Have you been thinking about starting up your own home-based business? Well, today, we are going to share with you how to get started with a personal concierge business from home.
Working from home has definitely had a lot of perks. Apart from the fact that you get to enjoy flexible working hours, you also get to decide what to actually work on.
Because of the many advantages that working from home gives, it is not surprising that over the years, more and more people are loving this kind of work set up.
In fact, according to a report published by FlexJobs, it says that in the United States alone, remote work increased from 2016 to 2017 by 7.9%.
Furthermore, from 3.9 million American workers working from home in 2015, today, the number is already at 4.7 million or 3.4% of the population. In the next couple of years, experts believe that remote work will continue to rise especially if the current situation caused by the pandemic continues.
There are a lot of remote jobs out there. Apart from that, there are also countless remote businesses to choose from. From all the options out there, today, we are going to particularly talk about how to get started personal concierge.
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Also known as a personal assistant, working as a personal concierge is actually one of the best options for people who want to start a business that focuses on providing an essential service.
Just so you know, there are a lot of people out there looking for individuals to work as a personal concierge. Having one is essential especially among businessmen who, with so much on their plates on day to day basis, need someone to take charge and handle other work that needs to be done. Busy people are willing to pay a good amount of money for an extra set of hands just to get things done on time.
Are you curious already how to get started personal concierge business from home?
Well then, let’s start!
In particular, we are going to talk about the following important points:
- What is a personal concierge?
- How does a personal concierge business make money?
- Who qualifies to be a personal concierge?
- How much does a personal concierge make?
- How to start a personal concierge business from home?
WHAT IS A PERSONAL CONCIERGE?
Before we even talk about how to start a personal concierge business from home, it is important to first and foremost know and understand what the personal concierge is all about.
While it’s kind of challenging to find a concrete definition of what a personal concierge, here’s something that explains what the job is all about —
A personal concierge refers to a person or an individual that makes arrangements or runs errands for another person. What particular arrangements or errands depend on the client or the boss.
However, just to give you an idea, some of the usual things that a personal concierge (which, by the way, is also more popularly known as a personal assistant) include:
- Appointment setting
- Booking travel
- Bookkeeping
- Dog walking
- Dropping and picking up items from the dry-cleaner
- Grocery shopping
- House and pet sitting
- Internet research
- Mailing packages
- Managing repairs, service setup like cable or internet, etc.
- Meal prep
- Organization
- Picking out gifts
- Picking up kids
- Planning parties
- Running errands
- Sending out correspondence
- Waiting in line for concert tickets, renewals, form submission, etc.
You see, like a personal concierge or personal assistant, the tasks are endless. It pretty much covers a lot of things that when you are applying for the job or you want to run this kind of business, you got to make sure to check and ensure that your clients have a specific list of tasks that you need to do, and then from the task list, you can decide whether the job is right for you or the clients must look for someone else to fill in.
Your services as a personal concierge are usually charged on a per hour basis — it could be on a per-project basis or for a long-term contract.
Now, to avoid confusion, a personal concierge is totally different from a hotel concierge.
As a personal concierge, your job is to provide certain services to clients on a day-to-day basis either at the client’s home or workplace. In addition, like a personal concierge, your presence plus the services you provide become an integral part of your client’s everyday lifestyle.
Meanwhile, a hotel concierge is restricted to provide limited services within the hotel premises.
Before moving on, in the video below by Start & Grow Your Business, he shares more about how to be a personal concierge and how to make money from it. We thought it is something that you should check out especially if you are seriously looking at becoming one.
HOW DOES A PERSONAL CONCIERGE BUSINESS MAKE MONEY?
Now that you already know what working as a personal concierge is all about, this time, we are going to talk about one very important aspect of the job and of the business as a whole — how does a personal concierge business earn?
Technically, the main source of revenue will be coming from clients. It’s the payment you receive for the services you provide, and on some occasions, the additional tips to show their gratitude and appreciation for a job well done.
In addition to that, you can also make money through commissions or discounts so long as you develop referral arrangements with various vendors like travel agents, wedding planners, event planners, as well as moving companies.
While the options seem few, once you’re out there and you have garnered a couple of clients, especially when they need your services for a long time, we bet you, the business will be stable eventually.
WHO QUALIFIES TO BE A PERSONAL CONCIERGE?
In this section, we are going to provide you with some of the qualities that make a personal concierge.
To be a successful personal concierge, you must be:
- Highly resourceful
- Astute
- Discreet and Pro-active
- Problem-Solver
- Logical
In addition, you must also have:
- Excellent communication skills
- Strong interpersonal skills
- Excellent organizational skills
While other clients do not mind having any experience, others prefer someone who has a background as an executive assistant, hotel concierge, project manager, event manager, or any other related roles.
Basically, every client does have their own set of required qualifications. Thus, it’s always best to check so you can personally assess yourself if you are fit for the job or not.
HOW MUCH DOES A PERSONAL CONCIERGE MAKE?
Of course, another very important aspect that you need to know if you are looking at starting a personal concierge business is the amount of money you’ll get from it.
Generally speaking, you determine your own rates. Yes, you read it right. You decide how much you are going to be paid for the services you provide.
When charging services, you have to consider the client’s requirements, the time you need to accomplish the day to day tasks, your expertise, as well as your experience.
In addition, consider also the wage rate in your location, and the finances of the clientele that you target. You have to be reasonable with your pricing. Make sure you charge your client accordingly.
Now, while how much you make as a personal concierge depends entirely on how much you going to charge for the services you provide, to give you an idea, though, according to PayScale, personal concierge salaries range between $21,000 and $41,500 per year.
Meanwhile, according to Glassdoor, the national average range is $25,400. It is important to note, though, that both PayScale and Glassdoor are primarily concerned with the salaries of employees for both concierge services and hospitality centers and not independent contractors.
Again, at the end of the day, it’s for you to determine how much you’re going to charge a client based on the factors we mentioned earlier.
HOW TO START A PERSONAL CONCIERGE BUSINESS FROM HOME?
So, we’ve reached the most important section of all –
In this section, we are going to provide you essential information on how to actually get started personal concierge business from home. We hope that this serves as your guide as you start off your remote personal concierge business.
With that said, here’s your step-by-step guide on how to start off your personal concierge business from home:
- Create a Business Plan
- Determine the Business Structure
- Register Your Business
- Set Up Your Financials
- Build a Business Website
- Set Up Communication Platforms
- Market Your Personal Concierge Business
- Secure Your First Client/s
- Start Earning from Your Personal Concierge Business
Create a Business Plan
Every business needs to start off with a business plan. A business plan will serve as the backbone of your business. It will serve as a guide and will help keep you on track as you build your business, and as it progresses.
Unlike other businesses though, setting up a personal concierge business from home will not require you to make loans to cover for whatever cost you need. Thus, you do not necessarily have to make a formal business plan.
What you need to do, however, is to come up with a simple plan, which will serve as your roadmap to chart your business’s journey.
As you make your business plan, you will need to include details like:
- What are the services you will offer
- How much you will charge
- How to accept payments
- How to market your business
- How to ensure financial are well-taken cared of
When creating your business plan, no matter how simple it is, it is important to take your time and to really think things through. Do not just write and that’s it. You have to ensure that once you’re done with it, it’s final.
Also, make sure all the components are tackled. Otherwise, it would not be wise to revise the business plan when you’re in the middle of it already just because you forgot certain components or sections.
So, yeah, take your time, and if you can, consult an expert and ask for a friendly opinion about your business plan. At the end of the day, you want to make sure that you have worked.
Determine the Business Structure
Another important component to get started with your personal concierge business from home is to create a business structure.
Technically speaking, as a personal concierge, you will most likely work by yourself. Thus, make sure to only choose a business structure that is relatively easy — in this case, it’s a sole proprietorship.
Of course, if you opt to run the business with a business partner, then you will have to consider having some extra protection in place. That means you will need to file a Limited Liability Company (LLC), Partnership, or S Corporation — whatever is applicable to you and your business partner.
It is important to note that each of these business structures has their respective pros and cons, which is why we recommend consulting with an attorney or an accountant to understand each option fully, and eventually, to be able to determine which business structure is ideal for you based on your needs.
Register Your Business
Once you have already established your business structure, it’s time to register your business.
Please take note that if you plan to use a business name other than your own name, you will need to apply for a Doing Business As (DBA). However, this is only applicable if your business structure is as a sole proprietor.
When it comes to business names, make sure to allot time to research on whether or not the business name you have in your mind is still available or not. Make this an opportunity as well to look for available domain names, which is a requirement when building your website.
Set Up Your Financials
Not because the business is a sole proprietor, you will no longer think about the financials of the business.
In any business, you have to keep track of your business expenditures as well as its sales. Ideally, you open a separate bank account intended for your business alone.
Also, make sure that payment channels or platforms are in place, and that you have already decided on the type of bookkeeping software you’ll use to ensure everything is well accounted for.
Since you also need to track both your income and expenses, you may opt to do it on a spreadsheet, or if you want a more organized method, you may opt to use a bookkeeping platform instead.
Build a Business Website
Having your own website put in place is very important in the business. This creates the impression that the company is legit, credible, and reliable. Needless to say, a website is one of the best channels where people can easily contact you to get your services.
Don’t worry about the cost, because these days, building a website should not cost a lot. There are, in fact, many affordable ways to create a website for your personal concierge business.
However, we recommend using a multidimensional content management system such as WordPress.
Meanwhile, when it comes to web hosting, you can do that via BlueHost, which is very easy to use and at the same time, very affordable, too.
If you think you’re not good at it though, you can always seek help from the experts, but that means setting aside for the cost.
Set Up Communication Platforms
Apart from your website wherein you can create a contact us page where possible clients can reach you, consider setting up a separate phone line as well, or you may also consider other communication platforms like Skype, Viber, Facebook Messenger, etc.
Explore the many communication channels out there and choose which you think fits best your needs.
Remember that in any business, it is important to have as many communication channels as possible so your clients can contact you anytime.
Market Your Personal Concierge Business
Marketing your personal concierge business is also an important aspect of setting up a business and making it work.
What’s nice though is that these days, marketing products and services becomes easier through social media platforms. For a very minimal cost, you can promote your business through Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You may also consider placing ads on websites like Craigslist.
Apart from these, consider also doing blogs weekly, writing, and publishing a weekly newsletter, as well as reaching out and asking help from family and friends to spread the word about the business — these methods are free, by the way.
You can also take advantage of your local chamber of commerce by posting flyers.
As you can see, marketing your business does not necessarily need a lot of money. It’s just being resourceful with what’s readily available.
Secure Your First Client/s
By the time you reach this step, you have already established your business, and that you are already ready to cater to your first client/s.
Now, there are a lot of ways to get your first clients. It can be through the marketing channels you used, or through word of mouth, or through networking, or you can also find clients from job listing sites.
Once you have secured a client, make sure to provide quality of work. When you give them that, they will surely keep coming back, needless to say, they will voluntarily refer you to their colleagues.
Start Earning from Your Personal Concierge Business
Of course, the last but definitely not the least step is to start earning from your business.
Once you have secured a client, and you have accomplished the job well, then earnings will start flourishing. They’ll keep coming for sure, and the next thing you know, you have already gained back your initial investment in the business.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON HOW TO GET STARTED PERSONAL CONCIERGE
Working from home especially these days have become a necessity.
Thanks to the internet, there are a lot of ways to make money from home – one of them is by building a personal concierge business.
Do you think you have what it takes to start a personal concierge business from hone?
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