GiftsByS Theme Party & Corporate Gift Packing Business India ( How to Start)

Smita Uppal is an entrepreneur and has been running not one but multiple businesses from home. If that were not too much to handle, she also has two workshops and workers to handle on the side.

She has been running this venture since 13 years and magically balances business (es) and housework and motherhood so skillfully.. It makes you wonder and admire such women.

Smita had Rs. 10,000 with her which her mother gave her in a wooden box. She used that as her investment into a business which has grown into multiple businesses earning her Rs. 1 lakh per month.

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I’m an entrepreneur and have been running GiftsByS, my homegrown brand for the last 13 years. I cater to gift packing and theme party requirements.

Gift packing is for different occasions like baby announcements, trousseau packing, corporate gift packing, festival gifting like Diwali, thanksgiving etc.

I have a team of carpenters, printers and workers who help me put my final products and show together. I’ve two running workshops in Noida and Maharani Bagh and one another soon to open in Gurgaon!

I’m extremely creative and through this brand I put all my ideas together towards these 2 essential areas of work: 1) theme parties for kids and 2) gift packaging for all occasions like birth announcement, wedding packing, birthday and anniversary celebration, festival packing like Diwali, Thanksgiving, Lori, Holi and corporate gift packs for MNCs and big Indian set ups.

I roughly earn close to ₹1 Lakh a month.

Why did you get started with this business?

I started this to cater to the widening demand of curated gifts and hampers. Gradually I went on to design return gifts and invites for kids parties. And when my son turned 4 years old, I forayed into implementing end to end theme parties for kids including decor, activities and kids furniture. These days kids parties have become very fancy and innovative and there is a lot a party planner can do to make sure the kids are well entertained and partly educated with new ideas all the time

How do you make the products?

• I have a printing press where cardboard trays, boxes, paper bags get printed and created
• I’ve 2 wood workshops where wooden trays and boxes get created
• I visit a small digital Studio where cards get printed

Do you have a schedule? Do you have help?

I’ve an 8 year old child and make sure that I work and spend quality time with him and his school work and extra curricular. I try to do maximum work when my son is at school from 7 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon.

This way I ensure I spend quality time with him once he is back home. I have help on my work front and a very stable support system at home thanks to a joint family!

The amount of time I spend on the business varies depending on the season and orders that I receive. But on an average, anywhere on a 4-5 hours minimum time is spent

What motivates you to keep working on it?

Passion, zeal, enthusiasm are my rock solid mantras that I abide by. I am extremely passionate about what I do and literally for me “work is worship”!

How do you balance Motherhood and Business?

It’s easy to balance work and motherhood now as I spend maximum time at work when my son is at school. Also once he is home, I engage him in an interesting, nerve-wracking activity like puzzles, Lego and even book reading to do my work side by side. I also encourage him to help me while I’m packing so he learns few things just by seeing and helping like counting, creatively playing with paper etc.

How are you managing time? What does your day look like?

During peak season time, especially Diwali and wedding season, things can get hectic hence I start my day earlier by 6 am and wind up by 10 pm at night and try to work as much when my child does not need me. On regular days, it’s safe to say that 9 am – 4 pm is enough number of hours to carry my work through.

If you were to start again what would you do different?

If I were to ever start again, I’d do the exact same thing. I’m extremely passionate about what I do and give it my 100% always.

The same thing, the same way for me. I love what I do and would never change the way I approach it

Can you tell us about your products? Pricing of products depends from size, quantity, theme and a host of other factors.
Hampers in trays for occasions, Curated boxes in cardboard, wood and metal,

What was your initial investment? How many months to seeing a profit?

Haha! Initial investment I still remember my mom had given me ₹10000 in a wooden box. That box still stays with me. It takes upto good one – one and a half year before u start making a healthy profit.

What are the skills required for such a business?

Skills required are:

• Creative bent of mind
• a good and aesthetic taste
• perseverance
• conviction in your own brand especially when u go to pitch to a client who is seeking help from other vendors

Tips for Beginners

• be extremely passionate and enthusiastic about your business/work
• be genuine and honest with your pictures and work updates
• have a crazy creative drive towards your work, so even when at times things get tough, you will find a smart way to cope up with it

Smita Upal runs an instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/smita_uppal/

Are you interested in running a business from Instagram? Some ladies share their businesses and what worked for them