Watching 100 executives and support staff make gift baskets as a team-building exercise will always be one of the highlights of my career.

It was delightful, insightful, and it was also loud as shred and cellophane were pulled, tugged, and gathered into place within and around each gift basket.

The results were above each person’s expectations as everyone reviewed their creations while I provided more ideas and information on how to continue the momentum in their offices.

If you’re ready to bring this team-building experience to your staff, call me at 973-279-2799 or click here to complete the online form. My summer calendar is filling up now, so don’t wait long.

Here are some results you’ll realize — employees will increase their productivity, they’ll be more open to sharing ideas, and your clients will recognize the change and re-commit to a long and rewarding relationship with you.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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It’s easy to let one little thing stop you from achieving great things in your life and in other lives, too.

I think back to a time before I wrote my first book, How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, and remember the negative words said to me by an uncle who didn’t think my book would amount to anything.

Had I allowed his words to derail me, the book would not exist today as the industry’s No. 1 best seller, allowing thousands of lives worldwide to be changed for the better.

Some people may listen to your dreams and then pronounce, without thinking, that you will not accomplish your goals. This is the point when dreams either take root inside you or die on the spot.

If your sights are set on starting a gift basket business or a business in any industry, try your best to find and share that dream with a fair-minded person who will encourage you to research every step as you move forward with confidence.

I’m on your side, so let me be the first to share how to proceed.

• Learn everything possible about the industry or profession in which you’ll participate.
• Uncover the areas within the industry that are underserved and the people to whom you’ll market.
• Create a blueprint so you focus diligently on every area of the exciting potential that awaits you.

I’ve spoken to many groups on this subject, from students to business owners, and it’s an honor to share my experience with your group that I’ll deliver specifically for them. Click this link to contact me so we can create a great experience at your event.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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One of the most-elegant gift basket designs I’ve taught in my many gift basket classes is the tea basket.

There are variations on this theme according to the class size, type of audience, and preference stated to me by conference planners.

Small groups create this design with a china cup and saucer filled with items to give for joy or comfort.

Medium-sized groups make their designs with an over-sized, dark straw cup that has the saucer woven into the cup’s bottom. This container accommodates enough snacks and gifts for a family or office department.

Large groups at conferences receive a huge, deluxe basket or gorgeous container and lots of items to make these gigantic designs. The noise level in the room often becomes loud and the frenzy is often chaotic as participants laugh and compare what neighbors are making with the same items.

These three scenarios are what you can expect when I share gift basket trade secrets with your staff or group. It brings out team spirit and camaraderie at an event they will always remember.

Click this link for more information to bring this fun experience to your next event.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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Whether leading tens or hundreds of students in a hands-on gift basket class or providing a demonstration to students who want to learn all about gift basket design (as shared in the above video), one thing is clear: gift basket making delivers a multitude of benefits to everyone who creates and receives them.

The art of gift basket design:

• Promotes good health, as it lowers stress levels and keeps blood pressure under control
• Generates strong brain cells, as this art form challenges the mind to think clearly and creatively
• Inspires imagination, challenging us to think beyond the norm in order to produce something new
• Provides comfort, specifically during times of heartbreak, sorrow, or recovery
• Produces laughter, especially when celebrating holidays, special events, and random thoughtfulness

You may not be able, in the video, to see the faces of students attending the Washington, DC seminar that I recently hosted, but you can feel their positive energy, inspiration, and curiosity.

At the end, students were prepared to begin a life of making gift baskets or continuing their profession of creating stylish masterpieces for friends, family members, and customers.

My mission is to inspire individuals, employees, and teams to unlock their personal and professional potential through the art of gift basket making, because it’s not just about adding products to a basket; it’s an art that allows us to expand on the very best we have to share with everyone in our circle. That’s the outcome I’m most proud of that occurs at every event.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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Engaging attendees through information and entertainment is my mission each time I speak to business owners, educators, and students.

That’s what occurred last week during Getting Out the Book Inside You, a seminar I presented to a large audience at New Jersey’s Raritan Valley Community College.

Many people have passion for a certain topic and need help from a published author to move their words from thought to print. That passion is why this program is one of my clients’ favorites.

Knowing that simply stating how to present a book idea to a publisher is drab and boring, I combine an interactive story on what publishers want with the steps taken to get my three books published and photographs that make everyone smile.

Here’s what Larry J. Jenkins, my host and regional director of the Small Business Development Center, wrote to me after the program:

“The professionalism and content was well received and noted by all those in attendance. I hope that you will consider doing this again for us in the future.”

If Getting Out the Book Inside You is a topic for your enthusiastic group, Email or call my office for details. Everyone will thank you for my presentation.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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You arrive in the office on Monday morning, ready to meet your staff to discuss the week’s projects.

All is fine until you learn that an employee accessed sensitive information to create a video now available on YouTube.

Thousands of people watched the video in the past two days, including local media who called to ask for a comment.

There’s whispering outside your door, which tells you that other employees also know and wonder what’s next.

Articles warning you about this type of online high jinks have appeared in newspapers, but until now, you didn’t consider it a priority. “Maybe I’ll add a sentence about online practices in the employees manual,” you said to yourself but forgot just as quickly.

What happens now? How to you bring the current problem to a satisfactory end and create a policy that stops security breaches before they start?

Executives at corporations, universities, and non-profit organizations find it difficult to create and distribute online policy rules to employees, students, and volunteers. But such a policy is mandatory and required to keep private information away from sources that can inflict permanent harm.

What’s at risk?

• Medical records
• Proprietary formulas
• Resource materials
• Intellectual property
• Schematics and blueprints
• Organizational charts
• Payroll records
• Long-Term Plans
• Financial records
• Customer databases

A comprehensive, yet easy-to-manage program, which I developed for several clients and reveal in my presentation, Who Put Us on YouTube? and Solutions for Other Online Problems immediately puts your plan for curtailing avoidable breaches into action.

At the end, you’ll understand problems occurring now at facilities just like yours and solutions to stop violations before someone makes your private information public.

Contact me at 973-279-2799 or Email me through the contact page to bring this insightful and timely seminar to your conference, meeting, or event.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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Now that school has started for millions of children and young adults worldwide, is it also time to extend and enhance your own education?

Traditional schools are a familiar option.

In my area, 12 community colleges and universities can be reached by car in times between five minutes and one hour. But these schools aren’t always accessible, especially if you’re a busy entrepreneur. Thankfully, more options exist.

What business owners want to achieve today is concentrated learning to understand technology, increase their software knowledge, and expand skills specific to their industries.

This is also my focus. Frequent travel to speak in regions outside of my home state leaves me little time to sit in a classroom. Like many of you, I enjoy the face-to-face interaction as well as the networking opportunities with like-minded people before and after class. Time simply does not allow for the traditional environment.

Education centers that increase and expand your knowledge are available online, and most times, the courses are free of charge. Here’s where I find great classes.

Hewlett-Packard

HP offers eight learning categories, including home office, photography, Microsoft office products, and graphic arts.

These non-credit classes are led by an instructor but are self paced so that you can learn each lesson on your own schedule. There’s also a forum for each class where you can interact with other students.

Sony

Courses, videos, articles, and tutorials come together in Sony’s BackStage 101 Learning Center. Although the four categories listed focus on and around technology, you can apply desktop, video, and more courses to all areas of your life.

U.S. Small Business Administration

Here you’ll find 10 categories of business, marketing, finance, and other topics essential to your success. According to the site, each course requires registration (it makes sense that the SBA gathers statistics) and will only take 30 minutes of time to complete.

Now you know about three online portals where you’ll advance your skills and have no excuse to not go to school.

Conference, college, and company meeting planners frequently request my business and educational topics for their employees, students, and association members. Contact me through this form or call 973-279-2799 to schedule a seminar or workshop. It’ll be one of your easiest events and also one that the audience thanks you for making possible.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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Speaking to students at high schools and colleges is one of my career’s highlights.

The ability to present ideas and information to young minds and the interaction with them after the event reminds me that there is still hope for the future.

Each time I’m invited to speak at an orientation or commencement, I ensure that my presentations stay on track as I combine the topic with:

• A history lesson based on the subject
• Present trends that shape their lives and the world
• How the music they love interacts with the subject

Becoming comfortable with new surroundings, both inside the classroom and with peers, are incredibly important to today’s students. I remember how critical it was when I was in school.

That comfort zone helped me to form great relationships that I still maintain today. Here’s the educational success formula I followed and discuss in the book, Smart Students’ Guide to…Successful Transition into College.

1. Immediately review the student handbook. This manual was created with you in mind, explaining campus procedures and identifying counselors who are there to assist you. The handbook smooths familiarity all around campus.

2. Find and join a group. Being part of an organization is one of the quickest ways to find lifelong friends. The group may be a fraternity or sorority, or it might center around music, sports, or science.Best of all, you’ll be surrounded by like-minded individuals while you learn about other positive traits you have in common.

3. Choose a study rhythm and stick with it. Do you study better on your own, or is a group setting more your style? Is it easier to retain test information while reviewing notes at night or first thing in the morning?Once you determine your study strengths and weaknesses, you’ll know when to concentrate for best results.

There are many more success formulas to share with your students, and I look forward to elevating their progress when I speak at your school. Email me through this contact form, or call 973-279-2799 to arrange a presentation.

Shirley George Frazier

Shirley George Frazier is recognized as the world’s authority on the gift basket industry. She is head basketologist at Sweet Survival LLC (known on the web as GiftBasketBusiness.com), which assists creative people to turn their passion into rewarding businesses. Shirley is also author of How to Start a Home-Based Gift Basket Business, The Gift Basket Design Book, and Marketing Strategies for the Home-Based Business. If you're looking for a speaker who's easy to work with, one that attendees will thank you for bringing to the event, contact Shirley at 973-279-2799 or Shirley@ShirleySpeaks.com.

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