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As someone who has been an entrepreneur for nearly three decades and has a lot of experience spending money on things, I think I have the authority to write a post on Christmas gifts for entrepreneurs. ;)
I’d like to add a quick note that the BEST gift you can get an entrepreneur is to show support for their business.
I’ve been in business for 4.5 years now, and I can’t tell you how amazing it is when friends and family support my business, even in small ways.
Thank you! Okay, now onto the gift guide:
To make this gift guide, I went back over all the business purchases I made over the past year or so that have really helped my business. Then I threw in some other items just for fun that I know would make great Christmas gifts for entrepreneurs. Enjoy!
Office Supplies
I know I mention this in many of my gift guides. Probably because this thing is attached to my hip. Again, I’ve had many laptops but nothing beats the performance and portability of the MacBook Air.
I’ve edited photos, videos, and graphics on it using FinalCut, Photoshop, and Camtasia and never had any issues.
For all you non Mac users out there, I get it. They are expensive and if you have been trained on a PC, it can be hard to switch over. I, of course, have an option for you as well.
I love the LG Gram because it is light as a feather and really easy to move and travel with. They are not kidding on just how light this PC is. If you prefer to go this route, I highly recommend the LG GRAM
click on images for more information.
Because we entrepreneurs are always on our laptops, lap desk is extremely helpful.
My mom got one of these for my birthday, and I love it. It elevates the laptop a bit more so you’re not so hunched over. And this one gives you a place to rest your wrists.
I am always running out of space on my laptops. An external hard drive is crucial for backing up important data. This one is sleek and packs a whopping 4 TB!
Okay, this little folding laptop desk is a game changer! It is suitable for anyone and a GREAT gift.
Back in January I was suffering neck and back pains from all the sitting I was doing while working. I bought this to transform my workspace into a standing desk area.
I just plopped this on top of a table in my kitchen corner and was able to stand while working on my laptop.
The great news? My neck and back pains went away! It really helped me a lot.
Don’t forget that every top notch computer set up requires a top notch wireless keyboard and mouse.
Ah, all the pains entrepreneurs suffer from. Again, because I’m always at my computer, my wrist was hurting. By elevating my laptop to eye level with the above folding desk I mentioned, and then placing a keyboard and mouse like this one at an angle where my wrists were slightly below my levels, I was able to minimize my pain.
It seriously made a huge difference.
I love the way these look!! Very inspiring.
Anyone who know a writer, knows that the one thing they can never be without is a good notebook.
We find that physically writing things down makes a huge amount of sense.
I started doing a basic form of bullet journaling, so having a notebook was important. There is nothing so satisfying as physically crossing off an item on my to do list…
I actually just bought this exact set of notebooks at a stationery store here in Toronto. I love them because one, they have maps. And two, each has a different type of paper: Blank, ruled, and graph.
I use the blank to scrawl poetry and creative ideas. I use the graph for bullet journaling. I use the lined one to make notes of things I plan to blog about and all my notes associated with those articles.
Back when I worked a desk job, one of the designers I worked with always took color-coded notes in these lovely Stabilo pens. I was obsessed with them and wanted a set to call my own.
They are every writers dream and a great gift for a writer in your life.
Oh my gosh, I just recently discovered this planner and I AM IN LOVE.
For context, I am NOT a productive or organized person. I struggle a LOT to be efficient in my business, and the Productivity Planner has changed EVERYTHING for me.
It forces you to focus on essential items, allowing you to only write down 5 tasks per day and forcing you to choose your Most Important Task of the day so you understand your priorities.
If your entrepreneur loved one is frazzled and stressed out, get them this planner now.
Education
Online courses
I recommend Udemy for low-cost online courses. They have a course on everything. Pick one that covers a topic your freelancer/entrepreneur friend has been wanting to learn more about.
Maybe it’s online marketing, maybe it’s product design. Whatever it is, Udemy probably has a course on it. You can also peruse reviews to ensure the quality of the course. The courses are really very affordable!
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
If your friend is a blogger, they should be very interested in affiliate marketing, which is promoting products you love and getting commissions for it.
It’s a great way for bloggers to monetize the hard work they put into their sites. I blew through Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing in about two days because I was eating up all the lessons.
Michelle, the creator, shares all her tips for how she reached grew her business to over $100,000 MONTH in affiliate sales – in no time at all.
She’s an inspiration!!
BONUS: The class also comes with a private Facebook group that is very useful. Michelle answers questions in it that she could definitely charge consulting fees for if she wanted.
She also lets us promote our blog posts and help each other get the word out about our blogs so it’s really a win-win.
The course is AMAZING and the real deal. I highly recommend it. Click here to learn more.
Again, if your friend is a blogger or someone who needs more traffic to their website—GET THIS FOR THEM. To date, this is my favorite online course. It helped me 5X traffic to my blog from Pinterest, resulting in higher income from ads and affiliate links.
The creators began with a blog with very little traffic and learned how to use Pinterest to get their health and fitness blog to over 100,000 page views a day. All organic traffic – which means they don’t pay for any of it. They now teach others how to do the same thing, with their own blogs, using Pinterest.
If you are a blogger, or know a blogger, this course is an AMAZING gift indeed!
Check out my full Pinterest Traffic Avalanche review here.
Coffee Accessories
No list of Christmas gifts for entrepreneurs would be complete without a section on coffee. That’s because when you’re an entrepreneur, you don’t get a lot of sleep and chances are, you rely heavily on caffeine. :)
I researched this obsessively before buying.
The thing is, it’s not healthy to boil water in plastic components because it releases carcinogens. It is very difficult, however, to find an electric kettle without plastic parts.
This Secura electric kettle was the best I found on Amazon. It is plastic on the outside—but the inside is completely stainless steel.
The ONLY part that may leech a tiny bit of plastic is there is a tiny hole at the top of the interior that allows steam to pass through to let the kettle know when to turn off.
Through that hole there is plastic, so I suppose some steam could touch the plastic inside the handle and leech into the interior, but that’s a small amount.
Anyway, I love this kettle and I used it to boil water for coffee and tea. I also used it to boil potatoes and such, since the element is completely covered by stainless steel. Highly recommend!
You don’t even have to be a hardcore coffee drinker to love one of these bad boys. The aroma of fresh ground beans is magnificent.
Chances are, if you are an entrepreneur, you do drink a lot of coffee – and you will LOVE this! Hard core drinkers can now grind their own beans fresh each morning for the very best flavor, and aroma.
Paperless Pour Over Coffee Dripper
This is the best contraption for making coffee if you live alone or there aren’t many coffee drinkers in the house.
It makes a single cup at a time, AND you don’t need coffee filters. So simple. No waste (besides the used coffee beans of course, which, you are going to compost right??).
I am maybe just a little bit obsessed with this. This milk frother saved me so much money on those fancy lattes I was buying in San Francisco. I just made myself delicious drinks at home. Well, most days :)
A NOTE ON ALMOND MILK: I have used almond milk but the key is to use almond milk that has some sort of gum in it (usually carrageenan) AND make sure it is VERY COLD.
Otherwise, almond milk just does not froth well. If you use regular milk, you should have no problem frothing. Lattes are supposed to have a slight froth, but I went all out and had like six inches of foam. Haha. Not technically correct, but so much fun…
Books
I’ve read this book and even wrote a feature article on the author, Jonathan Siegel. After finishing the book, I recommended it to a client, and he LOVED it!
Seriously, get this for the entrepreneur in your life. Despite the title, the book is NOT about San Francisco, but rather, about the many fallacies that entrepreneurs hold, including the myth that you have to move to SF to be successful in business.
This is the book on validating a business idea in a cheap, quick way and starting a scrappy startup.
I read this book and found it very helpful in giving actionable steps for growing a business. It would make a great gift for any entrepreneur.
Freelancers and entrepreneurs are some of the most stressed-out individuals.
Think about it, the entire weight of our company rests on our shoulders. Most of us don’t have employees or outsource anything. If something needs to get done, it’s up to us to get it done.
Earlier this year, I was so stressed I was having digestive issues. I also had pretty bad anxiety. A doctor recommended I read this book, and I kept rolling my eyes at his suggestion.
However, this book is based on neuroscience and provides actionable tips that seriously helped curb my stress levels. I think everyone should read it.
Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World
Gary Vaynerchuk is well-known in the internet marketing world. He’s definitely the authority on social media storytelling, and I had this book recommended to me by a fellow entrepreneur. I haven’t gotten around to buying it yet, but it’s definitely on my list…
This is also on my reading list. This would be a great gift for any freelancers or entrepreneurs who want to work remotely.
Other Useful Gifts
Most freelancers and entrepreneurs hate the legal aspect of their business. But it is essential that we have solid contracts in place to make sure we have our assets covered should anything go wrong. For bloggers, it’s also required we have privacy policies and terms & conditions in place on our site. I recommend Christina Scalera’s contract templates. Christina is an actual lawyer, and, according to her site, her contract templates were “written and peer-reviewed by graduates of top 20 law schools”! I have bought one from her and really like it. Just browse her contract template pages for your entrepreneur’s type of business. She has contracts made for photographers, designers, coaches, consultants, and more. If you have questions on which would apply to your friend, just email her and ask!
IT support/WordPress maintenance subscription
Every entrepreneur needs a website, and many of us have blogs. Either way, it is crucial in this day and age to protect your site and your data. I use iMark Interactive’s monthly WordPress Maintenance. I sleep well at night knowing that Grayson of iMark Interactive is ensuring my site is up and running and its data is consistently backed up.
Workfrom is an amazingly helpful app I use often. It maps out every coffee shop nearby with Wi-Fi you can work from. It leverages user-generated content, meaning the Workfrom community, like me, submits suggestions and edits. You can find out the exact addresses of coffee shops near you, see photos and what’s on their menu, and even see the Wi-Fi speed!
Workfrom is free to use, but buying a VIP membership grants you sweet upgrades like stickers and a membership kit, local deals and global discounts on products and services, an ad-free mobile experience, exclusive beta access to new features, AND it helps support this new startup. Definitely recommend buying this Workfrom membership gift card for your favorite freelancer!
Just for Fun
Okay, I love this shirt so much I wanted to order it for myself. Be sure to check out other designs from The Plaid Deer on Etsy. I think any wanderlusting creatives would love a gift from this shop, and you’ll support a small business owner in the process!
Are there any Christmas gifts for entrepreneurs you’d like to see added to this list? If so, leave a comment below!
Get More of My Gift Guides Here:
Best Gifts for World Travelers
