Free Gift Ideas for the Business Owner in Your Life

‘Tis the season of giving, and while I love giving (and receiving) gifts as much as the next person, I also recognize that sometimes the best gifts really are free. Experiences and quality time together are some of the most common gifts that don’t require spending any money, but there are also other ways we can show our support and appreciation, particularly when it comes to the entrepreneurs and small business owners in our lives. ​

Interview Them

Podcasts and video marketing are all the rage right now, so if you have a podcast and/or a YouTube channel, why not use that platform to interview some of your favorite business owners? It creates great content for you and helps expand their visibility online.
Interviews can also make for great blog post material if you want to put the interview on your blog or have them write a guest post for your blog. Again, this creates great content for your platform without much work on your end, while also providing added visibility for your fellow business owner. Everybody wins!

​Engage with Their Social Media Posts

Social media algorithms tend to value posts that get a lot of likes and comments over posts that don’t get that kind of attention. One of the simplest ways you can support the small business owner in your life is by following them on social media and engaging with their posts. Click that little heart icon and take a moment to say something nice about their post in the comment section. If their post is promoting a certain product or service you’ve used and loved, write a comment with a short testimonial.
This is win/win because it also improves your visibility. Everyone who sees that post will also be able to see your comment, and the more you engage with other people’s posts on social media, the more visibility you’ll get for your own profile and posts on that social media channel.

​Use Their Products and Post About Them on Social Media

Testimonials are great, but can you show the product/service in action? If you can take a picture of the product (even better if you can take a picture of it in use), post about it on social media telling everyone how awesome it is. Tag the business, and use a particular hashtag if they ask you to do so, which leads nicely to our next tip:

Just Ask

When in doubt, just ask them what would be most beneficial for their business. Do they need an introduction to a certain type of customer? Maybe you happen to have someone in your life who fits the bill. Do they need help promoting a particular product/service on social media? Ask how you can help with their promotional efforts.

​If you’re looking for a physical gift to give your favorite business owners, my book, Be Strategic, Be Intentional, Be Successful, is something they can use again and again to grow their business. You can’t give a better gift than the gift of success.