Need a Holiday Gift Idea for a Small Business Owner? Here Are 7 Fun Options

Post sponsored by Index by Pinger

About two-thirds of shoppers plan to spend money on themselves this holiday season. If you’re one of them, here are some ideas, both fun and practical, to consider. This is a great time to indulge yourself a little. Think of it as a reward for a hard year of work or, more practically, as a way to get things you need for a better price.

So, let’s go shopping.

Holiday gift ideas for small business owners

1. Creative Whack Pack

Looking for a fun way to be creative? Living up to its name, the Creative Whack Pack helps stimulate creative thinking. For just $17, the Whack Pack is a deck of 64 cards featuring different creative strategies to help you generate new ideas or, as creator Roger von Oech says, “give you the kick you need to get your ideas into action.”

For those on the go, the Apple App Store has a highly-rated Creative Whack Pack app for iPhones and iPads.

2. CordBrick

Is your desk a mess of tangled cords from phones, chargers, computers, and other devices? The CordBrick allows you to “trap” your cords individually so they don’t wrap around each other. You can even lean your phone against a brick or keep it upright. The CordBrick also makes a handy cord wrapper when you’re traveling.

Weighing in at just three ounces, the CordBrick comes in several colors (one even glows in the dark), and it’s only $14.97, with discounts when you order multiple Bricks.

3. Index by Pinger

Getting down to business, do you want to carry just one cell phone and have two lines: one number for business and another for personal calls? The Index by Pinger app lets you do just that. In addition to a second line, Index offers the ability to auto-respond to missed calls with customized templates and much more, including the ability to:

• Instantly book appointments by connecting your calendars and sharing booking links with your customers. You can also book appointments for them.

• Integrate your go-to payment platform, including PayPal, Venmo, and Square, so you can send customers a link to pay you instantly.

• Link your business directly to your Google business review page, making it simple for customers to leave a review.

• Simplify announcements and other updates by sending them to multiple customers—individually.

• Organize your customer information so you can access it all in one place. A note feature lets you keep their details and preferences handy.

For business owners on the go, you can do all this from anywhere on any of your devices—all for $24.99 a month.

4. Amazon Prime membership

Are you a Prime member? If you order from Amazon, it makes sense to subscribe. You get to try Prime free for a month. Then, you can pay $14.99 a month or $139 for the year. A Prime subscription offers more than just free and fast shipping on Amazon. There are numerous other benefits, including a free, one-year membership to Grubhub+, the food delivery service (helpful for busy business owners); access to movies, TV shows, music, video games, and podcasts; early access to special shopping events; and more.

You can get a free membership to Amazon Business, which offers business-only pricing, bulk discounts, a price comparison tool from multiple sellers to help you save money, and other business benefits. And you can easily switch between your business and personal accounts.

5. Touchscreen gloves

Winter’s cold temperatures make it difficult to use your phone while wearing gloves. The introduction of touchscreen-compatible gloves several years ago was supposed to solve this challenge.

I bought a pair when they were first introduced when I (reluctantly) had to leave my warm Southern California home to travel—and they didn’t work very well. The glove design has improved since then. But how do you know which brands work well and which you should never buy?

The CNN Underscored team tested touchscreen gloves and found 13 that work well in various designs for men and women ranging from $10 to $110.

6. Leather journals

Do you like to put pen to paper? Last year, I got a thick, leather-bound journal full of colorful pages as a gift. I’m constantly jotting down ideas, notes, motivational quotes, or things that make me laugh. You can find similar ones at bookstores or shop small on Etsy, with prices starting at less than $20.

7. Legos for adults

Finally, and just for fun, one of my favorite things back in my babysitting days was watching kids who had Legos. I loved to build structures with them; my next-door neighbors and I created a Lego village.

Lego has come a long way since then for kids—and adults. You can buy Lego kits and build all sorts of things, like a Corvette, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, the Eiffel Tower, and more. While many of these are affordable, be prepared for sticker shock—the Eiffel Tower costs more than $600.

Taking care of yourself is good for your business

Of course, there’s lots of new tech you can buy, from new phones to Apple’s newest MacBooks. So, while the holidays are primarily about giving to others, taking care of yourself is crucial, too.

And the gifts you give yourself can add value to your business all year long.

About the Author

Rieva Lesonsky is CEO of GrowBiz Media and SmallBusinessCurrents.com and has been covering small businesses and entrepreneurship for over 30 years. Get more insights about business trends by signing up for her free Currents newsletter.