Strategies: Eight great gifts for the entrepreneur on your list
— -- Looking for a gift for the entrepreneur or small business owner on your holiday list? Or making up your own wish list? This year – given the economy – the emphasis is on the practical and affordable, but also the fun and enjoyable. So I've come up with a list of 9 great gifts for entrepreneurs.
1. Wall decals. Most of these are designed for decoration, mostly for kids or dorm rooms. But Wall-Pops makes a type of wall decal you can write on, erase, move without leaving any mark on the wall. They're great as a kind of giant reminder note, and one in white serves as an easy portable white board, terrific for using for off-site planning sessions. Less than $20. www.wall-pops.com.
2. Reading glasses. Got a boomer entrepreneur on your gift list? They probably use reading glasses.A company named ICU Eyewear makes adorable choices. Try out their new eco-friendly frames made from bamboo or some of their stylish ones. I've been using a flashy red pair with rhinestones. Bling! Bling! www.icueyewear.com.
3. Coffee. In these economic times, many people are cutting out the lattes. So how about giving a pound or two of some good coffee you can make in the office? Dunkin' Donuts is a favorite among coffee drinkers and really affordable as a gift. Less than $10. www.dunkindonuts.com.
4. Discounts. Make it more affordable for your favorite entrepreneur to take a break – go out to eat, travel, go to an amusement park or such. Entertainment books provide discount coupons for restaurants, hotels, rental cars, a wide variety of recreational activities. $20-$40, available for most cities nationwide. www.entertainment.com.
5. Headsets. Every businessperson who spends time on a phone needs at least two headsets – one for the office and one for their mobile phone. For the office, Plantronics has a nifty new set – the Calisto – that is a wireless Bluetooth headset enabling you to move around freely, switching back and forth from a land line to a cellphone. About $199. www.plantronics.com.
A car, truck or van serves as the office for many small business owners. Many states have laws requiring hands-free devices when making calls from your car. One option is a wireless Bluetooth device, and when it comes to Bluetooth devices, one that many people rave about is the Jawbone. It is designed to distinguish between your voice and outside ambient noise to provide a much higher quality sound. $129. www.jawbone.com.
Personally, I'm more comfortable with a wired headset with a microphone. My nephew, who's a professional snowboarder, gave me a headset from a company he rides for, Skull Candy. This headset is called iPhone Full Metal Jacket, and you can use them to talk and listen on any cellphone that has a headset jack. Don't be misled by the packaging – aimed at shredders and hip and cool guys. The headset itself is attractive (mine is silver) with great sound quality. About $80. www.skullcandy.com.
For the entrepreneur who only wants the best, you can get a headset from the crème de la crème of electronics – Bang & Olufsen. The headset, at a suggested retail price of $199 is high, but probably the only thing most of us could ever afford from B&O. www.bang-olufsen.com.
6. Wireless printers. When I told friends I was trying out a couple of wireless printers, everyone said, "I need one of those!" Once you get used to wifi, you want to be able to send documents to a printer without getting up from your desk, couch, bed or wherever you work. I tried out two: one from Hewlett-Packard and one from Lexmark, both are "all in one" machines that wirelessly print, but also copy, scan, and fax, both start at about $129. www.hp.com and www.lexmark.com.
7. Steak. Yes, steak. When I received an email suggesting steak as a gift for entrepreneurs, I laughed. But others in my office yelled, "I'd love steak!" Steak is a luxury for many in this economy, so this might, indeed, be a welcome gift. We tried the Ultimate Holiday Sampler ($119) from Sterling Silver Meats. Yum! www.sterlingsilvermeats.com.
8. Experience. Finally, instead of giving some THING, give an experience. The "experience" could be tickets to an event, show, sporting event, or a gift certificate for a restaurant or massage. These have low impact on the environment, usually keeps the money in your local community, and often supports small businesses. Think local!
Rhonda Abrams is president of The Planning Shop, publisher of books for entrepreneurs. Her newest book is Successful Marketing: Secrets & Strategies. Register for Rhonda's free business tips at www.PlanningShop.com. For an index of her columns, click here. Copyright Rhonda Abrams 2008.