Gift baskets are in great demand.  They make fantastic presents and you can now find gift baskes to suit just about any occasions.  This means that you can start a gift basket supply business which offers anything from from gourmet foods, chocolates and teas to body lotions, birthday items, special occasion products for wedding gift baskets, and more.

What skills are helpful?

Some knowledge and experience in the gift basket business along with knowledge of a wide variety of wholesale companies. Your familiarity with the business will help you keep your stock fresh and interesting for your clientele.

Organizational skills are a must! It is going to be imperative that you be able to keep your inventory organized. You also need to keep customer information and orders organized.

Creativity is important, you’ll need a little bit of a creative flair to set up beautiful looking baskets.

What tools are needed?

If you’re selling wholesale supplies you’re going to be selling large quantities of supplies at a time.  To run a successful supply business you need to have an area large enough that you can keep stocked full of inventory; a room with shelving space is a good option. You are also going to need boxes, packaging bubbles/material, and tape to send out purchases.

If you’re offering gift baskets which you design and build yourself you’ll need marketing materials such as a website, business cards, flyers and basic computer equipment such as a fax machine, telephone and a computer.

You’ll also need to find a good supplier to supply you with all the gift basket essentials and a large table in a roomy area of your home to design and build the baskets.

How do you get started?

Once you’ve made up your mind to go with it you will need to check out legal issues. Businesses that involve lots of shipments coming and going can often be subject to more rules than other home based businesses. Make sure that you have appropriate insurance on your home that will cover your business; you may need an additional policy.

Take your time and develop your first line of products. Provide a nice variety of products and plan to keep introducing new items on a regular basis to keep clients interested. You’ll need a well organized and easy to use website along with an attractive catalog. Both will be important in promoting your product line.

Make your customers happy, build a personal relationship with them, and let them know you care about them and their businesses. Customer satisfaction is the quickest way to grow your business as current clients will spread the word about you if they’re happy.

Resources:

 Find out to Sell gift baskets, Attract new clients and more.

Start a Gift Basket Service - From  Entrepreneur.com

A ghostwriter is someone that gets paid to write for other people. Once a ghostwriter has written the article, book, speech, etc, and the customer has paid the ghostwriter, the customer then owns sole rights to it, can put their name on it and use it however they choose. The ghostwriter retains no rights and gets no public credit for the work.

If you are a skilled writer, proofreader, etc. ghostwriting could be just the business for you.

What skills are helpful?

To become a ghostwriter you need to have reading, writing, proofreading, communication and grammar skills. You also need strong researching skills as you often find yourself writing on topics that you have no personal expertise in.

What tools are needed?

Ghostwriters need to have a computer with a word processing application like Microsoft Word. You’ll need an internet connection and fax machine. Keep a good dictionary and thesaurus handy as well.

How do you get started?

To start a ghostwriting business you need a website. You can use a site builder or hire someone to build it for you. Your website needs to clearly define your services available, your rates, etc. The next step is to find some clients.

Take a little time to research your competition and find ways to stand out above them. Don’t expect to have a website up and running one day and the next to be swamped with work, that’s not reality, although there is a big demand for skilled ghost writers among the internet marketing community.

Online networking groups are a great way to get out there, advertise you, and start building some relationships. There are freelance sites that allow clients to post projects for you to bid on. Some of these sites require a paid membership from you to participate.

Building up your business will take time and a little elbow grease. If you have the desire to be your own boss, be home for your family then that motivation should keep you going even in the slow times.

Resources:
Ghost Writing Uncovered – ebook available for $9.99, instant download.

Column for the week of May 26, 2008

Direct Answers from Wayne and Tamara

The Illusionist

I am a faithful reader of your column and would like to hear your answer.  I used to date a guy who claimed he liked me.  He is a nice person, and I feel I can trust him.  During one of our conversations defining what we had between us, he told me he couldn?t forget the previous girl he liked.

He is a reasonably successful man who has liked this woman for the past four years.  He assured me he liked me more, but as this was not something I wanted, I decided we would remain just friends.  I still care for him, but I have no romantic feelings left.

What I want to know is this.  I can understand his reaction if they had been together once, but they hadn?t.  It was a completely one-sided love from the beginning.  In fact, this woman indicated she only wanted to be friends with him, and she has been in a happy relationship with another man for two years.  He says he is happy that she is happy.

Why do you think he tortures himself so?  It almost makes me think he enjoys being the martyr.  To be fair, he told me he would like to move on and has been trying the past four years, but is not able to.  Is there anything I can do to help?

Johanna

Johanna, many people nurture a fantasy because it confers a mental gain for them.  It may not be a productive way to live, but they reap a psychic benefit from doing it.

In Jane Austen?s ?Pride and Prejudice? there is a noblewoman named Lady Catherine de Bourgh.  Lady Catherine is a laggard whose only accomplishment in life was being born to a wealthy family.  In one scene in the novel, during a discussion about playing the piano, Lady Catherine remarks, ?If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient.?

Lady Catherine?s fantasy allows her to overlook her own laziness and to pretend she owes her lofty position to intrinsic merit rather than an accident of birth.  In a similar way, we once knew a woman who adopted a little boy named Kenny.  When Kenny was five, he wandered into traffic and was struck by a car.

A few years after Kenny?s death this woman and her husband adopted another little boy, Steve.  As Steve grew up, his adoptive parents constantly told him how remarkable Kenny had been.  In their memory Kenny was a child with a natural ability to charm animals.   He learned to read before other children and possessed unusual athletic abilities.

No matter what Steve accomplished, he could never measure up to Kenny.  When Steve married, his adoptive mother remarked, ?Kenny would never have dated a woman like that.?  It is almost too cruel to add that, though Steve cared for his parents in their old age, they secretly left all their assets to another relative.  Their fantasy of Kenny was the tool they used to justify their abuse of Steve.

Your friend?s devotion to this woman also must confer a psychic benefit.  Perhaps he is afraid of intimacy and afraid of women.  If he acknowledges this as a problem, he can go to therapy.  Or he can nurture this fantasy all of his life.  That?s for him to decide.

But if his devotion is a ploy, it is simply his method of dating.  He has no real intention of getting married, so he tells women: jump through this hoop and try to win me.  When you are tired of trying and want to move on, remember that I warned you I loved someone else.

If that is the case, he definitely won?t seek help because there is nothing to cure.  Frankly, we suspect if he genuinely wanted this woman, he wouldn?t be so happy for her.  He would be hoping she?d give him a chance.

Wayne & Tamara

Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.

Send letters to: Direct Answers, com

PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com .

Direct Answers from Wayne and Tamara

Hard Lessons

I know this is all my fault. I know I had the right to say no, but I didn?t because everyone deserves a chance. The thing that hurts most is he knew the complications he was bringing into my life.

My parents believe in arranged marriage, and they disapproved of this man. But I felt terrible thinking he knew I was intentionally not returning his calls. He called five or six times every night. Gradually I gave in.

During one of our conversations he told me what I now doubt really happened. His story was he loved a girl since high school, but she cheated on him. It didn?t end there. He kept stressing the disappointments that came his way, his hard childhood, and the betrayal that always followed him.

I treated him with care, and he stressed I could trust him no matter what. As things progressed he started nagging me to sleep with him, and that was my biggest mistake. I became emotionally sealed to him, and whenever he made the suggestion to meet for sex, I no longer fought it.

Everything was good until I asked him what he would do if his parents decided to arrange his marriage. I was shocked when he told me that he wouldn?t fight it. Prior to this he told me he goes by his own rule. He even asked me to continue being with him until his parents arranged his marriage.

One day I saw his car at the hotel we went to. I peeked through the keyhole and saw him and a girl naked. I can?t get that image out of my mind. When I confronted him, he treated me worse than a dog.

I called his mother. His mother?s reaction still has me baffled. She was totally cold, like she just didn?t give a damn what happened to me, or what he might do to another girl. I want him to pay, but I have resolved to leave him and his mother in the hands of God.

Throughout high school I fought peer pressure only for this to happen. I have decided not to tell my parents, and I have reached out to a few friends. I am undecided as to whether I should fulfill the promise I made about helping out with his study materials. I talked to a religious friend, and his opinion is promises should be fulfilled.

I always wanted to live life without regrets, but thanks to my stupidity, I can no longer do that.

Eva

Eva, this man used two stratagems against you. He portrayed himself as a victim to evoke pity, and he insinuated himself into your life. He is a predator who stalked you, knowing all along what he wanted. Don?t give him the study materials. That promise was elicited through lies, and despicable behavior should never be rewarded.

Aristotle viewed anger as a legitimate reaction to injustice. He felt anger protects us from making excuses for wrongdoing. You have every reason to be angry with this man, but don?t turn that anger inward. You were tricked. That happens to people at different stages of life, and they must be able to forgive themselves and move on.

We cannot go through life attributing the best of intentions to others, and we cannot go through life attributing the worst of intentions to others. We must respond to others in a way appropriate to who they are. When we encounter predators, the wisest course is eliminating all contact.

The wise thing now is to continue with your plans as they were before you encountered this man. You are a young woman with your life in front of you. It is easy, when we are young, to think some event has ruined our life. But life has many ups and downs, and it is in mastering the ups and downs that we master life.

Wayne & Tamara

Authors and columnists Wayne and Tamara Mitchell can be reached at www.WayneAndTamara.com.

Send letters to: Direct Answers, PO Box 964, Springfield, MO 65801 or email: DirectAnswers@WayneAndTamara.com .

One of the most often heard questions when considering homeschooling is, “Aren’t you worried about socialization?”  I’m not sure if those questions are truly about socialization, or if they’re about socializing.  There’s a big difference between the two.

While this issue of socialization seems to be on the minds of people against homeschooling, those who actually homeschool never give it much thought.  They know that their children are not going to suffer by foregoing public school socialization. In fact, most homeschool children are probably better socialized than public school students.

Socialization is basically learning to conform to today’s society.  What is it about homeschooling that would keep a child from learning to conform to today’s society? And do we really want children that conform and become little automatons?  Or do we want children who can think for themselves while having something to offer society as a whole? 

Children are little sponges, so just by being a part of a family they will begin to learn what society expects of them.  The only way a child would fail to be socialized is if they were secluded away from everyone.  The image of a backwoods, backwards, misfit homeschool family is just not accurate.  Homeschooling families are generally active in their local communities, and often involved in volunteering to help others.  These activities will help solve any socialization issues.

So if you plan to homeschool, how should you respond when asked about socialization?  Are the questions really about socializing instead?  Well, I can honestly say, my kids are very social.  Not only do we attend church every week, we have days during the week that we meet with other homeschool families, and they’ll strike up a conversation with anyone, no matter their age.  If those activities aren’t enough, homeschool children have play days, skate days, and trips to the bowling alley.  How much more social does a child have to be?

When thinking about socialization, one has to wonder, are the lessons they learn in public school really any better than what they’ll learn at home?  Since public schools create artificial societies which rarely mirror real life.  In public schools children learn about drugs, alcohol, violence, and sexual promiscuity.  Most homeschool parents are very happy that their children won’t have to learn those lessons.

If socialization is supposed to teach your child how to behave in society, how to properly respond to people, and be responsible adults, it isn’t very likely that a child will learn that from public school.  All one has to do is go to nearly any public middle school and walk the halls.  After witnessing the behavior of the students there, ask yourself which of those behaviors you would truly want your child to emulate.  That should get any parent’s attention and quell any further questions or concerns about a homeschool child’s socialization.