WESTERNSTON    Business Systems Architects

The Top 10 Gift Ideas for Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs in 2018

Is one of your relatives, friends, or family member the owner of a small or a medium enterprise? Are you looking for a suitable gift for them that doesn’t look cliché? 2018 is right around the corner and today we are talking about the top 10 gift ideas for small business owners and entrepreneurs in 2018… that your entrepreneurial friend will really appreciate and will remember you fondly for years to come.

Before we start counting down, here are couple of rules we followed…

Almost all these gift ideas are less than a thousand dollars. None of these gifts are cheap, or inexpensive. But they aren’t extremely expensive either. Some of these gifts can be had for as little as a hundred dollar, and none of them is way over the thousand dollar limit.

An important thing to keep in mind is that business owners, especially successful business owners aren’t price-conscious.

Instead, we are value-conscious.

I own a small enterprise, and we cater to SME’s business-to-business, so all my clients are also small or medium enterprise owners. And one thing I’ve found that’s common across the board is value-consciousness.

For instance, a high-quality item that I can use for a decade on a daily or weekly basis, and can extract some productivity out of… is immensely more valuable to me than an alternative that’s much cheaper, but not quite as high-quality and durable.

For this list, we’re only going for high-quality and durable items.

And more importantly, we’re going to list items that your entrepreneurial friend or family member can actually put to use on a regular basis, and extract a lot of value out of. This means that you’ll be at the forefront of their mind for years to come.

It’s also important that you have a vague idea of what they already have and what they don’t. Otherwise you might end up gifting them something they already have.

One last consideration, or suggestion if you will, before we start counting down… is that often you can get together with a bunch of people and chip in together to buy some of these items. Entrepreneurs are frugal about what’s needed, and would rather have one very valuable gift from five people than five different gifts which don’t add much value.

So, without further ado, here are our top picks for new year’s gifts that you an buy for your entrepreneurial friends before 2018 rolls up.

Number TEN: PureZone 3-in-1 True HEPA Air Purifier

To start off this list, this HEPA air purifier is an especially great choice for your entrepreneurial friends who live or work in big cities. Air pollution and smog conditions can get especially bad in some places like San Francisco, and can become a great health hazard.

Even in small towns, many small businesses are based in industrial zones where the quality of air is not that great.

A high-quality air purifier can be used everyday, and can last years. Most people don’t realize how much they need one until they finally start using it in their home or office. Often, an air purifier helps greatly with congestion, breathing problems or chronic coughing.

Not only will you help them breathe clear air, but you might literally help them increase their life-span and not just their quality of life. People who spend a lot of time breathing in low-quality polluted air are at a greater risk for heart disease.

So if you’re on a budget, but still want to blow their mind with your gift choice, you can’t go wrong with an air purifier. Our choice is a PureZone 3-in-1 True HEPA Air Purifier that you can buy on Amazon for around one hundred dollars.

Link: http://amzn.to/2BOUQPi


Number NINE: Allen Edmonds Cordovan Shoes

Shoes are not something you’d gift in a business setting, traditionally speaking. But since you’re watching this video for a friend, family member or relative who also happens to be a small business owner… the Allen Edmond Cordovan Shoes can be a great choice.

We came to understand the sheer value-proposition of a pair of these when a client of ours told us how he’s owned a pair now for almost eighteen years… And with a little bit of mending and tending from time to time, his pair of shoes still look like they’re absolutely new.

Extremely comfortable shoes also mean greater productivity. When it comes to productivity, comfort is the number one factor. If you’re uncomfortable with your apparel, or your shoes, you’re just not going to be as productive.

The Allen Edmonds Cordovans are both extremely comfortable, and extremely long lasting… making them an unbelievable value-proposition, even at the roughly six-hundred-dollar price point.

Of all the things on this list, these shoes are the only ones that you don’t have to worry about redundancy either… since everybody can own several pairs of shoes at once.

Link: http://amzn.to/2BNcVNr


Number EIGHT: Caster Sleep Mattress with Memory Foam

Speaking of comfort, nothing’s more important than a good night’s sleep. Not only does your general comfort in life depend upon how well you sleep, but also your willpower is directly dependent upon your sleep quality.

Given that you spend almost a third of your entire life on a bed, wouldn’t it stand to reason that you should invest in a high-quality mattress?

The Caster Sleep Mattress is made out of Memory Foam, and with its ten-year manufacturer’s warranty, it’s an extremely high value-proposition, even at the roughly nine hundred dollars that it costs.

In fact, it’s such a high-value equipment for your entrepreneurial friend that the only reason why it’s not ranked in the top-three gift ideas of this list is because it’s very highly likely that already have a high-quality mattress.

And yes, I did refer to a mattress as equipment. That was deliberate. An entrepreneur’s ability to succeed depends largely upon his willpower and his ability to keep a straight head when things seem to be going belly up. A mattress is a tool that recharges your entrepreneurial friend’s willpower, and as such, no less than an equipment.

By the way, if you’d like to go for an even better mattress… check out some latex foam mattresses on Amazon. While those are likely to be even more expensive, latex often outlasts memory foam by 250%… and is 100% natural.

Link: http://amzn.to/2BOWuQY


Number SEVEN: Herman-Miller AERON Chair

In the same vein as the mattress, we have this task chair by Herman Miller called Aeron. Is it expensive? Sure. At roughly $1000, it is expensive. But is it valuable? Again, sure. Because it does come with a twelve-year warranty from Herman Miller.

There is an infinite number of videos on how Herman Miller’s chairs, especially Aeron, have helped entrepreneurs world-wide gain better performance and achieve better health. We spend at least a third of our day sitting in a chair, and if the chair is just not good enough, well then you gotta get a good one.

Their spine will thank you for the next decade. Every single day.

The Herman Miller is available on Amazon and you can order one right now for your businessman friend. Or businesswoman friend. If you have the budget, and if they don’t have a professinla grade ergonomic task chair, you can really never go wrong with a Herman-Miller.

Link: http://amzn.to/2BNnq3e


Number SIX: DSLR setup or accessories

One of the things that has worked exceptionally well for our clients in 2017, and will continue to get even better in the next two to five years is video based marketing. Every small business needs a Youtube channel, or a way of showcasing what it is that they do to the world. Every small business today needs a way to quickly and efficiently talk about the problems that their customers are facing, about tips and tricks that their customers can use, and so on.

Video marketing is the next big wave. Of course, video has been around forever… but with the high quality, low price gear that’s available today, there is no reason why every entrepreneur shouldn’t dabble into it and spend some time creating video content.

Your entrepreneurial friend already realizes this, most likely. They either already have a video capturing rig setup… or they don’t. A rig is basically a camera, a lens, a couple of lights, and a decent location to film at. And a tripod stand to mount the camera.

If they don’t already have such a setup going on, you can help nudge them along in that direction by gifting a very inexpensive but high-quality DSLR like the Canon T6i, which is what I am using right now to film this video. The Amazon link below comes with everything they could need to get started.

Link: http://amzn.to/2DqsV8F

But what if they already have and use a DSLR?

Now, if they already have camera and the basic accessories, the next best item to gift to them is a very handy, very compact, and very inexpensive little HDMI capture card from a company called Elgato. This basically enables an entrepreneur to run live shows, live webinars, and online seminars while using the high quality DSLR footage that you can never achieve with a basic webcam… no matter which one you use.

Buy Elgato HD60S HDMI Capture Card here: http://amzn.to/2DqHqci

Another great gift idea is a lens or two.

A high quality prime lens can produce far better image quality than the lens included in the kit for free, because prime lenses, especially the Canon 50 mm and Canon 24 mm lenses can let in a lot of light. This means sharper focus, and that cool background blur which gives even home or office footage a cinematic look.

The 50mm comes in two variants – the F/1.8 lens, which costs around $125… and the F/1.4 lens, which costs about $350. The only difference between these two is that the $350 lens lets in about 70% more light… which means even better low light or indoor performance.

The 24mm lens costs only around $130, which is extremely cheap for what it is capable of doing.

Lenses
Canon EF 50 mm f/1.8: http://amzn.to/2DoUtLp
Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8: http://amzn.to/2BM59U2

And lastly, for someone really into video marketing… a very inexpensive but high-utility gift idea is a continuous battery pack for their lens. This allows them to plug their camera into a power outlet directly, so that they never have to worry about the battery power running out. You can find these continuous power supply packs for any camera, but since we mentioned T6i as our camera of choice for small business owners, we have included a link to a continuous power pack compatible with the T6i.

Link: http://amzn.to/2CgacgG


Number FIVE: Appsumo Gift Card

Some kind of SAAS, or software-as-a-service, is something that every business owner needs. Appsumo is a deal aggregator… kind of like Groupon for business software with extremely large discounts… that lets entrepreneurs purchase lifetime subscriptions to any of the dozens of SAAS deals that they bring to the table every year.

These deals range from accounting software, to social media automation software, to content promotion deals, to web-design software, all the way to customer-relationship-management software and even platforms that allow you to connect with other influencers in your field.

Normally these software cost anywhere from $10 to $150 a month, but on Appsumo, you can subscribe to these SAAS for a lifetime, for as little as $25 to $49.

An Appsumo gift card is always a great gift option for anyone who’s already familiar with Appsumo. If you didn’t know anything about me, about what I do, what I have and what I need… as an entrepreneur you could gift me an Appsumo gift card, and that’d always be a welcome and very valuable gift to me.

Appsumo gift cards start from as little as $300 and go all the way up to $1000.


Number FOUR: Sterling Silver .925 Square Cufflinks

Yes, cufflinks are cliché. But the ones listed here are Sterling Silver. At $65 these aren’t exactly cheap. But cufflinks are cliché for a reason.

These cufflinks look great, and work with suits of all colors. These are professional looking and high quality. These will likely last them a long time, and everytime they out these cufflinks on, they’ll be thinking of you.

And just like the shoes, it’s OK to be redundant here. One can, and does own several pairs of cufflinks, and still own another. The only difference is that which you can’t formally gift a pair of shoes, you can always gift a pair of cufflinks while still maintaining formal decorum.

This is the reason why we’ve listed these cufflinks on number four of this list.

You can give them to any entrepreneur, so it’s a versatile gift. At $65, they are high quality and durable without breaking the bank. And since they will be used several times over the years, the recipient will be thinking of you everytime they wear these.

Link: http://amzn.to/2Ch9bVH


Number THREE: Montblanc John F. Kennedy Special Edition Ballpoint Pen

Does a humble pen sound cliché? Well, this pen is definitely not.

Here’s how that is…

A business owner signs big deals throughout the week. They whip out their pen in front of clients, prospective clients, suppliers, vendors and so on. They use their pen to sign deals, contracts, agreements, memoranda, and other documents that make or break a business.

And most business owners still don’t have a dedicated tool for all those activities.

Think of the Montblanc JFK Special Edition Ballpoint pen as the very LAST pen they’ll ever need. This pen will last them decades, and they’ll use it daily. The refills are readily available and are extremely cheap.

You don’t know the power of a high-quality pen unless you hold one and use one on a day-to-day basis. Sure, nobody’s going to compliment you on a pen like they would on a well-tailored suit. But, people who notice quality do notice quality in pens. My own Waterman has gotten me several impressed, but very subtle compliments from clients and others over the years.

I do important work with my pen. And the pen is the tool I use for the most important part of building my business… signing contracts and accepting new clients. And even signing checks for vendors and other highly skilled people.

With our recommended Montblanc being a ballpoint pen instead of a fountain pen, the risk of your entrepreneurial friend smearing their bespoke suit due to leaked ink is infinitely smaller.

And once again, they’ll be using it everyday, so they’ll be thinking about you everytime they do anything important in their business. Depending upon who you’re buying it for, at $700, it just might be a bargain.

I bought one for myself for a similar amount of money, and it has been worth it to me. Every penny of it.

Link: http://amzn.to/2BNGMoT


Number TWO: Yamaha YDP-143R Arius Console Digital Piano – Rosewood Bundle with Furniture Bench & Accessories

Entrepreneurs are busy people. Very busy. Our work takes up most of our time. Very often, it becomes very hard to have any hobby at all whatsoever.

This Yamaha YDP-143R is a small and compact sized piano with a BIG impact.

First, it is so small that sits nicely in the corner of their office, home-office, or living room. It has a beautiful wooden finish to it, and looks extremely high quality, because in almost every way, it is.

It comes with a matching wooden and leatherite bench that looks equally amazing and is equally functional.

Second, it is a hobby that a businessman can pursue even if all they have is ten to fifteen minutes a day. Even fifteen minutes a day of daily practice can work wonders, when those fifteen minutes are compounded over a few years.

Which is a good thing, because the third big reason to buy this is durability. These Yamaha digital pianos can last literally a decade or longer if properly cared for.

Fourth, this is one gift that’s quite visible, no matter where they put it. And the impressiveness is unequaled.

And finally, it is actually a very good instrument in terms of its performance and build-quality. It sounds almost like a real concert grand to the beginner’s ears… and has weighted down keys, so it does simulate the experience of playing a real piano very closely. Not to mention the sound, which it also replicates very well.

At less than $1000, it’s an amazing bang for your buck. Not only will the recipient really enjoy and appreciate it, but also it will blow the minds of just about anybody who finds out how they got it. Which, experience tells me, can be quite a lot of people.

Yamaha YDP-143R Arius Console Digital Piano – Rosewood Bundle with Furniture Bench & Accessories: http://amzn.to/2BLfSOz


Number ONE: OURA Ring

At the top of our list is an unchallenged winner in this category. With its $299 entry-level price point, and it’s 100% utility rate, the OURA Ring is one of the greatest gifts you can buy for ANY adult… not just entrepreneurs… if they don’t already have it.

Think about Fitbit and its popularity right now. It’s a great way to track your activity and your rest. I have one, and I have been rather satisfied with it.

But it does come with a great big problem. First, I can’t workout with a FitBit on. I lift very heavy weights, and it’s just not comfortable. And I have broken one in the past while working out.

And secondly, the even bigger challenge is that I really hate sleeping with Fitbit on. It’s just flat out uncomfortable at nights.

The OURA Ring takes care of both those problems for you. With its solid titanium construction, and its waterproof design, you’ll never need to take it off, whether you’re working out, or showering, or swimming.

And with its totally unobtrusive design, you can sleep with the ring on every single night of the year, and not feel any problems whatsoever.

So why is that important?

Because the OURA Ring intelligently assigns scores to three things… SLEEP, READINESS and ACTIVITY.

The OURA Ring is not just about calculating steps, miles or calories, like every other fitness tracker in the world… but also about guiding you towards your own unique activity and rest balance.

In fact, it’s so state of the art that we are not going to discuss its features and benefits here. We’ll just leave a link in the description below for you to discover everything about the OURA Ring on your own.

What we will talk about is its use case for an entrepreneur.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, we have placed a great deal of emphasis over the quality of sleep you get as an entrepreneur. For an entrepreneur, success is largely a function of how productive they are… and how well-balanced, well-rested and calm their state of mind is when they’re making important business decisions throughout the day.

A tired entrepreneur is a grumpy entrepreneur… or a passive-aggressive one. And that makes for a rather unsuccessful entrepreneur.

With its state of the art technology, the new OURA Ring tracks so many things about being rested and being ready for action or decision-making, that it’s one thing every entrepreneur should have on their ring at all times.

And the new version is more compact and requires only once a week charging, so it’s the easiest upgrade you can make for any entrepreneur. And at $299, without breaking a bank whatsoever.

If your business owner friend doesn’t have an OURA Ring already, you can basically forget about almost everything else on this list, and buy one for them.

It’s built out of solid titanium, so they’ll be looking at their OURA Ring Android or iOS app for years… and thanking you, and thinking about you… for years to come.

So those are the top 10 gift ideas for small business owners in 2018. Do you agree with our list? Leave a comment below to let us know, and to tell us if we missed something.

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Yours truly,

 

 

 

P.S. We wish you and yours a very productive and prosperous new year 2018.

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