When someone important in your life launches a new business, you want to celebrate their new endeavor with them.
Especially if it is their passion, a true life calling, or the fruit of many years of planning, education, training, or anticipation.
So give them an office-warming gift! Something special, something unique, and something that fits their new working environment.
There’s a million ideas out there, but we’ve worked through the options and have some terrifically original things in store for you.
For large or small businesses, whether a brand new medical practice or an online mom-and-pop crochet store, here are seven thoughtful office warming gifts for a new business owner.
7 Best Office Warming Gifts for a New Business Owner
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1. Custom Engraved Wood Business Sign
Give the new business owner a custom wood office plaque to christen their new business, practice, or office.
The Pacific Crest Series from Northwest Gifts is crafted in Oregon from real wood and personalized to order.
We can etch any profession, business name, logo, or custom text to make this wall decor piece the perfect office warming gift for the new business owner.
Arrives ready to hang, optional hanging name board (or multiple name boards for each partner, office, floor, service, etc).
2. Decorative Designer Fire Extinguisher
Every work place needs to be safety conscious. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a gorgeous office – get both safety and beauty combined with one of these Safe-T Decorative Designer Fire Extinguishers.
Instead of the boring old red ones, choose from dozens of stunning (and fun) themed extinguishers. There’s famous people (Einstein, Dali), skylines (New York), cars (Herbie, SL300), drinks (whiskey, wine), and lots more (tropical fish, ketchup, camouflage), including classy finishes like chrome and brass.
Check out all the designs here.
3. Personalized Tumbler
The new business owner is going to be drinking PLENTY of coffee in the coming months as they get their shop up and running.
So celebrate their achievement of starting a business and opening an office with a gorgeous travel tumbler, personalized especially for them in their new role as boss.
With a range of colors and full customization, this is a great office warming gift that they’re sure to use every single day.
Have it say Best Boss Ever, go with their specialty (Best CPA Ever, Best Orthodontist Ever, etc) or personalize it with your own special message.
4. Luxury Pen
A high-end luxury pen is the sign of a true professional.
You know you’re in business when you can confidently sign all those contracts with a perfect flow of ink.
Here are a few of the classic luxury pen brands:
- Armando Simoni Club (top-tier luxury)
- Montblanc (very high-end)
- Parker Sonnet (very high-end)
- Cross (a traditional gift, high-end yet affordable)
5. Custom Engraved Bird Feeder
This office warming gift is truly unique! You probably wouldn’t have expected a bird feeder… but the same could be said for the new business owner, so this will be one gift idea that might come as a total surprise.
Depending on the business and location, a personalized bird feeder could be an amazing gift. Especially for a home office!
Wherever they work, this feeder will draw in the birds and their beautiful songs, giving everyone involved a delightful picture of nature while they work or shop.
It includes personalization, so get it with the business name or logo, or customize it for an individual recipient with their name and a meaningful quote or message.
6. Personalized Heirloom Keepsake Box
This is a high-quality, personalized take on a classic commemorative gift.
The new business owner will need a place to store their new keys or to hold (and/or display) some special personal items while they’re at the office.
This Personalized Walnut Wood Keepsake Box is perfect. You can brand it with their logo, personalize it with their name, or both – since it can be customized on the name plate AND the glass lid.
Or leave the lid blank, so they can decide if they want to display the contents of the box or use the glass lid as a photo frame.
Made in the USA from solid walnut wood (not a veener; this is no cheap import), you can customize this keepsake box to your heart’s content to honor the new business owner.
7. Creative Reception Area Accents
I like this tic-tac-toe game for several reasons. First, it’s got a cute and fun vibe. That’s a good aura for the new office, and I’m sure your business owner friend will feel the same way.
Second, it’s personalized. Customize it with the business name or whatever you want that makes sense. You can even customize the letters – they don’t have to be X’s and O’s.
Third, it’s perfect for the office. Clients or customers can play with it at the register, reception area, waiting room, in the main office, or, for employees, in the breakroom.
You can also do pillows, framed or canvas art, a cute magazine rack, planters, floating shelves, or anything else that you know will complement their office décor.
More Creative Office Warming Gifts
We think those seven choices are the best of the best, but since every business is different, with a unique space and outlook and profile and what-have-you, there will be times where those gifts won’t be quite right.
So here are some more classic and creative office warming gift ideas for the new business owner:
- Frame for their first dollar
- Fun pen holders
- Personalized planner/notebook
- Aromatherapy diffuser
- Gumball machine
- Cute succulent planters
- Coffee/espresso maker
- World’s Okayest Boss mug
- Custom comic book that tells the story of their business
- Wall mounted bottle opener engraved with their business logo
Office Warming Gifts for the Whole Office
Above, we focused on office warming gifts for the new business owner. Those were a little more personal, unique, and custom.
If you want an office warming gift that can be given to and shared among the entire office, here are some tips and ideas.
1. Food Is Always A Winning Choice
Anytime you get a gift for the whole office (not just office-warming, but also holidays, as a thank-you, end of year, etc) you simply can’t go wrong with good food.
Everyone has to eat. And everyone enjoys eating delicious delicacies.
So unless you have a solid reason to go above and beyond, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Just give some great food for the office to share!
A few ideas:
- Baked goods from a local bakery
- A catered lunch or dinner
- Fruit, veggie, and deli platters
- A celebratory cake
- Ice cream sundaes
2. Don’t Overdo You Logo
While most people like merch, your employees probably won’t care about wearing a logo’ed t-shirt or hat on their off days.
And there’s really only so much joy that can be had from branded pens and other office products.
Sure, by all means get some branded totes and pens and coffee mugs. Give them to your clients, customers, employees, and to the wider community at events. That’s solid advertising to get your brand out there.
But don’t think that giving promotional merch to your employees *really* counts as a gift. Recognize that sort of thing for what it is: advertising, branding, and promotion.
3. Instead, Give Personalized Gifts They Can Actually Use
Our most popular employee gift is the personalized tumbler with name and “BEST. RECEPTIONIST. EVER.” (Or CPA or DENTAL HYGIENIST or NP or… you get the idea.)
This is the same mug as the one we picture above. The cool thing is that we offer bulk discounts when you order multiples, even when each individual tumbler is personalized with a different name.
Another charming office warming gift for the whole staff is that Personalized Notepad. Give one to each team member, and they’ll be sure to use it regularly!
Here are some more of our favorite personalized employee gifts:
- Cutting board
- Coaster set
- Succulent planter
- Bottle opener
- Business card holder
- Headphone/earbud case
- Luggage tags
You can also choose non-personalized gifts that your employees will want to use. This can be just about anything, but make sure to keep it high-end; either a nice brand, or hand-crafted, or something similarly top-notch.
4. Upgrade the Breakroom Experience
Your employees will appreciate a breakroom gift that keeps on giving.
While the old standby food platter is much loved for a good reason, you could do even better with one of these ideas:
- Espresso machine or k-cup brewing system (and keep the breakroom stocked with a variety of k-cups or coffee beans)
- Mini fridge with bottled water and/or protein shakes, green drinks, yogurt, fresh fruit, etc
- Snack bar with protein bars, trail mix, dark chocolate, granola bars
- TV and gaming system, or arcade game
- Other games: Board games, puzzles, darts, ping-pong table, air hockey, foosball, indoor putting green
- Other activities: Books, word search and sudoku, brain teasers, adult coloring books, zen garden, treadmill, a record player
- Nice reclining chairs
- Back and shoulder massager
With these tips in mind, and inspired by all the creative ideas we’ve scouted out for you, you’re in the perfect place to give the very best office warming gifts.
So get to it!
Read next: 10 Gifts That Everyone Wants (Even If They Don’t Know It Yet)