WFH wrapping gifts and making $1000 a week 🎁

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If you’re new here, we turn $1 into thousands building these weird but simple side hustles. Welcome to Ghost Business 👻 Your (mostly) weekly email

Over the years, I’ve found that I prefer seasonal side hustles. Something I can bust out in a pinch, work really hard for about a month or 2 then coast. Make your money in a month for the year or make it daily for the year? Choice is obvious to me.

That’s why this one tickles that itch. Seasonal gift wrapping.

No skills? No problem. No need to drive around constantly either—just wrap, earn, and get back to watching whatever seasonal rom-com Netflix is throwing at you this year. All you need is $100, a little time, and some decent folding skills.

(You could even turn gift wrapping into a career like Jane 😳)

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The MVP (Getting your first customer)

Let’s unwrap this step by step. You don’t need much to get started—just a small upfront investment to cover the basics:

• Supplies: Head to your nearest dollar store or craft shop and stock up on wrapping paper, ribbons, bows, tape, scissors, and tags. Get a variety of paper—holiday-themed, neutral, birthday-friendly—so you’re prepared for any occasion. You’ll also want some boxes or gift bags for those awkward-shaped gifts (because no one knows how to wrap a soccer ball).

• Marketing: Create some flyers or business cards to hand out to neighbors or post on local community boards. Go digital, too—post your services on social media and in local Facebook groups. You’ll be surprised how quickly people will start asking, “Can you wrap my entire life for me?”

Total cost: Around $100 for materials and marketing.

Pricing: Charge $5-$10 per gift, depending on the size and complexity. You can also offer bundle deals like 5 gifts for $40. Bonus: Fancy extras like ribbons, bows, or custom name tags can be upsold for a little extra profit.

Getting Your Next 100 Customers

Once you’ve got the word out and your supplies at the ready, the hustle is ON. Clients can drop off their gifts at your place, or you can offer a limited pick-up service for an extra fee if they’re close by (think, neighborhood moms who don’t want their kids snooping on their presents). Then, all you need to do is:

1. Wrap: Sit down, pop on a holiday playlist or podcast, and wrap away. Whether it’s a mountain of gifts for a big family or a single bottle of wine for a Secret Santa, you’re the master of the paper-and-ribbon universe.

2. Bag & Tag: Once wrapped, label the gifts, throw on some finishing touches like bows or decorative ribbon, and hand them back to your (relieved) customers. Done and done.

If you can wrap 10 gifts at $10 each in a few hours, that’s a sweet $100 in your pocket with minimal effort. And if you start getting multiple clients per week, it’s not hard to see how this little side hustle can quickly turn into a $500-$1,000 holiday cash boost.

Now that you’re drowning in wrapping paper profits, how do you grow this beyond just a fun seasonal gig?

1. Offer Different Packages: Go beyond holiday gifts—offer your wrapping service for birthdays, anniversaries, or even corporate events. People always need things wrapped, they just don’t want to do it.

2. Upsell Special Features: Fancy wrapping paper, customized gift tags, or even “eco-friendly” wrapping with reusable cloth or bags can set you apart from the basic wrap jobs and justify a higher price.

3. Social Media Magic: Post your beautifully wrapped creations on Instagram or Facebook and tag local influencers (or at least your neighbor’s cat). The more exposure, the more people will start thinking, “I should hire them to wrap my stuff.”

4. Holiday Markets or Events: If you’re feeling extra festive, set up a booth at local holiday fairs, farmer’s markets, or charity events. Offer on-the-spot wrapping for people who are buying last-minute gifts, and you’ll rake in those last-minute customers who never planned ahead.

Scaling to $1,000 per Month (Or More!)

Once you’ve got the hang of things and a growing customer base, you can scale this side hustle faster than you can say “pass the tape.” Here’s how to ramp up your profits:

• Team Up: If you’re getting too many orders to handle solo, bring in a friend or family member to help wrap. You can split the workload and double the profits.

• Corporate Clients: Reach out to local businesses that need gift-wrapping services for their staff or customers. Corporate clients will often pay more for bulk orders.

• Seasonal Storage: Offer to store customers’ wrapped gifts until closer to the holidays for an additional fee. No one likes storing a bunch of presents in their closet for weeks.

Viability:

1 [building spaceships] 🚀 to 5 [easy peasy] 😊 

This side hustle is easily a 5/5 on the "easy peasy" scale. It’s low-investment, low-skill, and people love outsourcing things that take up their time—especially during the busy holiday season. You can work from home, set your own hours, and scale it up or down depending on how much you want to earn.

So go ahead and wrap up this holiday season in cash. After all, your only real competition is people who think they can wrap gifts themselves without ending up in a tangled mess of tape and regret. 🎁

(As usual each business will have it’s own setbacks, and it’s all about the execution and consistency rather than just having the idea)

It’s a great day to be great!

Love, Mike 👋