For Subscribers

Valentine's Day--How Sweet it Is February 14th isn't only lucrative for the Hallmarks and American Greetings of the world.

By Jason Daley

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

21,000 florists in the U.S. 1

3,000 greeting-card publishers in the U.S., most of them small or family-owned. 2

70% of men plan to take their sweetheart out to dinner on Valentine's Day. 3

$29 million in cut roses sold in the United States each year. 4

73% of the 546,000 restaurants in the U.S. that are single-location businesses. 5

$36 million in heart-shaped boxes of chocolate sold each Valentine's Day. 6

100,000 pounds per day of its classic Sweethearts Conversation Hearts that Necco produces for 11 months to meet demand. (The 8 billion hearts sell out in six weeks.) 7

3,523 candy stores in the U.S. 8

22,600 specialty jewelers in the U.S. 9

$40 million in box office profits on the No. 1 movie of Valentine's Day weekend 2009­--the remake of Friday the 13th.10

Sources:
1 U.S. Census Bureau
2 Greeting Card Association
3 Discover Card Survey
4 USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
5 National Restaurant Association
6 National Confectioner's Association
7 Necco
8 U.S. Census Bureau
9 Jewelers of America
10 Variety

Jason Daley lives and writes in Madison, Wisconsin. His work regularly appears in Popular Science, Outside and other magazines.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for BIZ Experiencess to pursue in 2025.

Making a Change

What It Takes to Go From Dead Broke to 6 Figures in 6 Months

Every change we need to make to prosper is within ourselves.

Science & Technology

OpenAI's Latest Move Is a Game Changer — Here's How Smart Solopreneurs Are Turning It Into Profit

OpenAI's latest AI tool acts like a full-time assistant, helping solopreneurs save time, find leads and grow their business without hiring.

Business Solutions

Boost Team Productivity and Security With Windows 11 Pro, Now $15 for Life

Ideal for BIZ Experiencess and small-business owners who are looking to streamline their PC setup.

Science & Technology

AI Isn't Plug-and-Play — You Need a Strategy. Here's Your Guide to Building One.

Don't just "add AI" — build a strategy. This guide helps founders avoid common pitfalls and create a step-by-step roadmap to harness real value from AI.

Starting a Business

I Built a $20 Million Company by Age 22 While Still in College. Here's How I Did It and What I Learned Along the Way.

Wealth-building in your early twenties isn't about playing it safe; it's about exploiting the one time in life when having nothing to lose gives you everything to gain.