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks.
You may want to use industry-specific software, such as LS Retail, Vend, or Retail Pro, to manage purchasing, inventory, sales, and invoicing.
Some of your business will come from the casual passerby or online visitors, but you should still invest in digital marketing! Getting the word out is especially important for new businesses, as it’ll boost customer and brand awareness.
Once your website is up and running, link it to your social media accounts and vice versa. Social media is a great tool for promoting your business because you can create engaging posts that advertise your products:
Take advantage of your website, social media presence, and real-life activities to increase awareness of your offerings and build your brand. Some suggestions include:
Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism. They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.
You can create your own website using services like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace. This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.
Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that set it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your gift wrapping business meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire.
Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your gift wrapping business could be:
You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a gift wrapping business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working in gift wrapping for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections.
The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in gift wrapping. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership.
If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a gift wrapping business include:
At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need.
Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed, Glassdoor, or ZipRecruiter. Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent.
Most people dislike gift-wrapping, so if you’re in the minority, why not start a gift wrapping business and have some fun? Gift wrapping is a large and growing industry, and you could grab your share of the market. You’ll have to put in some hours and have a passion for being creative and working with people, but you can build a lucrative gift wrapping operation.
You’ve now got the required entrepreneurial insight, so it’s time to get out the supplies and start your successful gift wrapping business.
You can start a gift wrapping business for about $8,500 if you rent a mall kiosk instead of a store. Costs include a deposit on your kiosk and an inventory of wrapping paper and supplies.
Yes, a gift wrapping business can be profitable, but you’ll probably need to sell wrapping paper and other gift wrapping supplies to be successful.
You may need various business licenses and permits at the state and local levels. Check with your local governments for requirements or visit MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance page.
You should be able to charge an average of $10 to wrap gifts, depending on the size of the gifts. Prices for the wrapping paper and other items you sell will vary.
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