By Michelle Hensley – Founder of Nifty Package Co, #1 Mobile Gift Wrapping Business in the U.S.



📊 Numbers vs. Creativity: How I Lost $35K—and Tripled My Business by Facing the Truth
What Happens When You’re Addicted to Creativity (and Not Watching Your Numbers)?

In 2022, I lost $35,000 in revenue.

Yes, me — the founder of the largest mobile gift wrapping business in the U.S., and a woman with a thriving luxury gift basket brand. That year, I almost shut everything down.

It wasn’t a fluke. It was a wake-up call.

I had read The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber several times, but this time, one quote hit me like a ton of bricks:
“If you don’t know how you made money, you won’t know how you lost it.”

That was me. I had no clue how I had built the business—or how I had let it quietly start slipping away.

What I Did to Recover from a $35,000 Business Loss

Instead of quitting, I made a hard decision: I sat down and tracked every penny I lost.

Shipping costs had gone up 35%


My cost of goods had jumped 30%


But I never raised my prices to match


Myself and my team didn’t understand profit—they just loved creating!


I had let my addiction to creativity cloud my judgment as a business owner. I was designing beautiful gifts, wrapping with passion, and focusing only on the art—not the strategy.

The Shift: From Dreamer to Data-Driven Entrepreneur How did I change? Or more, my mindset!

Once I crunched the numbers and made hard decisions, everything changed.

I updated my pricing.


I trained my team on a profit-first mindset.


I stopped pretending creativity was enough to build a sustainable business.


The result?

📈 I grew 187% in one year.

Let me say that again: ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-SEVEN PERCENT growth—after almost closing my doors.

Why Gift Wrapping and Gift Basket Businesses Need to Master Their Numbers
If you're in the gift industry—especially mobile gift wrapping or luxury gift baskets—creativity is your foundation. But numbers are your structure.

Ask yourself:
How much time does it take to wrap one gift or build one basket?


What are your shipping costs today vs. last year?


Are you pricing your gifts to include profit, or just covering your costs?


If you don’t know, you’re not running a business—you’re running a hobby that looks pretty.

💡 What AI Can’t Do (And What It Can)

AI will never replace what we do with our hands, our eyes, and our hearts.
It can’t tie a silk ribbon like you.
It can’t write a handwritten note with care.
It can’t feel the emotion behind a perfectly chosen gift.
But here’s the truth: AI can help you market your gift wrapping or gift basket business—and if you’re not using it, you’re missing out.

🤖 How I Use AI to Market My Mobile Gift Wrapping Business

I’ve coached dozens of women—especially over 50—on building profitable, creative businesses. And I always say this:
You are not just a gift wrapper. You are a marketer of a luxury service.

Here’s how I use AI in my business (and you can too):

Blog content planning (like this post!) using ChatGPT and Perplexity to help edit and give ideas. 


Email marketing sequences to attract coaching clients.


Pinterest SEO titles and descriptions for traffic.


Social media captions that save hours of writing time.


Sales page headlines that convert browsers into buyers.


AI doesn’t do the wrapping. But it can wrap up your words in a way that grows your business while you’re doing what you love.

🚀 What's the Final Takeaway? Numbers First, Then Magic

I’m still creative. I still love making beautiful gifts. But now I know how to measure the value of my work—and that’s what makes me unstoppable.

If you’re a woman dreaming of starting your own mobile gift wrapping or luxury gift basket business, let me say this:
✨ You can be wildly creative AND wildly profitable. But only if you treat it like a business.



With love and learning,

~Michelle

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