Posts Tagged: "business"

Pumpkin Spice Gift Basket

Princess Diana - October 16, 2019 - Birthday, Business, Family, Food & Drinks, Gift Baskets, Housewarming, Teacher Gifts

For some people, this is their favorite season of the year. They go crazy for it!

I’m not talking about fall y’all. Or about winter, spring or summer.

I’m talking about Pumpkin Spice season! When pumpkin spice everything is available for a limited-time-only.

I myself go crazy over Pumpkin Spice cereal.

I once made a Pumpkin Spice Gift Basket for a client. This particular client had a tradition of hand-delivering appreciation gifts to their most important clients around Thanksgiving.

The Pumpkin Spice Gift Basket came with a decorative tag that read…

“We’re as crazy about you as we are pumpkin spice!”

The ONE Thing | A Life-Changing Book

Princess Diana - February 20, 2019 - Birthday, Business, Graduation

I read a lot books, both fiction and non-fiction. This book in particular stands out as one of the most life-changing I’ve come across.

“The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results” by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan makes it crystal clear everything is NOT equal in life. We must spend our time focusing on the things that matter most if we want to achieve the things we want in our professional and personal lives.

This quote from the book says it so well… “Success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right.”

I’ve always been a big to-do list person, but this book made me realize the dark side of to-do lists. Since to-do lists aren’t prioritized by what’s important or what matters, we end up spending our precious time on trivial tasks that don’t get us any closer to achieving our goals.

Instead, the book talks about creating a success list–a list based on creating extraordinary results. To-do lists are long, but success lists are short. Then, it challenges you to pick the ONE thing that goes at the top of your success list.

So how does a person determine what the ONE thing is? By answering this very important question…

How to Determine “The ONE Thing”

Thumbprint Family Tree Retirement Gift

Queen Darlene - August 9, 2018 - Baby Shower, Business, Retirement, Teacher Gifts, Wedding

For many of us, a large portion of our days is spent at work. Research shows the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work over a lifetime.

So the people you work with do become family.

When Eldon, our organization’s CFO, decided to retire after 28 years, his work family wanted to find a special gift for him to remember us by.

Work Family Tree | Unique & Memorable Retirement Gift

I found a birch tree on Etsy that was perfect for for the addition of thumb or finger prints of each employee. This is an office gift that allows everyone to participate.

Foreign Currency for Travel Gifts

Queen Darlene - May 16, 2018 - Birthday, Business, Money, Retirement, Wedding

My friend, Linda, loves to travel. Her goal is to travel to all seven continents before she retires.

Linda was leaving on her birthday this year to Australia. I was racking my brain on what special gift I could give when it hit me–Australian money!

I contacted our close girlfriends, who are more like sisters, and they wanted to participate in this gift giving idea too.

Foreign Currency for International Travel

Foreign money for a person’s vacation is the ideal gift for someone leaving on an international trip.

A person can never have too much money for vacation!

Welcome Gifts for New Boss

Queen Darlene - October 6, 2017 - Business

I have a new boss for the first time in 20 years!

Deborah has worked at our agency for 34 years, and when our previous executive director announced he was retiring, she applied and was selected.

We are so fortunate to have a new leader that is someone we already know and love!

First Day as Executive Director

Our Administration Team planned something fun and special for her first day to welcome her and show our support. We came up with several gifts and paired them with creative sayings.

Gift #1 – Lotion
Don’t worry if it’s extremely rough & bumpy, your Admin Team will help with a smooth transition!

Gift #2 – House Slippers
The Admin Team is like these slippers, we are your fiercest supporters! Welcome to the Team!

College Graduation Gifts for Networking in Style

Princess Diana - May 16, 2017 - Business, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Graduation

A college graduate needs to be prepared for networking events.

Networking is often a critical component of career success. Say it with me, “It’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know.”

When my husband graduated with his Master’s degree, I gave him two gifts that would allow him to network in style.

Thoughtful College Graduation Gifts for Him

His first gift was a watch made of natural wood. Wooden watches look amazing, professional and serve as a conversation piece.

They come in different colors depending on the type of wood you choose, and they’re very lightweight.

No one can show up at a networking event without business cards. So for my husband’s second graduation gift I gave him a wooden business card holder engraved with his initials.

Business Etiquette Book for Graduates

Princess Diana - April 25, 2017 - $20 or Less, Graduation

Helping someone to feel confident and knowledgeable so they can succeed. That is a priceless gift.

Many young adults graduate high school and college clueless about how to conduct themselves in the workplace or how to present themselves in business situations.

Not knowing business etiquette and the proper ways to behave can have real negative effects. It could result in offending someone or missing out on an internship or job opportunity.

Since knowledge is power, the right book can provide graduates with the information they need to succeed in the adult world and the professional world.

Setting a Graduate Up for Success

For these reasons, books on business etiquette or business manners make thoughtful graduation gifts.

Gift Card to New Store in Town

Queen Darlene - October 20, 2016 - $20 or Less, Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Teacher Gifts, Thank You, Valentine's Day

It’s fun to experience a new store in your town or city. The excitement and buzz of a grand opening is usually all over the media and the talk of the office.

For my birthday, my boss gave me a gift card to Trader Joe’s that recently opened its first store in Oklahoma City.

What a pleasant surprise! I’ve been to Trader Joe’s in other cities and have waited 26 years for it to open here because I love Trader Joe’s!

When we visit our friends in New Mexico, we always make a stop and purchase what we can haul back home in the car!

I like finding unique, interesting and delicious foods at reasonable prices and can’t wait to see if they still carry my favorite granola nut cereal, a Trader Joe’s specialty.

Celebrate National Hug Your Boss Day

Princess Diana - October 18, 2016 - Business

Even if you like your boss, the thought of physically hugging them might make you cringe. Your boss may not want you hugging them either.

Let me take the awkwardness out of National Hug Your Boss Day that takes place in September each year.

Instead of giving real hugs, give your boss or supervisor Hershey’s Hugs with a handwritten note or card. If you appreciate that your boss makes coming to work enjoyable, you should let him or her know. Make sure to give specifics on reasons why you’re glad to have that person as your boss.

Does your boss trust you to get the work done instead of micro-managing? Does your boss share information openly and candidly? Does your boss take time to appreciate you as a person instead of just an employee? Is your boss supportive of work-life balance?

“Welcome to Our Business” Handwritten Card

Princess Diana - September 29, 2015 - $20 or Less, Business

It’s not always a superior product or service that makes one business more popular with customers. Sometimes, it’s how a business makes its customers feel.

Sometimes, all it takes is a thoughtful gesture from a business to catch a customer’s attention and create customer loyalty. It happened recently to my husband.

After my husband’s first visit to his new dentist, he received a nice card in the mail from the dental practice.

The front of the card said, “Welcome to Our Practice.” Inside the card, a handwritten note read, “If you ever have any questions regarding your dental treatment or our office procedures, please feel free to give us a call.”

welcome-to-our-business-handwritten-card-thoughtful-gift

Click to enlarge

The father and son who own the practice both signed the card. The card had personal touch written all over it, and it was a novelty!

Neither one of us had ever received a card from any of our dentists before. Come to think of it, we’ve never received a card from any of our other doctors. Have you?