How to Start a Gift Wrapping Business

Your gift wrapping business may be located inside a large department store, appear as a pop-up cart in a mall during the holidays, or offer personalized services for corporate clients and weddings. Unique wrapping paper designs can be sold in rolls in your pop-up store or retail location.

You may also be interested in additional business ideas for teens.

Learn how to start your own Gift Wrapping Business and whether it is the right fit for you.

Ready to form your LLC? Check out the Top LLC Formation Services.

Start a gift wrapping business by following these 10 steps:

  1. Plan your Gift Wrapping Business
  2. Form your Gift Wrapping Business into a Legal Entity
  3. Register your Gift Wrapping Business for Taxes
  4. Open a Business Bank Account & Credit Card
  5. Set up Accounting for your Gift Wrapping Business
  6. Get the Necessary Permits & Licenses for your Gift Wrapping Business
  7. Get Gift Wrapping Business Insurance
  8. Define your Gift Wrapping Business Brand
  9. Create your Gift Wrapping Business Website
  10. Set up your Business Phone System

We have put together this simple guide to starting your gift wrapping business. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant.

Exploring your options? Check out other small business ideas.

STEP 1: Plan your business

A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:

Luckily we have done a lot of this research for you.

What will you name your business?

Choosing the right name is important and challenging. If you don’t already have a name in mind, visit our How to Name a Business guide or get help brainstorming a name with our Gift Wrapping Business Name Generator

If you operate a sole proprietorship, you might want to operate under a business name other than your own name. Visit our DBA guide to learn more.

When registering a business name, we recommend researching your business name by checking:

  • Your state's business records
  • Federal and state trademark records
  • Social media platforms
  • Web domain availability.

It's very important to secure your domain name before someone else does.

Want some help naming your gift wrapping business?

Business Name Generator

What are the costs involved in opening a gift wrapping business?

If you are planning on working primarily out of pop-up cart locations, you will need a point-of-sale system and an initial supply of your gift wrapping essentials. You may wish to invest in a portable wrapping station/table as well as marketing materials that you can hand out to potential customers. You will need reliable transportation that will fit all your equipment. For this seasonal approach to this business, you should expect to invest $5,000 to $10,000 dollars up front. If you are opening up a permanent location inside another store, you may need $20,000 in order to include proper furniture and displays for your retail space.

What are the ongoing expenses for a gift wrapping business?

Your supplies of paper, scissors, tape, etc. will need to be replenished on a regular basis. If you are operating an actual storefront, there will be lease, utility, and other maintenance costs involved. Your van should also be considered as part of your business expenses.

Who is the target market?

As a low-cost service, you need to develop volume in order to turn a real profit. Corporate clients may purchase the same object in bulk as gifts for all their clients, offering you a lucrative source for income as you save them time. If you are operating a gift-wrapping pop-up cart at the mall, your customers will include all age ranges and income levels. It is your skill for which they will pay.

How does a gift wrapping business make money?

Individuals or businesses will pay by the piece for you to wrap gifts they have purchased. You will purchase your wrapping supplies at wholesale rates and charge a premium for your service, resulting in a income for your company. Success is achieved when you ensure you are wrapping beautiful boxes and spending less on the supplies than you are charging.

How much can you charge customers?

You can charge as much as $30 to $50 for extra large gifts destined to become the centerpiece of a gift table for a holiday or wedding as a personalized service at a customer's home. When wrapping the mounds of gifts at the mall, expect to earn between $3 and $10 per package, depending on its shape, size, and extra decoration.

How much profit can a gift wrapping business make?

For a professional gift wrapper providing full-time services for weddings and corporate clients, you can build a business that brings in $40,000 per year. If this is a seasonal enterprise at a shopping center expect to clear $100 to $200 per day in profit

How can you make your business more profitable?

Your wrapping paper will be your major expense. Seek out wholesalers offering quality papers at the lowest possible price to reap the highest profit.

Want a more guided approach? Access TRUiC's free Small Business Startup Guide - a step-by-step course for turning your business idea into reality. Get started today!

STEP 2: Form a legal entity

The most common business structure types are the sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation.

Establishing a legal business entity such as an LLC or corporation protects you from being held personally liable if your gift wrapping business is sued.

Form Your LLC

Read our Guide to Form Your Own LLC

Have a Professional Service Form your LLC for You

Two such reliable services:

You can form an LLC yourself and pay only the minimal state LLC costs or hire one of the Best LLC Services for a small, additional fee.

Recommended: You will need to elect a registered agent for your LLC. LLC formation packages usually include a free year of registered agent services. You can choose to hire a registered agent or act as your own.

STEP 3: Register for taxes

You will need to register for a variety of state and federal taxes before you can open for business.

In order to register for taxes you will need to apply for an EIN. It's really easy and free!

You can acquire your EIN through the IRS website. If you would like to learn more about EINs, read our article, What is an EIN?

There are specific state taxes that might apply to your business. Learn more about state sales tax and franchise taxes in our state sales tax guides.

STEP 4: Open a business bank account & credit card

Using dedicated business banking and credit accounts is essential for personal asset protection.

When your personal and business accounts are mixed, your personal assets (your home, car, and other valuables) are at risk in the event your business is sued. In business law, this is referred to as piercing your corporate veil.

Open a business bank account

Besides being a requirement when applying for business loans, opening a business bank account:

  • Separates your personal assets from your company's assets, which is necessary for personal asset protection.
  • Makes accounting and tax filing easier.

Recommended: Read our Best Banks for Small Business review to find the best national bank or credit union.

Get a business credit card

Getting a business credit card helps you:

  • Separate personal and business expenses by putting your business' expenses all in one place.
  • Build your company's credit history, which can be useful to raise money later on.

Recommended: Apply for an easy approval business credit card from BILL and build your business credit quickly.

STEP 5: Set up business accounting

Recording your various expenses and sources of income is critical to understanding the financial performance of your business. Keeping accurate and detailed accounts also greatly simplifies your annual tax filing.

Make LLC accounting easy with our LLC Expenses Cheat Sheet.

STEP 6: Obtain necessary permits and licenses

Failure to acquire necessary permits and licenses can result in hefty fines, or even cause your business to be shut down.

State & Local Business Licensing Requirements

Certain state permits and licenses may be needed to operate a gift wrapping business. Learn more about licensing requirements in your state by visiting SBA’s reference to state licenses and permits.

Most businesses are required to collect sales tax on the goods or services they provide. To learn more about how sales tax will affect your business, read our article, Sales Tax for Small Businesses.

STEP 7: Get business insurance

Just as with licenses and permits, your business needs insurance in order to operate safely and lawfully. Business Insurance protects your company’s financial wellbeing in the event of a covered loss.

There are several types of insurance policies created for different types of businesses with different risks. If you’re unsure of the types of risks that your business may face, begin with General Liability Insurance. This is the most common coverage that small businesses need, so it’s a great place to start for your business.

Another notable insurance policy that many businesses need is Workers’ Compensation Insurance. If your business will have employees, it’s a good chance that your state will require you to carry Workers' Compensation Coverage.

FInd out what types of insurance your Gift Wrapping Business needs and how much it will cost you by reading our guide Business Insurance for Gift Wrapping Business.

STEP 8: Define your brand

Your brand is what your company stands for, as well as how your business is perceived by the public. A strong brand will help your business stand out from competitors.

If you aren't feeling confident about designing your small business logo, then check out our Design Guides for Beginners, we'll give you helpful tips and advice for creating the best unique logo for your business.

Recommended: Get a logo using Truic's free logo Generator no email or sign up required, or use a Premium Logo Maker.

If you already have a logo, you can also add it to a QR code with our Free QR Code Generator. Choose from 13 QR code types to create a code for your business cards and publications, or to help spread awareness for your new website.

How to promote & market a gift wrapping business

Timing is essential when you are ready to launch. If you start promoting your services in August, not as many customers will be looking for your help and by October you will have wasted your start-up advertising dollars. Start releasing your marketing material near the end of October before the holiday wrapping season begins. Use direct mail and billboards to build awareness of your brand. Reach out to local businesses personally offering to help them out of that massive wrapping task at the beginning of November. Ensure your business cards are colorful and clearly represent the look and design of your wrapping services.

How to keep customers coming back

Location and pricing will determine your ability to attract your new customers. While you may be using expensive papers, most mall shoppers are not going to want to pay too much to get Dad's T-shirt wrapped. Price your services reasonably and offer add-ons such as danglers, balloons, embossed greeting cards, or foil wrapping for an added cost. You will see return business in the spring when you deliver a box or basket that generates excitement and praise.

STEP 9: Create your business website

After defining your brand and creating your logo the next step is to create a website for your business.

While creating a website is an essential step, some may fear that it’s out of their reach because they don’t have any website-building experience. While this may have been a reasonable fear back in 2015, web technology has seen huge advancements in the past few years that makes the lives of small business owners much simpler.

Here are the main reasons why you shouldn’t delay building your website:

  • All legitimate businesses have websites - full stop. The size or industry of your business does not matter when it comes to getting your business online.
  • Social media accounts like Facebook pages or LinkedIn business profiles are not a replacement for a business website that you own.
  • Website builder tools like the GoDaddy Website Builder have made creating a basic website extremely simple. You don’t need to hire a web developer or designer to create a website that you can be proud of.

Recommended: Get started today using our recommended website builder or check out our review of the Best Website Builders.

Other popular website builders are: WordPress, WIX, Weebly, Squarespace, and Shopify.

STEP 10: Set up your business phone system

Getting a phone set up for your business is one of the best ways to help keep your personal life and business life separate and private. That’s not the only benefit; it also helps you make your business more automated, gives your business legitimacy, and makes it easier for potential customers to find and contact you.

There are many services available to entrepreneurs who want to set up a business phone system. We’ve reviewed the top companies and rated them based on price, features, and ease of use. Check out our review of the Best Business Phone Systems 2023 to find the best phone service for your small business.

Recommended Business Phone Service: Phone.com

Phone.com is our top choice for small business phone numbers because of all the features it offers for small businesses and it's fair pricing.

Is this Business Right For You?

If you are always creating eye-popping packages by combining colorful and creative papers, ribbons, flowers, baskets, and bags, you may enjoy applying your gift wrapping skills to a business. It's a great add-on service for existing gift stores or as a seasonal service when everybody could use a little help making their holiday gifting easier.

Want to know if you are cut out to be an entrepreneur?

Take our Entrepreneurship Quiz to find out!

Entrepreneurship Quiz

What happens during a typical day at a gift wrapping business?

When you operate a gift wrapping business, you might be expected to:

  • Create perfectly wrapped gifts in a wide variety of shapes and sizes
  • Seek out suppliers who will provide unique wrapping supplies to you at a wholesale price
  • Restock your supply of gift boxes, bags, and baskets
  • Create new ideas on how to display a gift beyond a simple box and ribbon
  • Work with local malls and department stores to reserve your gift wrapping space for the holiday season
  • Promote your services through direct mail, print ads, targeted online ads, and social media interaction
  • Build your visibility through fund raising activities with schools and other non-profit organizations
  • Complete basic accounting procedures tracking your income and expenses
  • Apply your creative flair to your marketing machine

What are some skills and experiences that will help you build a successful gift wrapping business?

Yes, you will need to know how to wrap boxes, bags, and oddly shaped items so that they appear professionally wrapped. You may wish to take a wrapping design class to further hone your skills. Besides that, you should have basic accounting knowledge, an eye for combining colors and patterns, and a desire to expand your customer base through personal contact. You will need to develop your knowledge and use of online and traditional marketing outlets.

What is the growth potential for a gift wrapping business?

If you develop a unique and recognizable wrapping design, you can build a brand for your gift wrapping business that can then be turned into a franchise. Your franchises can be positioned inside a chain of flower shops, gift shops, and popular wedding registries. However, it is also a great business that can maintain its small scale as the perfect source of extra income during popular gift-giving holiday periods.

Not sure if a gift wrapping business is right for you? Try our free Business Idea Generator and find your perfect idea.

TRUiC's YouTube Channel

For fun informative videos about starting a business visit the TRUiC YouTube Channel or subscribe to view later.

Take the Next Step

Find a business mentor

One of the greatest resources an entrepreneur can have is quality mentorship. As you start planning your business, connect with a free business resource near you to get the help you need.

Having a support network in place to turn to during tough times is a major factor of success for new business owners.

Learn from other business owners

Want to learn more about starting a business from entrepreneurs themselves? Visit Startup Savant’s startup founder series to gain entrepreneurial insights, lessons, and advice from founders themselves.

Resources to Help Women in Business

There are many resources out there specifically for women entrepreneurs. We’ve gathered necessary and useful information to help you succeed both professionally and personally:

  • Funding
  • Events
  • Guides
  • Support

If you’re a woman looking for some guidance in entrepreneurship, check out this great new series Women in Business created by the women of our partner Startup Savant.

What are some insider tips for jump starting a gift wrapping business?

Everybody sells gift wrap. When starting out on your own, you'll need to offer a final product that can't be found anywhere else, such as a trademark bow, snack, or mini-stuffed toy. High-traffic areas at malls provide the most exposure and opportunities to attract your next customer. Make sure that you always have a flyer or business card on hand to give out to interested parties. Seek out different gift wraps and work with small companies looking to expand their market in order to give your gifts that extra special touch that can't be found at the local bargain store.

How and when to build a team

If you are wrapping gifts for a single client, you won't be needing an extra pair of hands. However, when you're running that center table at the mall, you may need to train a few helpers to duplicate your designs a desirable boxes.

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