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Hi there.
Speaker:It's Sue.
Speaker:And thanks for joining me for tips and talk day.
Speaker:These are bite-sized topics that I pull from community questions and
Speaker:things that I'm observing in the world of handmade small business.
Speaker:If you'd like to submit a topic,
Speaker:DME, over on Instagram at gift biz unwrapped,
Speaker:I was 12,
Speaker:I think,
Speaker:old enough to plan and purchase Christmas gifts without my mom
Speaker:checking on me,
Speaker:I felt so grown up and particularly loved the wrapping part.
Speaker:I'd set up shop on a card table in my mom
Speaker:and dad's bedroom in front of the TV and watch a
Speaker:holiday movie while rapping.
Speaker:Of course,
Speaker:I got such satisfaction with folding the paper just right.
Speaker:So the corners were really tight and the best was when
Speaker:I completed a seal with the holiday design that ran seamlessly
Speaker:from one side to the other.
Speaker:Even today,
Speaker:I will say I'm a wrapping pro that particular year.
Speaker:We had exchanged presence in the morning within the immediate family,
Speaker:my mom,
Speaker:dad, brother,
Speaker:and me,
Speaker:and on Christmas afternoon,
Speaker:my extended family came over and there was a gift exchange.
Speaker:Then to being the youngest,
Speaker:I distributed all the gifts.
Speaker:There were only a couple per person,
Speaker:not huge piles of gifts or anything had there been,
Speaker:my oversight may have gone overlooked,
Speaker:but I wasn't that lucky as we were exchanging gifts,
Speaker:my mom asked,
Speaker:what did you give uncle Jack Sue?
Speaker:The whole family turned and looked at me.
Speaker:And then at his small gift stash,
Speaker:I looked under the tree for my gift to him.
Speaker:Perhaps I missed it when I was passing out presence,
Speaker:not there.
Speaker:Did I forget to wrap it?
Speaker:I quickly ran up to my bedroom closet where I had
Speaker:stored my holiday gifts.
Speaker:Not there either.
Speaker:My heart started racing.
Speaker:Is it possible that I didn't get uncle Jack that traditional
Speaker:holiday tie I had intended?
Speaker:Okay. No judging my gift choice.
Speaker:This was years ago and my uncle was a lot older
Speaker:than me.
Speaker:Horror of horrors.
Speaker:Sure enough.
Speaker:There was no present for my uncle and I had to
Speaker:go back downstairs and confess that I'd messed up.
Speaker:I was mortified and right then and there decided this would
Speaker:never, ever happen to me again.
Speaker:And it hasn't little did I know back then,
Speaker:but at that young age,
Speaker:I created my first process,
Speaker:a system to run through each and every holiday season to
Speaker:ensure all gifts are purchased,
Speaker:wrapped and ready.
Speaker:Over the years,
Speaker:it's been perfected and adjusted to include more adult elements of
Speaker:gift giving and holiday planning,
Speaker:but it's been a lifesaver.
Speaker:And I want to share it with you today.
Speaker:You may not think this is a very business related topic.
Speaker:As most of the things that we cover here on this
Speaker:podcast are,
Speaker:but it really is.
Speaker:I'm sure you've heard about the value of adding processes and
Speaker:systems in your business.
Speaker:So things run smoothly.
Speaker:And if you haven't,
Speaker:I bet you have them set up without even knowing it.
Speaker:When you make your products,
Speaker:you follow a step-by-step process,
Speaker:same with filling orders and a number of other tasks that
Speaker:you do that are necessary for your business to function properly.
Speaker:You may just not have them formalized and written down right
Speaker:now. When you do have a structured process,
Speaker:projects become so much easier because you don't have to rethink
Speaker:your steps.
Speaker:You only have to follow them.
Speaker:I have processes for lots of things in business from order
Speaker:processing to blog writing and promoting podcast creation and production.
Speaker:And of course,
Speaker:social media posting.
Speaker:So you're probably not surprised.
Speaker:Now, when I tell you that I have a process for
Speaker:holiday gift planning,
Speaker:and guess what I want to share with you?
Speaker:The holiday gifting worksheet I created and use every single year.
Speaker:It keeps me organized insane.
Speaker:When it comes to holiday presence,
Speaker:this is totally free.
Speaker:My gift to you,
Speaker:and you can download your worksheet at gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash gift planner,
Speaker:no opt-in or anything.
Speaker:The link send you directly to the worksheet when you grab
Speaker:your copy.
Speaker:Here's what you'll see first,
Speaker:right at the top is a place for you to put
Speaker:your holiday gifting budget.
Speaker:I've found.
Speaker:I stay way more in control of my expenses.
Speaker:When I start out with a solid number in mind of
Speaker:what I'll be spending,
Speaker:do I always stay in budget?
Speaker:Not always,
Speaker:but I don't get way out of control either.
Speaker:And then spend months into the next year scrimping to cover
Speaker:my holiday generosity.
Speaker:Next comes a form where you can list all the people
Speaker:who will be receiving gifts from you this year,
Speaker:family, friends,
Speaker:even your employees can go on this list or you can
Speaker:make a separate worksheet entirely for your business.
Speaker:If you'd like after each name comes my estimated dollar amount
Speaker:of what I'd like to spend for each gift next,
Speaker:the actual cost.
Speaker:Once it's purchased a description of what the gift is,
Speaker:and then a place to keep track when the gift has
Speaker:been ramped,
Speaker:mailed, or otherwise completed,
Speaker:I don't have to tell you how satisfying it is to
Speaker:mark off progress.
Speaker:By checking these boxes,
Speaker:continuing down the form.
Speaker:There are also sections for gifts for those who provide services
Speaker:throughout the year,
Speaker:think of your mail carrier,
Speaker:yoga instructor,
Speaker:or whoever you choose to acknowledge with a holiday gift.
Speaker:Even if it's an added holiday tip,
Speaker:this is still a holiday expense that you may forget about.
Speaker:And finally,
Speaker:I also include a category for holiday decor.
Speaker:Okay. Admission here.
Speaker:My house looks like a Christmas gift shop.
Speaker:I don't even know how many trees I have up only
Speaker:one main real tree,
Speaker:but others throughout the whole house and decorations in every corner
Speaker:when Hanukkah and Christmas fall at the same time,
Speaker:I admit it overboard.
Speaker:But my treat to myself is to add something new to
Speaker:the house every year,
Speaker:sometimes it's little last year,
Speaker:it was a photo of Santa where it lights up from
Speaker:the back.
Speaker:Have you seen those photos that are popular now with all
Speaker:the little lights?
Speaker:They're almost like little Christmas lights that show up within the
Speaker:imprint of the photo.
Speaker:It's so cute.
Speaker:It sits on my kitchen counter and just makes me smile.
Speaker:There are other items in my decor category too.
Speaker:This is where I put things like holiday cards,
Speaker:wrapping paper and bows hostess gifts.
Speaker:Oh, here's a hint.
Speaker:I always buy a number of hostess gifts early in the
Speaker:season to have ready and waiting.
Speaker:So I don't need to go out the day of a
Speaker:party and find something.
Speaker:If I have hostess gifts left over after the holidays.
Speaker:Well, I always find some way to use them.
Speaker:Also. I always have a gift or two ready,
Speaker:wrapped and waiting.
Speaker:If someone gives me a present that I wasn't expecting,
Speaker:I can say,
Speaker:oh, I have something for you to let me go get
Speaker:it. I just add their name to the gift tag and
Speaker:I'm offering it to them in seconds.
Speaker:It's a great backup plan.
Speaker:Listen, anything done in advance that can avoid potential.
Speaker:Embarrassment is the way I roll.
Speaker:This was my commitment to myself.
Speaker:Way back when I was 12 and to saving and referencing
Speaker:the prior year's gift planning worksheet is also really helpful.
Speaker:You can adjust your gift giving easiest when you know what
Speaker:you did last year and let's face it.
Speaker:You aren't going to remember 12 months later.
Speaker:So having this worksheet to reference is great for moving forward
Speaker:for the current holiday season.
Speaker:Anyway, if you'd like to use my system here,
Speaker:it is for you for free.
Speaker:Just go to gift biz,
Speaker:unwrapped.com forward slash gift planner.
Speaker:Oh, and happy holiday gifting.
Speaker:That's a wrap.
Speaker:I'm a get to the point kind of girl.
Speaker:And this is what you can expect from these quick midweek
Speaker:sessions. Now it's your turn go out and fulfill that dream
Speaker:of yours.
Speaker:Share your handmade products with us.
