If you’ve ever had problems remembering up-coming birthdays, then you’d probably benefit from a birthday reminder service. If you hate gift shopping, then what?
Milisa solves that problem with her new service, Gift Up and Go. Any excuse you might have had previously, has been eliminated. From her website you will not only be reminded of a birthday 3 weeks in advance, but will also give you gift options in the price range you choose. Once the item is purchased they will gift wrap it for you and ship the package to the place you specify. It doesn’t get much easier than that. No matter how busy your life is, showing the people you love that you haven’t forgotten them is the real benefit.
What kind of services does Gift Up and Go offer? How does it work?
Gift Up and Go is geared toward helping busy folks remember important birthdays, anniversaries, and other important holidays. With the reminder the customer receives 2 gift ideas for each occasion that has been selected for the recipient.
Customers register for free with the site and fill out brief surveys for each recipient, which includes the date, price range and a few preferences. There is an option to choose gifts made in the USA. Customers can have reminders with gift ideas for $3 per recipient per year. The reminders come three weeks in advance of the occasion by email. The customer chooses a gift from the email and the gift arrives on time, wrapped and ready to give.
How is your business different from other birthday reminder websites available?
Gift Up and Go not only sends out reminders, we also do the shopping, the gift wrap, and make sure that the gift arrives on time.
What was your inspiration?
For years I have been helping friends and family to remember birthdays, and also helping them to find great gifts. It dawned on me that this could be a viable business that I could do from home.
How much planning went into starting and making Gift Up and Go what it is today?
I started with the idea and came up with a plan for organizing the information, selecting the gifts and marketing the business. I would say the hardest part was choosing a name for the site. Next I built the site so that I could maintain it as we grow. The next step, in which I am still operating is to get the word out about this wonderful service.
What previous experience were you able to bring into the process of starting or running your business?
My husband and I have owned several successful businesses including an iron furniture business and a gourmet sauce business. We sold both of these businesses and they are still growing and going strong. We currently own and operate a cattle ranch in Wyoming and we also have a business that manufactures, markets, and distributes a safety knife that my husband invented for the agriculture industry. Currently the Kaycee Cutter is available in all of the contiguous 48 states and Canada. We have always done our own marketing, sales and I have always been the bookkeeper. I have been involved with many aspects of each business and that has given me a broad range of skills.
Do you have a favorite book or resource that has inspired you?
My favorite resource is absolutely the internet. I use it daily to find new places to market my business, along with great products to offer on the site.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In 5 years I hope that Gift Up and Go has created jobs to keep up with demand for the service and the products that we sell. It would be especially exciting if it were to become a household name.
What kind of investment did you find yourself needing to get started?
Because I could build the website myself and I already had an established company (for the Kaycee Cutter) my start up costs were minimal, under $500.00.
Is there anything you wish you had done differently?
I wish I had more capital to start with for advertising and inventory, but you know the saying, “Despise not small beginnings!”.
What kind of advice would you give someone wanting to start their own business?
Be persistent and don’t be afraid of people telling you, “no”. Believe in your business and keep trying. It takes time to succeed and if you want success it is out there.
danakeith on June 24th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
yes this one is perfect! esp to those who were preoccupied for a lot of things.
cassy on June 24th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Thats cool! No more worries that we might forget the especial ocassions of our loveones…This is perfect for those people who dont have time to buy a gift for their loveones.