The Gift Designers Association

Join us this Thursday, May 28th at Noon EST, for Group Coaching, with Guest Coach, Terry August. She will be helping us avoid common pitfalls that all business owners should avoid. Here is Terry's Bio and a Synopsis of her topic. Watch you inbox for the link tomorrow if you are a Paid Subscriber. If you aren't a paid subscriber and want to purchase a single event ticket, email me [email protected] or text 508.847.4180!
With over 40 years in the gifting industry, Terry brings unmatched expertise to every facet of the business.
Starting with a background in fine food and design, Terry created Fancifull Fine Food and Baskets from her home in 1987 and grew it into a well known storefront on trendy Melrose Ave in Hollywood, CA. She was determined to elevate the perception of gift baskets by filling her gifts with fresh cheese, great wine, terrific sweets and flowers with a focus on local and small producers. Rather than create run of the mill baskets she wanted her gifts to delight and surprise the recipient and to support those producers doing it right. In her 35 years as the Big Cheese, Fancifull evolved into a premier gifting company for corporations, celebrities, movie studios and people the world over with yearly sales in the millions. Her specialty was one of a kind designs for high end discerning clientele as well as large orders in the thousands for business clients. Fancifull hosted regular tastings and classes to open the palates and introduce customers to the incredible producers in the world Creating for both wholesale and retail clients has given her a unique perspective and hard won experience. She sold Fancifull at the beginning of 2023.
Always a champion of small business Terry formed Always August and consults and coaches both small businesses and individuals with a personalized plan and the information needed to realize their own goals. Life is a journey and her job is to help clients reach their destinations at their own pace with certainty of the path they are on and that success is achievable. Terry’s deep industry insight and creative flair make her an invaluable resource for anyone looking to grow their brand or business in the gifting space
Follow Terry on Linkedin for regular articles: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
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Common Mistakes made by Small Businesses and how to Correct them.
You love your business and you are sure everyone who uses you does too. But does loving you translate into sales? Sometimes, but not always. There are common mistakes almost everyone makes, including me. There are a few that I see over and over again. They cover a lot of ground and show up in a variety of ways.
Let’s also look at what you do that is right and how to keep doing more right than wrong to grow your business. Your energy and passion can help you jump a lot of hurdles. Did you know you only have to be right 51% of the time to survive? But we want to do better than that! Chances are you are doing a lot of things right. Honing your skills will allow you to achieve your goals more often and easier.

2 minutes till Q&A

Q&A today at noon....paid subscribers, the link is in your email.

At noon (EDT) today, Group Coaching with Guest Coach, Kade Kimber will begin. Paid members received a link in your email. If you didn't get it, let me know by email [email protected], or text me 508.847.4180....it came directly from my Zoom account this month!

If you are not a paid subscriber and want to attend, email me now, [email protected], or text me, (508.847.4180), your email to purchase a single event ticket. I will send a Paypal Invoice and once paid, the link will be sent to your email. The recording will also be available after the Group Coaching concludes and the recording is processed.

Please purchase your single event ticket by 11:15 a.m. to receive the link in time to join in! Otherwise you will receive the recording

It is so important to make the perspective of many successful business owners available to you through The Gift Alliance (formerly Gift Designers Association). We have a new Guest Coach this month! Welcome, Kade Kimber, Owner of Kimber & Oak. If you attended our On-the-Road Conference in Raleigh, NC in 2024, you will remember touring Kade's other business, Oak City Gifts. He is a powerhouse and this session is packed with great information as you will see in the course synopsis below and his Biography, as well!!

If you are not a paid subscriber and wish to attend this session, Single Event Tickets are now available by emailing me at [email protected].

Course Synopsis

You Don't Need to Be a Big Business to Win Big Clients

Whether corporate gifting has never felt like your lane or you work in the space but know you are leaving opportunity on the table, this session is specifically for you. Most gift business owners assume corporate means big contracts and complicated logistics. That assumption keeps many talented businesses out of a market actively looking for what they already offer.

In this session, Kade Kimber breaks down how corporate buyers think about gifting, what makes a gift memorable enough to drive real business results, and where most brands invest their gifting energy versus where it actually moves the needle. You will leave with a different way of thinking about what you are already selling.

You have the talent and the product. This is about building more business around it.

Biography for Kade Kimber

Kade Kimber is the founder of Kimber & Oak and a leading voice in strategic gifting as a form of relational marketing.

With nearly two decades of experience in corporate marketing, including at the global level, and over a decade guiding high-impact gifting strategies and programs, Kade and his team are trusted by brands like The Ritz-Carlton, SAS, Marriott, Morgan Stanley, and Northwestern Mutual.

He is the creator of Gift Intelligence™, a proprietary framework that transforms gifting from a transactional gesture into a strategic business advantage. Through his work, Kade helps brands identify overlooked opportunities, avoid costly missteps, and implement gifting strategies that drive measurable business outcomes.

His book, Gift Intelligence™: The Competitive Edge Behind Loyalty, Referrals, and Growth is slated for release in late 2026, further defining a new approach to gifting as a measurable growth strategy.

For Paid Subscribers, Q&A begins in 1 hour {11am edt}. Don the green and let's have some lucky conversations on St. Patrick's Day! The link is in your email!

Check your email for the link to this Special St. Patrick's Day Edition of Q & A! Bring your burning questions, get updates on what's coming online and wear some green to fully enjoy the spirit of being Irish for the Day!

If you aren't a Paid Subscriber and want to purchase a Single Event Ticket for the February Group Coaching, email me at [email protected] and I will send a PayPal Invoice and a link to join us at noon on Thursday 2/26/2025

Paid Subscribers, Hold the Date and plan to join Group Coaching on February 26, 2026 from noon-1pm, est. Emily Gonzalez will be our Guest Coach. She is a Gifting Strategist at LimeLily, where she designs modern, relationship-driven corporate gift programs for brands looking to stand out and stay remembered. She focuses on thoughtful gifting that feels personal, strategic, and aligned with how today's decision-makers build loyalty and referrals. If you aren't currently a Paid Subscriber and would like to attend this coaching on a Single Event Ticket, reach out to me at [email protected]. Or, if you want to save money, I can assist you to become a subscriber.