“I make $150,000 a year wrapping gifts!”
“After moving from Washington, D.C., to Atlanta, I was looking for
ways to make extra money. At the time, the local mall was looking for a gift-wrapping vendor. I didn’t know how to gift-wrap, but I’m creative, so I figured why not try it! I purchased something at Macy’s and had it wrapped so I could deconstruct it and figure out how they made the package look so beautiful. I also watched gift-wrapping videos on YouTube and eventually taught myself.
“To get the business off the ground, I purchased a business license and insurance and rented a 10'x10' station in the mall. I partnered with schools, sports teams and organizations that were fundraising to find my first clients and to get them to come into the mall. That
first year I worked on a small table
with a five-ring wrapping paper dispenser and charged customers to wrap their gifts from Black Friday until December 24. The next year, I added two more malls. I hired people to help me, but I still made my rounds to each mall every day. By year four, I had eight locations and was making $15,000 per location!
“Eventually, I launched That’s a Wrap Atlanta (ThatsAWrapAtl.com), shifting away from the mall and focusing on luxury personalized giftwrapping and corporate gift-wrapping services. I even provide mobile gift-wrapping services on-site for businesses and provide ‘gift’ props to decorate the outside of buildings and film sets.
“I use social media and email marketing to spread the word, and I make $150,000 a year—money that pays the bills and allows for fun extras like vacations with my daughter!”