The Greener Gifting Gang Podcast

It’s a joy to welcome Hannah Bartlett back to The Greener Gifting Gang podcast, this time with her Jolly Festive hat on! 

When Hannah joined me back in April, she was wearing her Christmas Insider hat and sharing Christmas trends and gifting insights. This time, we’re turning our attention to how we can prepare for our own Christmas celebrations in a way that’s thoughtful, creative and kinder to the planet.

Recorded back in June (because Christmas really does start early when it’s your business!), this is a conversation full of ideas and inspiration, from Hannah’s mantra of gather before you buy to creative ways to repurpose things you already have.

We talk about using things like jam jars in Christmas decor and making simple handmade presents, as well as exploring the idea of giving pre-loved gifts. If you like the idea of a more sustainable Christmas but aren’t quite sure where to start with second-hand gifting, Hannah shares a suggestion to help you take that first step.

We also turn our attention to Christmas as a small business owner. How do you make the most of the festive gifting season when you’re also trying to get your own Christmas organised? We talk about finding ways to prepare, making the most of the opportunities Christmas brings for your business and avoiding the overwhelm that can come from trying to do everything.

This is a longer episode than usual, but it’s an absolute joy to chat with Hannah again, and there’s plenty of practical inspiration to help you approach Christmas a little differently this year.

Connect with Hannah

You can find Hannah’s festive inspiration, ideas and tips over at https://jollyfestive.com/

You can also listen to our first conversation, where Hannah shared her Christmas trend insights as The Christmas Insider in Episode 36
Christmas Trends and Gifting Insights with Hannah Bartlett 

Follow Hannah on socials
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jollyfestive/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JollyFestive
TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@jolly_festive

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
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What happens when you spend a year buying nothing new? For Jen Gale, what began as a blog to document that year, led to the start of community of people striving to make small changes that can have a bigger impact.

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang podcast, Eve talks with Jen about how her sustainable-ish mindset influences the way she buys and gives gifts.

We talk about the changes she’s made, the challenges she’s come up against and how we can all start to rethink the way we buy gifts for friends and family, without feeling like we have to get everything right.

Because let’s be honest, greener gifting can be a tricky subject. We want to show people we care, but how do we make more sustainable choices when gift-giving traditions, family expectations and other people’s opinions come into play?

This is an honest chat about the things we can do differently, the challenges we face and the practical ways we can make gift choices and wrapping a little greener.

In this episode, we explore:

• How Jen’s year of buying nothing new kick-started her sustainability journey.
• How her approach to giving gifts has changed over time.
• The challenges of making more sustainable gifting choices.
• Practical ways to rethink what we buy for friends and family.
• How to navigate conversations about sustainable choices with people who may not share or understand our views (including our children).
• Why small, realistic changes can make a difference without adding pressure to an already busy time of year.

Whether you’re already trying to make your gifting more sustainable or you’re just starting to question whether there’s another way, this episode offers plenty to think about, along with practical ideas you can try for yourself.

Connect with Jen 

Visit Jen’s website, A Sustainable Life, to discover more about her sustainability journey and find inspiration for making more sustainable choices in everyday life.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainableish

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mymakedoandmendlife

Podcast: https://www.asustainablelife.co.uk/a-sustainable-life-podcast/

Mentioned in this episode

A Greener Way to Gift at Kids' Parties with Charlotte Mason-Curl - Ep 4

Kids Party Pact: One Year On - with Charlotte Mason-Curl - Ep 45

Party with Purpose: Greener Celebrations with Isabel Mack from the Party Kit Network - Ep 7

You may also enjoy

Celebrating Without the Waste: Lorraine Allman from Party Without Plastic - Ep 19

Practical Green Gifting Tips from Lyn Lapworth, Eco For All - Ep 24

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
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Could getting your products featured in a gift guide help you reach more customers and increase sales? 

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang podcast, Eve Cale from Giftwrapped by Eve explores how gift guides can help small product businesses attract new customers, promote their products as gifts and make it easier for shoppers to discover independent brands.

Gift guides aren't just for big brands or businesses with a PR team. From online gift guides and blogs to newsletters and printed publications, there are opportunities for small product makers and sellers to get their products in front of people who are actively looking for gift ideas.

Eve shares why she created her first Autumn Gift Guide, featuring 21 small product businesses from her Unwrap the Potential Challenge community, and explains why gift guides are worth considering as part of your gift marketing strategy.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why gift guides are useful for people looking for thoughtful and different gift ideas.
• How being featured in a gift guide can help more people discover your products and business.
• Why you don't have to wait for a journalist to approach you with a gift guide opportunity.
• Where small product businesses can start looking for gift guide features.
• How to think about your products in terms of different gifting occasions throughout the year.
• How the Greener Gifting Gang membership can help you develop your gift marketing and discover new promotional opportunities.

Whether you sell handmade gifts, jewellery, skincare, candles, books, clothing or other physical products, this episode will help you think about how gift guides could fit into your marketing plans.

Explore the Autumn Gift Guide

Eve's first Autumn Gift Guide features 21 small businesses offering gift ideas for shoppers looking to discover something different and support independent brands.

Browse the guide for inspiration for your own gift shopping and see how other businesses are presenting their products as gifts.

Visit: giftwrappedbyeve.com/blog

Want to discover more gift guide opportunities?

The Greener Gifting Gang is Eve's membership for product makers and sellers who want to market and sell more of their existing products as gifts.

Members get monthly masterclasses, practical giftwrapping resources, networking through Gift Connection and support from a community of fellow product businesses.

Eve is also hosting a bonus webinar exclusively for members on Monday 19 October 2026 at 1 pm, sharing where to find gift guide opportunities, how to make the most of them and how to increase the chances of getting your products noticed.

Find out more about membership, including the annual membership offer and bonus one-to-one sessions available until 20 October 2026.

Visit: giftwrappedbyeve.com/membership

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
• Follow Giftwrapped by Eve on Instagram
• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community

If you sell giftable products, have you ever thought about the difference between your usual customer and your gift buyer?

The person who normally buys your product for themselves may be very different from the person who could buy that same product as a gift for somebody else. And recognising that difference could help you uncover new sales opportunities without creating a single new product.

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang, Eve Cale from Giftwrapped by Eve explores how product makers, handmade businesses and product sellers can start looking at their existing products through the eyes of a gift buyer.

This is an idea that came up during Eve's Unwrap the Potential Challenge, where product businesses were challenged to look at the gifting potential already sitting within their businesses and identify more occasions when their existing products could be bought as gifts.

Who is your gift buyer?

When you normally sell a product to someone who is buying it for themselves, your marketing is likely to focus on the benefits and features that matter to that customer.

But what happens when somebody is buying that same product for someone else?

Their motivation is different.

They might be looking for a birthday present, a thank-you gift, a Christmas present, something for a milestone or simply a thoughtful gift for someone they care about.

The product hasn't changed, but the reason for buying it has.

In this episode, Eve explains why thinking about the gift buyer can give you new ways to market the products you already sell and help you reach potential customers who may not currently be buying from you.

In this episode, you'll discover:

• Why your usual customer and your gift buyer might be two very different people
• How the reason someone buys your product can change when they're buying it as a gift
• Why you don't necessarily need to create new products to find new sales opportunities
• How to identify different people who could buy your existing products as gifts
• Why thinking about gifting occasions can give you new marketing angles
• How to look at your existing products from the perspective of someone searching for a gift
• The simple question you can ask about every product you sell to uncover its gifting potential
• How this approach can help you create more opportunities for repeat orders

Want help finding the gifting opportunities in your business?

Spotting potential gift opportunities is one thing. Working out how to turn those opportunities into a practical marketing and sales strategy is another.

That's where The Gift Academy comes in.

The Gift Academy is Eve's personalised programme for physical product businesses that want to make more of the gifting potential already within their business. Together, you'll look at your products, your business and your opportunities and work out how gifting can become part of your marketing and sales strategy.

If you're thinking, "I know there's more potential here, but I'm not sure how to turn it into actual sales opportunities," you can book a call with Eve to explore whether The Gift Academy is right for your business.

Find out more about The Gift Academy

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
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Books make wonderful gifts, but how do you choose the right book for someone? And how can authors and book businesses make the most of the gifting opportunities their products already offer?

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang podcast, Eve chats with author Zozo  Thomas about why books make such thoughtful and versatile gifts and how to choose a book for someone when there are so many possibilities.

We explore lots of different occasions for giving books, including those where a book isn't necessarily intended to be read from cover to cover. Some books are perfect for dipping in and out of, browsing for inspiration, learning something new or returning to.  

We also talk about the importance of supporting local authors and how choosing books from independent and local writers can be a way to make your gift buying more personal while supporting small businesses.

If you sell books yourself, there are some useful ideas for your business too. We discuss why adding a gift wrapping service can be a simple way for a book business to create an easy upsell, making it more convenient for customers while increasing the value of each purchase.

We talk about sustainable gift wrapping, recycling and repurposing, and how looking at the materials you have in your home already can be the solution to last minute wrapping.

It’s a jam-packed conversation with ideas for readers, gift buyers, authors and book businesses.

About Zoe (Zozo) Thomas

Zozo Thomas is an author and illustrator who lives in Swindon, the southwest of England, where she shares her large garden with her cats, chickens and a variety of wildlife.

Fun for all the family, her Tales from the Mullbery Garden series of books are suitable for children and adults alike. Read the stories and colour the words and images as you go. The range of images to colour has been designed to appeal to all abilities. Colouring tips help to boost confidence and improve skill levels. There are also puzzles and activities designed to keep everyone entertained. Teaching suggestions have been given to help adult readers guide their younger friends through the messages in the story.

Shop for Zozo's books at Waterstones https://www.waterstones.com/author/zozo-thomas/5568021

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ZozoThomasAuthor

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/zozothomas_author/

Zozo's website: https://thomzodesigns.co.uk/tales-from-mulberry-garden

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
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• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community

What if you could find more sales opportunities without creating a new product, finding a whole new audience or running another promotion?

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang, Eve from Giftwrapped by Eve explores how looking at your existing products as gifts can help product makers, handmade businesses and product sellers discover new ways to market and sell what they already have.

Your product doesn't have to change. The reason someone buys it can change.

A candle might be bought as a birthday gift, a thank-you present or a housewarming gift. Jewellery could be marketed for a milestone, anniversary or friendship. A book could become a thoughtful retirement, teacher or new-home gift.

The product stays the same, but suddenly there are more occasions, more reasons to buy and more opportunities to put it in front of potential customers.

In this episode, Eve explores:

• Why product businesses can overlook the gifting potential of products they already sell
• How to identify who might buy your product as a gift
• How different gifting occasions can create new sales opportunities
• Why you don't necessarily need a new product to create another reason for someone to buy
• How selling products as gifts can encourage repeat purchases and recommendations
• Three simple questions you can ask about any product in your range
• How to start finding gifting opportunities throughout the year, rather than only at Christmas

If this episode has you looking at your products differently, join Eve for the free Unwrap the Potential Challenge: Your Product as a Gift.

This three-day challenge is for product makers and sellers who want to find more opportunities to sell the products they already have as gifts.

Over the three days you'll:

• Identify which of your existing products people could buy as gifts
• Find gifting occasions that fit your products
• Choose one opportunity and work out how you could package and promote it

This isn't a challenge about learning how to wrap presents (although Eve will show you how to make a gift box look good). It's about using gifting as a marketing strategy for your product business.

If you want the opportunity to be considered for inclusion in Eve's Autumn Gift Guide, you need to register for the challenge by email and complete all three challenge tasks.

Register for the challenge at
https://www.giftwrappedbyeve.com/challenge

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
• Follow Giftwrapped by Eve on Instagram
• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community

What makes a gift feel truly personal?

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang, Eve chats to Aimee Heaton from From Past To Purpose about why an astrology birth chart can make such a unique and meaningful personalised gift.

An astrology birth chart is created using the date, time and place someone was born, making it something that is completely unique to the recipient. But as we discuss, it’s not just the personalisation that makes a birth chart such an interesting gift.

We explore the personalisation, experience and depth behind an astrology birth chart gift, and why giving someone something they can spend time exploring and reflecting on can make the experience of receiving a gift much more memorable.

Aimee also shares her own love of gift giving, including the joy she gets from finding the right present for someone and her very practical approach to reusing gift bags rather than throwing them away.

In this episode, we chat about:

• Why astrology birth charts make great gifts
• What makes a birth chart such a personal and unique present
• Why personalised gifts can feel more thoughtful and meaningful
• How a gift can offer an experience, rather than simply being something to own
• The depth and curiosity that comes from exploring an astrology birth chart
• Why gifts that encourage someone to discover something about themselves can be particularly memorable
• Aimee’s own love of gift giving and what she enjoys about choosing, wrapping and unwrapping presents
• The simple ways Aimee makes her own gift giving more sustainable, including reusing gift bags

Whether you're looking for unique personalised gift ideas for someone special, or you're a service or coaching business wondering how you could position what you already offer as a gift, there are plenty of ideas to take from this conversation.

About Aimee Heaton

Aimee Heaton is an award-winning Trauma-Informed Personal Transformation Coach, Astrology Guide and the founder of From Past To Purpose®.

Her mission is to help people recognise their self-worth, know their value, believe in themselves, trust themselves again, and create a life that aligns with who they truly are and their purpose.

Drawing on trauma-informed coaching, psychology, nervous system awareness and astrology, Aimee helps people better understand themselves so they can break free from unhelpful patterns, make decisions with greater confidence and create lasting, meaningful change.

Whether through coaching, speaking, workshops or education, everything she does is guided by one belief: lasting transformation isn't about becoming someone different, it's about reconnecting with who you truly are.

Connect with Aimee

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aimeefrompasttopurpose/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aimeefrompasttopurpose/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aimeefrompasttopurpose/
Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/42YbIKYnfVUPQkRVBGlxL7?si=5b706ddf30fa4c38
Website: https://frompasttopurpose.co.uk/

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
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• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community

September can feel like the perfect time for a fresh start in your small business. But with all the talk of September resets, getting organised and preparing for Christmas, it’s easy to create a huge list of things you should be doing and end up feeling overwhelmed before you’ve even started.

In this episode, Eve shares a simpler approach to September business planning using a straightforward Stop, Start, Continue exercise.

Rather than trying to reset your entire business, Eve encourages you to take a moment to reflect on what’s working, what isn’t and where your energy would be best spent as we head into the busy autumn and Christmas period.

In this episode, we look at:

• What you could stop doing in your small business
• How to choose one thing to start rather than overwhelming yourself with a long to-do list
• Why it’s important to identify what’s already working and continue doing it
• How pausing before saying yes or no can help you make better business decisions
• How to approach the autumn and Christmas season with more focus and less pressure
• Why you don’t need to completely reinvent your business every September

Looking for more ways to sell your products as gifts?

If you run a product-based business, handmade business or small gift business, September is a great time to start thinking about how your existing products could create more gifting opportunities.

Eve's free Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift Challenge will help you look at your products from the perspective of a gift buyer and identify opportunities to promote and sell them as gifts throughout the year, not just at Christmas.

The challenge takes place during the week commencing 21st September and is completely free to join.

Register here: giftwrappedbyeve.com/challenge

Key topics

September reset for small business, small business planning, business planning for Christmas, product-based business, handmade business, gift business, selling products as gifts, Christmas marketing, gift marketing, business focus, Stop Start Continue exercise.

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
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• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community

What if your next best-selling gift is already hiding within the products you create?

In this episode of The Greener Gifting Gang Podcast, Eve chats to Sarah Haugh of Sarah Haugh Designs, an upcycler and furniture designer based in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

Sarah creates beautiful, one-of-a-kind pieces by upcycling and transforming existing furniture, giving unwanted or overlooked items a new lease of life. Sustainability is at the heart of her business, from reusing furniture and materials to creating pieces designed to be treasured rather than replaced.

Her work has also gained national recognition, including being featured on BBC One's Money for Nothing and Shift the Thrift, and Sarah is a fellow Theo Paphitis Small Business Sunday (SBS) winner.

We hear about how Sarah's pieces have been chosen as gifts for special occasions and how she took her existing designs and turned them into a smaller, more accessible gift product – one that flew out last Christmas.

It’s a brilliant example of how product-based businesses can find new gift ideas and sales opportunities.

We also have a refreshingly honest conversation about the reality of buying and receiving gifts.  Social media often shows us beautifully styled gifts, perfectly chosen presents and picture-perfect reactions. But real-life gifting isn't always like that and Sarah shares her own perspective on the expectations and pressures around choosing and receiving gifts.

If you sell handmade, creative or sustainable products, listen in and see what Sarah’s experience sparks for your own business.

Connect with Sarah

https://www.sarahhaughdesigns.co.uk/
https://www.instagram.com/sarahhaughdesigns
https://www.facebook.com/sarahhaughdesigns

Mentioned in this episode

Ep 47 Ditch the Gift Giving Guilt with Gill Sealey
BBC Money for Nothing
BBC Shift the Thrift

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
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What makes a business gift memorable? For Emma Robson of Stort Valley Gifting, it’s the personal touch.

In this episode of the Greener Gifting Gang podcast, Emma and Eve talk about how businesses can use corporate gifts to strengthen relationships, stand out from competitors and stay front of mind with their clients.

Emma’s approach is about much more than putting products into a hamper. She combines locally sourced products from independent suppliers with a personalised gifting service, creating gifts that feel thoughtful and relevant to the person receiving them.

And although Emma works with local suppliers in Essex and Hertfordshire, her business creates gifts for clients across the UK – showing how a local, personal approach can have national reach.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Why the personal touch can make such a difference to business gifting
• How thoughtful corporate gifts can help you stand out and be remembered
• Why personalised gifts can have more impact than generic corporate merchandise
• How Emma works with local and independent suppliers to create memorable gifts
• The opportunities for business-to-business gifting throughout the year
• Why you don't have to wait until Christmas to send a business gift
• How businesses can use gifting to strengthen client and customer relationships
• What makes a corporate gift feel genuinely personal
• Why supporting small suppliers can add another dimension to your gifting
• How a local business can work with clients across the country

If you sell physical products, you may already think about the people who buy your products for themselves, friends or family. But could your products be bought by a business as a gift? And if they could, how could you add a personal touch that makes the gift more memorable?

Business gifting could be another way to create sales from products you already make or sell – and another opportunity to help your products get remembered

Businesses need gifts for clients, customers, employees, suppliers, referral partners and events. And when the gift is personal and thoughtfully chosen, it can do more than simply deliver a product – it can help strengthen the relationship between the giver and recipient.

That means your products could have opportunities as corporate gifts, client thank-you gifts or business-to-business gifts that you haven't considered yet.

Listen to this episode for inspiration whether you are a maker, seller or service business looking for a way to strength relationship.

Connect with Stort Valley Gifting

stortvalleygifting.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/stortvalleygifting

https://www.instagram.com/stortvalleygifting

https://www.tiktok.com/@stortvalleygifting

https://www.linkedin.com/company/stortvalleygifting/

• Don't forget to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with a friend who would find it useful.
• Join in my free challenge for product makers and sellers w/c 21st September  Unwrap the Potential: Your Product as a Gift 
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• Join our Giftwrapped by Eve - Support for Product Makers and Sellers Facebook community