TLP’s Favorite Holiday Gifts for Small Businesses

Imagine this: You are in the middle of a busy day, stressed with your various tasks, and suddenly someone appears with a delicately-wrapped gift basket. For a moment, you can take a breath and look at the new goodies someone sent you! Gifts are a fun and creative way to send some gratitude and love to your fellow small business owners. And what better way to do that than to purchase from other small businesses!

One thing you should take into consideration before buying the gift is who the person is and what they like. For example, you would likely not buy an outdoorsy gift for someone who has a business based on pastel colors, urban vibes, and franchised lattes. The gift should reflect that you put time into the gift and based it on their hobbies or business brand. 

Here are some links to my fave things to buy for small business owners as gifts.

Of course, we always try to use local and small businesses when purchasing gifts. As a Montana resident, I love to shop in my local downtown area for most of the gifts we send out to TLP partners. My go-to spot is a small business called The Montana Scene where there is a large variety of Montana-branded gear. Small branded gifts like coffee mugs, hats, and candles from your home state are a great way to share your home with other business owners.

Here is a list I put together for more local businesses in Montana that I’d suggest taking a look at: 

• Paper & press shops such as Noteworthy
• Local coffee shops such as Black Coffee Roasters
• Clothing and jewelry stores such as Cloth & Crown, Olive + Iron or One Eleven
• Custom t-shirt shops such as Garage Tees
• Outdoor gear shops such as The Trailhead
• Gift shops such as Rockin Rudy’s
• Wine stores (gifting a wine membership!) from local places such as Missoula Wine Merchants

I like to change up my gifts on a regular basis, switching from local businesses to online shops. This ensures you are supporting multiple businesses and gives you the opportunity to discover new small businesses. Also, don’t forget that themed-gifts from your own business is an awesome way to share the products you create (and are tax deductible because they are marketing materials!). At The Legal Paige, we gift our branded t-shirts, wine tumblers, campfire mugs, pens, notepads, and magnets repping our company slogan “Too Legit to Quit”. 

If you’re looking to get branded materials for your own business, here are the top websites we use for bulk custom items:

• Custom Ink
• Discount Mugs *Usually has amazing deals!
• StationeryHQ
• Personalized Paper

TLP also usually sends gifts after having a guest expert join us on a blog or podcast as a thank you for sharing their insight. Additionally on big milestone dates, like the first anniversary of a business or buying a new house or having a new baby or hitting 10,000 followers, we like to celebrate our TLP partners.

It is important to notice when other business owners are thriving, and by sending a gift (even just a little one) it shows you support them and see their growth.

• BOXFOX - We absolutely LOVE using BOXFOX, which allows you to create personalized gift boxes!
• Farm Girl Flowers - Because sometimes we send a beautiful bouquet of flowers. They have a wonderful selection of sizes, styles and they ship all over the US. 

And, finally, we wanted to shout out some of our favorite female-led online shops across the country that offer great options for holiday gift giving. These are all businesses Paige knows personally or follows online and loves supporting:

• Cookie Society - Ships cookies nationwide
• White Spruce Market - Branded gift boxes that reflect your business
• Harper & Teal - Jewelry that gives back to the community
• Ali Joy - Dainty jewelry
• Ethic Goods - Goods made by women who have overcome
• Elyse Breanne Design - Stylish floral notebooks and planners
• Zeebee - USA made leather goods
• Destinee Stark Shop - Graphic design signs, shirts, and pictures that support social justice
• Hello Allison Art - Acrylic paint artwork

Regardless of the gift you choose for someone, they are going to love it. Just remember, the gift should show that you put time and effort into it while being tailored to their interests.

THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT & IS FACT-SPECIFIC. A proper legal analysis is necessary based on your location and contract. Consult an attorney in your home state for advice regarding your contract or specific legal situation.

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