If you’re tired of the same old jobs, consider starting a gift wrapping business. If you have excellent gift wrapping skills, put those skills to use and bring in extra money while you’re at it.
And if you’re not? That’s okay, too. You can practice wrapping to hone your craft.
People will pay a premium for someone else to do the hard work of wrapping presents.
Know how I know?
Because I loathe wrapping gifts.
My husband is especially good at it – but if it weren’t for him, I’d gladly pay someone else to do it for me.
Knowing how to make money at home is crucial today. No one should rely on their 9 to 5 income because it’s not guaranteed!
If you’re ready to think outside the box, follow these steps to start making money with a gift wrapping business.
Step 1: Perfect Your Skill
If you’re already a gift-wrapping guru, skip this step. But to brush up your skills and check out the latest trends in ribbons, bows and wrapping paper, hop on YouTube or Pinterest to see what people are searching for today.
Try your hand at the latest styles and take lots of pics! You’ll need them when you start marketing your gift wrapping business.
They say a picture is worth 1,000 words – and that’s true. People love pretty gifts, so get your ‘Instagram-worthy’ images ready. You’ll need them to bring in your target audience.
Step 2: Get Your Supplies
Fortunately, you don’t need to invest a lot of money up front to start this gig. A gift-wrapping service has minimal overhead. Here’s a list of the necessary supplies you might need:
- Gift wrap
- Cellophane wrap (for gift baskets)
- Scissors
- Tape
- Gift tags
- Ribbon
- Bows
- Other decorative items you use to make your gift wrapping unique
Organize your supplies in a tote or make some room in a closet at home, so you have everything you need close-at-hand.
Step 3: Choose Who You Want to Help
Choosing a niche, or the type of people you want to serve with your gift-wrapping services, can help you target potential customers. It really helps your advertising efforts.
Advertising to anyone and everyone seems logical, but you lose your focus.
Instead, choose a target market. Ask yourself: who do I want to wrap gifts for? You might target:
- Moms
- Single people
- Businesses
- Corporations
- Local stores
Helping busy moms or single people wrap presents is a useful service.
But so is targeting local stores that may not offer gift wrapping services – they could incorporate your services with their business model and provide a steady stream of customers for you.
Corporations often give gifts to each of their employees. You could specialize in corporate gift wrapping and provide wrapping services to package hundreds of gifts for a company’s employees!
Think outside the box and what your availability might be. Corporations might need you to pick up and drop off gifts during regular business hours. But moms, singles and local stores might be flexible with night or weekend hours.
Step 4: Consider Going Mobile
In addition to your niche, mobile gift wrapping is something you can add (and charge more for).
Some people won’t want to drop off a gift for you to wrap – they’d rather have you come to them. If you’re willing to travel to where the gifts are (peoples’ houses, businesses and stores), you can charge for your travel time and wrap the gifts on-site.
You could get paid on the spot and wouldn’t have extra gifts cluttering your home.
Step 5: Set Your Prices
This is one of the most important steps. It’s best to start with some research: check out websites and social media pages to see what others might be charging.
Don’t copy their prices, but do use them as a reference. If you have a direct competitor, obviously you need to keep your rate comparable. But if you are the first in the area, do a survey.
Ask your target audience (or friends and family) what they think a service like this would be worth.
You may be surprised at the prices you can charge. People who don’t like gift wrapping or don’t have the time will pay big!
But most importantly, make sure to charge what you’re worth. Don’t fall into the trap of under-charging because you think your services aren’t worth more.
Step 6: Advertise Your Gift Wrapping Business
Advertising is the secret to get clients coming to you. To get the money rolling in, you have to advertise. It’s easier than ever, thanks to social media. But you need a strategy.
Word-of-mouth works great, but don’t stop there. Of course, let your friends and family know what you’re doing. They may be your first customers!
Then think of other ways to advertise:
- Set out flyers in your neighborhood and on local billboards in grocery stores, restaurants or the library
- Advertise in your neighborhood’s online groups like Facebook, Next Door or Meetup
- Start a social media page on Facebook, Instagram and even Tik Tok to get the word out about your business
You could start a blog to advertise your services and rates online. And social media is huge for advertising your gift-wrapping service. Have fun with it!
Instagram is perfect because of its picture focus. Take well-lit pictures of your work and share them on Instagram.
Facebook is great for more content-focused advertising, but you can include pictures, too. Consider joining Facebook groups, especially the local groups in your area, to add to the conversations.
No matter where you advertise, don’t be pushy. Show how you can help people by saving them time and making their gifts gorgeous with wrapping paper and ribbons.
Make Money with Gift Wrapping
If you wonder how to make money at home, a gift-wrapping service is a wonderful option during the holidays.
You can turn it into a year-round gig by specializing in birthday presents, creating specialized gift baskets, and working on holiday specials, such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Sweetest Day.
There’s never been a better time to make money at home with a new gig. If you love wrapping gifts, make it a service and watch the money come in!
