What does your favorite entrepreneur really want for the holidays this year? Probably a clone, so they can get everything done.
You may not be able to give the gift of being in two places at once, but you can help any of the entrepreneurs in your life get more done, get more inspired—even get more rest.
Gifts for Hard-Charging Business Owners
Ideal for: frequent travelers, people who make sales calls and on-site client visits, that one friend who always forgets to charge their phone
Price range: $16—$50
Most business owners work on the go, so their gear always needs to be charged. There’s nothing more frustrating when you’re on a deadline than losing battery power in a place where you can’t find an outlet.
Spare your beloved business pal this fate with a portable charger or two. My favorite choice for phones is the Jackery Mini. It’s good for one full phone charge at a time. And it’s not much bigger than a lipstick case, so it’s easy to carry. For more charging power, the larger Anker PowerCore Essential 2000 can charge two mobile devices at the same time or recharge a phone several times on one charge.
Where to recharge all that gear without creating cord chaos in the office? Business Insider and Amazon both give top marks to the Satechi 7-Port USB Charging Station Dock, with surge protection on each port and the ability to automatically detect the right charge for each device. Perfect for the busy entrepreneur’s desk.
Illuminating Gifts for Entrepreneurs
Ideal for: artisans, artists and craftspeople; people who work in spaces with poor lighting; businesspeople who do a lot of video work; anyone who’s ever had trouble finding something in the depths of their bag during a meeting
Price range: $20—$43
A good desk lamp can make the difference between a productive work session and a stress headache. Architects, designers and other professionals often recommend the TaoTronics line of LED desk lamps. This model offers seven brightness levels, five color modes and a wireless charging station for selected phones.
You know what’s super awkward when you’re networking or meeting with clients? Rummaging through your bag like a raccoon raiding a trash bin because you can’t find what you need. SOI’s motion-activated handbag lights come in two sizes to make it easy to find your stuff, even when your bag is the functional equivalent of a black hole.
One more way to light up the holidays for your business-owner friends: a ring light they can use with their webcam and phone. A small ring light with a decent menu of brightness and color settings can make video conferences look much more professional. It’s also handy for creating livestreams, videos and headshots that look polished.
Gifts for All Entrepreneurs
Ideal for: the business friend who has everything
Price range: $20—$150 for a 1-year Audible subscription
You really can’t have too many business card cases, especially if you have multiple bags—just load up a bunch of cases and keep one in each bag. One of the most appealing styles on Etsy is Minter Goods’ eco-friendly, water-resistant cork business card case. The design has two pockets and comes in a dozen color choices.
Successful businesspeople and plucky entrepreneurs share an important trait: they’re always learning. Consider a gift that feeds their need for new ideas and inspiration. For entrepreneurs who like to learn while they’re on the move, an Audible gift subscription lets them listen to the books on their to-read list.
Know someone who eats, sleeps and dreams business? A gift subscription to the Harvard Business Review is like a library pass for lifelong business students. It includes online access to HBR’s archives, which go back 25 years, plus subscriber-only resources that they can customize and use for their business.
Gifts for the Entrepreneur who Needs to Rest and Unwind
Ideal for: business owners who need a break, business owners seeking work-life balance, anyone who’s flirting with burnout
Price range: $11 and up
Everyone, even the busiest entrepreneur, needs time to recharge and rest. Without that downtime, it’s hard to stay focused, motivated and creative. So, treat your favorite business owner to some R&R.
For entrepreneurs who are interested in how meditation and relaxation can help them succeed at work, Search Inside Yourself is a great read. Written by Google engineer Chade-Meng Tan, it’s a clever introduction to traditional meditation practices with a focus on building the resilience, emotional intelligence and happiness people need to thrive at work and outside of it.
When to meditate and relax? Just about anywhere, with the right tools. For frequent travelers, consider TechRadar’s favorite noise-canceling headphones for two years running: Sony’s wireless Bluetooth WH1000XM3 model. At $350 they’re a bit of a splurge, but they deliver 30 hours of battery life, perfect for creating a sonic cocoon in flight and in the airport lounge.
Another, less expensive tool for relaxing on a plane: a sleep mask that blocks out light but doesn’t touch your eyelids, like the MZOO Sleep Eye Mask. It’s available in 4 colors and costs just $16.
For business owners who are already into wellness and fitness, a gift pass to enjoy more of those things is a gift that really does keep giving. Spafinder passes are great for finding spa and beauty treatments plus fitness classes like Pilates and dance. Classpass focuses more on gyms and fitness centers. In a city like Austin, Classpass gives the holder options ranging from yoga to boxing, indoor cycling and CrossFit. That’s perfect for entrepreneurs who want to stay in shape and maybe network a bit at the same time.
Need more gift-giving ideas? Check out our other HostGator holiday gift guides!
- Holiday Gift Ideas for Side Hustlers
- Holiday Gift Ideas for Freelancers
- Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Local Business Clients
- Holiday Gift Ideas for Your Freelance Clients
Casey Kelly-Barton is an Austin-based freelance B2B content marketing writer. Her specialty areas include SMB marketing and growth, data security, IoT, and fraud prevention