Having your own home-based business….. a greeting card business. It’s a terrific business to be in since we send greeting cards to express happiness and joy and good tidings. The majority of times when people send out cards to others, they are doing so because they care about them and want to wish them well or at least let them know they’re being remembered. Seeing a greeting card in the mail creates a good feeling.
That’s what I appreciate most about this business. It’s a feel good business. I’m in the business of helping people learn how to – and share how to – make others feel good! This business has been a perfect fit for me as I feel it’s important to put good out into the world and help others do the same.
So if you’re in the market for a home based business and one that can positively impact the lives of *MANY* you might want to take a close look at this one.
My home based greeting card business is one that makes it so easy and affordable for us to send out cards, that we’re inspired to send many more than with traditional methods for buying and sending out cards. I share with people how they can have a card in the mail, with a stamp, in their own handwriting, in a couple of minutes – for less than $1. Hard to believe? Try it out for yourself! Just click on the gray bar on the upper right corner of this blog “GIVE ME MY FREE ACCOUNT AND PLAN”. At the very least you can send a heartfelt card to someone you care about, on me, no strings attached.
Leave me a comment below about a time someone sent you a card and it made you feel good, or a time you sent someone a card and they told you about how good it made them feel. Can’t wait to hear from you!
Here is the 2nd of 10 sequential videos explaining in more detail how to use greeting cards to grow your business. These videos focus on growing a home based greeting card business, but the tips and techniques translate well to any other kind of business. Check back frequently, as I will post quite a few in the coming days.
Yesterday I talked about the popularity and convenience of Netflix. Let’s look at exactly how popular Netflix is. Netflix has been around for about 11 years. At the close of 2008, there were 9.4 million subscribers which was a 26% increase over the 4th quarter of 2007. The revenue for the 4th quarter of 2008 was $360 Million – a 19% increase over the 4th quarter of 2007. Netflix 2008 fiscal year Revenue was $1.36 BILLION – an increase of 13% over 2007. Now that’s a lot of movies! How would you like to share in the profit? I obtained this information from Netflix.com.
I have “heard” but can’t substantiate that Netflix will PROFIT $100 million in 2008. How would you like to share in that profit?
This blog is geared toward people who are interested in starting their own Home Based Greeting Card Business. Would you be interested in sharing a pool of 50% of the profits of a greeting card company that works just like Netflix? A greeting card program where people can send cards from their computer yet they show up in the mail?
Here are some numbers on this company….
In 2004, this company’s annual revenue was $200,000
2005 – $2.5 million
2006 – $12 million
2007 – $24 Million
2008 – $41 Million
At the close of 2008 there were 160,000 users of this service which was a 78% increase over the prior year. In all likelihood, 3-5 years from now, this company will be where Netflix is today. Now I ask you again… How would you like to share in the profits?
I ask people this every day…. everyone has heard of Netflix and most people use the service. Why?
Who wants to drive to the store, look around for a DVD, ask at the counter for a particular title (which they may or may not have), drive home, then back again before the deadline to avoid late fees!
With Netflix you log onto a website, choose your movie, hit send, and it shows up in the mail. Send it back when you’re ready. It’s easy, fast, very affordable and you have thousands of titles from which to choose.
What if you could…. log onto a website, choose a greeting card, type your message, hit send, and have that card show up in the mail? I’m thinking real mail, with a stamp, same place as our Netflix DVD’s arrive.
Well, actually you can! Same as Netflix it’s easy, fast, very affordable and you have thousands of cards from which to choose.
Now what if you could get in on the profits that Netflix is making? Yeah, I think we’d all like a piece of that pie. No problem, you can get in on the profits of sending greeting cards through your own Home Based Greeting Card Business. Want to look at some numbers? Stay tuned, I’ll work on that now and share them with you tomorrow!
Here is the first of 10 sequential videos explaining in more detail how to use greeting cards to grow your business. These videos focus on growing a home based greeting card business, but the tips and techniques translate well to any other kind of business. Check back frequently, as I will post quite a few in the coming days.
Have you ever thought to yourself… “Greeting cards? Why would anyone want to get into a business selling greeting cards?” Well, I had a similar thought when this business was first introduced to me in 2006. I couldn’t see the income potential until I did a little research. Here are some statistics that I found shocking! My source is the Greeting Card Association based in Washington DC.
U.S. consumers purchase approximately 7 billion greeting cards each year, generating nearly $7.5 billion in retail sales.
More than 90 percent of all U.S. households buy greeting cards, with the average household purchasing 30 individual cards in a year.
The average person receives more than 20 cards per year, about one-third of which are birthday cards.
Greeting cards range in price from 50 cents to $10, although counter cards typically cost between $2 and $4. Cards featuring special techniques, intricate designs and new technologies are at the top of the price scale.
The exchange of greeting cards is one of the most widely accepted customs in the U.S. There are cards for virtually any occasion or relationship, and they are widely available. Approximately 100,000 retail outlets around the country carry greeting cards.
Women purchase more than 80 percent of all greeting cards.
Although women are more likely than men to buy several cards at once, men generally spend more on a single card than women.
There are two categories of greeting cards — Seasonal and Everyday. Total card sales are split approximately 50-50 between the two types.
The most popular Everyday cards are Birthday (60%), Anniversary (8%), Get Well (7%), Friendship (6%), and Sympathy cards (6%).
The most popular Seasonal cards are Christmas (60%), Valentine’s Day (25%), Mother’s Day (4%), Easter (3%), and Father’s Day (3%) cards.
There are an estimated 3,000 greeting card publishers in the U.S., ranging from small family-run organizations to major corporations. GCA-member publisher companies account for approximately 95 percent of industry sales.
Nine out of 10 Americans say they look forward to receiving personal letters and greeting cards because cards allow them to keep in touch with friends and family and make them feel they are important to someone else.
Although e-mail, text messaging and phone calls are valued by Americans for helping them communicate with family and friends, the majority of Americans say they prefer the old-fashioned handwritten card or letter to make someone feel truly special.
The other day I went to a local Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting. It’s always a great place to make connections. I meet new people, catch up with clients, networking buddies, business associates, and distributors on my team. So on this day, when I got back to my home office, here’s a list of the cards I sent out after attending the breakfast:
1) A humorous “Congratulations” card to a business associate who won a door prize of “Free Coaching” (very funny – no one in the room needed it more although he will probably never use it).
2) I won a door prize of tickets to a sporting event and sent a “Thank You” card.
3) “It was nice meeting you” cards went out to two women sitting at my table who I met for the first time. One of them actually enrolled in my program within a few days.
4) Another “Thank You” to a Chamber staff person who told me she recommended me to a newspaper reporter writing an article about my industry.
5) A note of apology for being late with keeping a promise to do a volunteer job at the Chamber office (with the most adorable sad puppy dog face you ever saw on the front).
As you can see, there are typically more opportunities to send out cards to people to say “I’m thinking of you”, “You’re important to me”, “Thank you”, “Congratulations”, etc. than one has time for. And just think how every one of them will feel when they receive my heartfelt, personalized greeting card in their mailbox! Make their day… it feels good and it comes back to you!
Is it possible that a home based greeting card business could have something in common with Netflix? Let’s look at some facts and figures and see if we can find any similarities:
According to their 4th quarter 2008 financial statements, Netflix profited $90 million in 2008 on $1.4 billion in total sales to 9.4 million subscribers. This is a 13% annual increase in sales and a 26% increase in subscribers.
Netflix sends out 1.9 million movies every day.
So, what can we assume from these facts so far? Netflix is growing. And as a result, because most people prefer going online and picking out a movie to rent and having it delivered, I would guess that brick-and-mortar video rental stores are shrinking. This impact of technology of an industry is similar to what is happening in the greeting card business.
There has been a technological breakthrough that allows a person to go online and create a custom greeting card that is printed, stuffed, stamped and mailed. This means that person did not have to go to a greeting card store, pick out a card, buy a stamp and drop it off at the post office (or walk out to the mail box). This technology, like the advent of Netflix, should have the same impact on the greeting card business and the brick-and-mortar stores that sell greeting cards, because like Netflix, there is a particular greeting card company that offers a more convenient and cheaper way. In their case, to send a greeting card. So, in 3 to 5 years, why wouldn’t they be where Netflix is today?
In 3 to 5 years, most of us will be doing more or less the same thing we are doing now. What if 3 years ago, people were given the chance to sell Netflix subscriptions and keep a percentage of the monthly payments? Do you think some people would have gotten rich doing that? What if they saw what was happening in the greeting card industry , realized it was in the same paradigm as Netflix, and took advantage of the opportunity to sell greeting card “subscriptions” and keep a percentage of each card that was mailed? How do you think that would impact them after 3 to 5 years? Do you think some people would get rich doing that?
It is an interesting world we live in. Netflix has shown us how powerful the internet is in our lives and our businesses. We all need to pay attention to the trends and changes so we don’t “zig” when we should “zag”. If a home based greeting card business ever interested you, now would be the time to get started. For more info on starting your own greeting card business, click here.
Today I received a heartwarming email from someone I have never met. In fact, I never knew Lawrence existed until about a week ago.
Let me share my story:
When I was five years old I spent a month in England with my grandmother. We went to visit my uncle (her son) who was stationed there in the Army. We met lots of people and one couple, whom I have corresponded with ever since. Well, the husband, “Uncle” Stanley, passed on a few years ago and the woman, “Aunt” Joyce, passed on a couple of weeks ago. My uncle was asked to fly to the UK to conduct her memorial service, so she has been very close with him all these years. My uncle shared an email from Joyce’s nephew, Lawrence, with details of her service, etc. His mailing address was included in the email, so I sent him a card…. telling him how I met Joyce and Stanley when I was five, how she sent me treats and magazines as a child (very cool coming from the UK) and ALWAYS a Christmas card. In the later years of his life, Stanley took up oil painting. My brother has his very first painting hanging in his living room. So I told Lawrence how dear Joyce was and although I had not seen her in over 40 years – I loved our connection. I had a photo of her from my uncle that I included in the card. If I did not have the program I use to send greeting cards from my computer (that show up in the mail with a real stamp, mind you), I would probably not have sent a card to Lawrence. Of course I should have, but as I said, I never knew Lawrence, so I may not have thought it worth the time to go out and buy a card, write it, address it, print the photo, then go out again, to the post office – because who knows how much it would cost to send my card to the UK. Today I received the most wonderful email from Lawrence in response to my card. When I travel to the UK, I will look him up. This is why I think EVERYONE needs to have a way to send greeting cards that’s easy, personalized and affordable. It makes it possible for us to stay connected with others in ways we would not, otherwise. I was thrilled to have made a heartfelt contribution to Lawrence and his family – and touched to receive such a lovely message from someone I have yet to meet.
Since each of us wants our greeting card business to grow and prosper, it’s important that we understand how to send out cards to impact business growth. This understanding will help in several ways. First, we will be able to share with our customers and prospects the details and results of sending out cards. If we don’t send out cards, how can we share the experience and benefit from the process? Second, over time, we will gather a collection of stories about what happened as a result of sending cards. Often, amazing things happen when you send out a card – you will start to get thank you calls for thank you cards, and cards back with moving messages in return for the heart-felt cards you are sending. And finally, because people would rather do business with people they know, like, and trust, your cards will be building your relationships with others who can refer you business when they have the opportunity.
So, why would you send out a card to someone? Here’s a list of 10 ways to send out cards to grow your own greeting card business:
After you meet with a prospect, whether they said no, yes or maybe.
As a thank you when someone does something nice for you, like a referral, a gift, or a dinner invitation
After you close a business deal
After a networking event, send a card saying “it was nice to meet you”
After a telephone conversation with a prospect
After an interview for a job, a project, or to use their services
For a holiday – remember all the less acknowledged holidays
To stay in touch with someone you haven’t heard from for a while
For a birthday
As a heart-felt surprise to make someones day
I will go into detail about each of of these ideas in future posts to explain some good ways to use these methods. These are good ideas to share with your greeting card business customers and prospects so they learn how to use cards to grow their business, too. Check back soon for more information. For more info on starting your own greeting card business, click here.
Thank you for reading. This is the place to get great information on how to start your own home based greeting card business. Whether you are thinking about starting a greeting card business, already have your own established greeting card business, or want to learn how to use greeting cards to grow another business, there is information here for you. Feel free to leave comments, questions or suggestions whether you are brand new to the greeting card industry, or a seasoned expert with tips to share. Please let me know if you need information that is not addressed here. I'm happy to help out in any way I can.
