Business Overview:

Opening a formal wear rental store is one of the better business ideas for anyone who wants to make a profit helping others look their finest. As a formal wear rental store owner you’ll hire out clothing for special occasions. The occasions will vary, but the most common ones include weddings, fine dinners, proms, formal garden parties, and so on. Many people prefer to hire the formal attire for these types of events because the type of formal clothing worn to most special occasions (such as tuxedos) is not worn very often. Therefore it’s usually much more cost effective for most people to rent rather than buy their formal clothing. This is why opening a formal wear rental store represents a potentially profitable opportunity. By offering outstanding customer service, you can build up a solid base of repeat customers who will return to you for their formal wear needs each time they have a formal event to attend. By working hard, keeping your customers happy and providing an excellent all-around service, you can certainly build up a successful formal wear rental store which generates a very respectable profit.

A Day in the Life of a Formal Wear Rental Store Business Owner:

As a formal wear rental store business owner, you will open up your store at around 9 a.m., allowing 15 minutes to set up your shop beforehand. Throughout the day customers will enter your store or telephone your shop to hire or inquire about renting formal clothes. Based on their needs you will help them select the ideal formal attire, and you will take their measurements–waist size, inseam, collar size, and so on–to ensure that the formal clothing fits them perfectly. You will also receive hired clothing back from happy customers, which you will then either clean yourself or arrange for it to be cleaned by an associate, so that the clothing is returned to a pristine condition ready to be rented out again to someone else. A typical day would end around 6 p.m., when you would close your shop after ensuring that everything is tidy and in order, ready for opening again for business the next day. You may also hire staff to serve customers and to open and close your formal clothing store for you. In this case you would oversee the general smooth running of your store, actively keeping an eye on the latest formal wear trends and updating your clothing line to ensure that your rental shop continues to offer the best and most up to date range of formal attire to your customers. You’ll also want to attend to your finances every day, being sure your books are balanced and the numbers are in the black.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be people looking to hire formal clothes for a special occasion. Such occasions may include weddings, proms, formal garden parties, and so on.

What You Need to Start:

• A storefront
• Inventory (tuxedos, prom dresses, etc.)
• A business license
• A business plan
• Financial tracking software
• A good eye for detail so that you can help your clients look immaculate

The Good:

• Renting formal clothing is more cost effective and preferable to most people compared to buying formal attire.
• There are always going to be formal events for which people will need to hire formal clothes.
• If you’re reliable and you provide high quality customer service you can build up a solid and profitable base of repeat customers.
• It can be very rewarding–you will be helping people to look their absolute best on some of the most special and memorable occasions of their lives.
• Your customers are usually very happy to be coming into your shop since they’re preparing for a special day.

The Bad:

• Building a solid reputation and a reliable base of repeat customers is paramount to making this business profitable–so you must offer excellent customer service to stand out from competitors.
• It may take some time for you to see profits as building up a solid customer base can take time.

Resources:

• International Formalwear Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Clothing, Accessory and General Merchandise Stores
• Wikipedia on Formal Wear

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Business Overview:

Learning how to start an errand service could be the ticket to your freedom, not only from the office but from being dependent on others for a paycheck. These days people are busier than ever and are more than willing to pay someone to run their errands for them. Picking up dry cleaning, going grocery shopping and buying gifts are just a few errands that can be handled with this exciting business idea. You will find that when you look into how to start and operate an errand service, marketing will be crucial to the success of your business. You will spend most of your day in your car so it would be smart to make your vehicle your number one marketing tool. Place magnetic posters on the sides of you car promoting your business. Be sure your business name and phone number are easy to see. You might also consider creating a website where people can go for more information. Often people in their cars can’t stop and write down a phone number but they can remember a catchy web address. Even the simplest of websites will work. Explain your services and include contact information. Print up business cards and leave them in places like grocery stores, coffee shops and bookstores. Your clients will likely be on the affluent end of the spectrum so target places they frequent and areas in which they live. Once you get your business name out there and you get your first few clients, you are likely to get a good deal of repeat and referral business. As long as you offer high quality services at reasonable prices, with excellent customer service, in no time you will need to have a fleet of vehicles to handle all your business.

A Day in the Life of an Errand Service Business Owner:

Your day will begin with a check of your schedule to see what errands are on your agenda. You will spend most of your day taking care of clients’ needs, contacting them from time to time to clear up questions you may have. If your schedule is light, you will work on your marketing campaign. You will distribute business cards and fliers around town, check into placing ads online and make sure your website is up to date. If you have a staff working for you, you will coordinate with them throughout the day to ensure they are on task and on schedule. Finally, you will record any new business and check on your finances to see that everything is in order.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will likely be busy individuals who are in need of some help with their everyday errands.

What You Need to Start:

• Errand service business plan
• Marketing plan
• Vehicle
• Staff (if needed)
• Website (if desired)

The Good:

• If you like helping people and running errands, this is the perfect business.
• You can charge top dollar for errand services.
• The startup costs are very low.
• You can hire a staff of drivers and concentrate on just the marketing.
• You can easily run this business part time.

The Bad:

• If you don’t figure the cost of gas into your pricing, your profits will suffer.
• Deadlines and traffic can be a problematic combination at times.

Resources:

• International Concierge and Lifestyle Association
• International Concierge and Errand Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Service Occupations
• Wikipedia on Personal Concierge and Errand Services

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Business Overview:

If you’d like to generate great profits helping others gain happiness, health and well-being, you should consider learning how to start a spa business. “Spa” is Latin for “health by water” and that is exactly what you will be giving your customers with this business idea. In essence, your clients will come to your spa to relax and enjoy the health benefits that they will gain from the water treatments you provide with things like saunas and hot tubs. By learning how to open a spa you will provide a tranquil environment for your clients and offer a soothing and relaxing experience. A great thing with this business is that you are by no means limited to offering exclusively water-based health treatments. In addition you can offer other health enhancing services such as massages, hair styling, makeup application, full body treatment, and many others. Therefore, you can truly offer complete services that will help reduce stress and greatly enhance the health and quality of your clients’ lives. Not only is starting a spa business highly rewarding on a personal level, it can also be highly rewarding financially. Recent figures from the USA show that the health spa industry is a growing industry which generates over $11 billion USD in revenue per year, and you can quite reasonably expect to make $100,000 USD or more in profit per year with your successful spa business. If you’re committed and you have the desire to make a fantastic living making a highly valuable contribution to a truly important area of people’s lives, then learning how to start a day spa could become one of the most personally and financially rewarding business ventures you could embark upon.

A Day in the Life of a Spa Business Owner:

As a spa business owner, your day would begin early as many of your clients will prefer to visit your spa in the morning before work. Therefore, you’ll typically open up your spa at around 6 or 7 a.m. You will then welcome your clients, and ensure that they enjoy a relaxing and enjoyable experience. You will also arrange and take bookings for special services such as massages, hair styling, makeup application, and so on. In addition you’ll spend time conducting introductory tours to help familiarize prospective clients with the many services you offer. Many of your clients will come to you after a long day’s work to unwind, so your spa would likely remain open until 9 or 10 p.m., at which point you would ensure that your spa is clean, meets hygiene standards, and is ready to open the next day. Of course, you can hire staff to open and close your spa as well as to book and manage services for your clients. In this case a typical day would consistent of ensuring the general smooth running of your spa business as well as promoting and marketing it to new clients.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be people looking to relax in a beautiful and soothing environment, while taking care of and enhancing their general health and well being. Most likely many of your clients will be busy professionals looking to unwind and let go after a hard day’s work (or before it).

What You Need to Start:

• An adequately sized location for your spa
• A relaxing and tranquil environment for your customers
• Necessary equipment for providing your treatments (hot tubs, saunas, massage tables, etc.)
• A spa business plan
• Marketing—posters, adverts, leaflets, etc.
• A good name for your business
• A business license
• Special licensing you may need to meet high hygienic standards
• Financial tracking software

The Good:

• You’ll be contributing to the happiness, health and overall well being of peoples’ lives.
• It’s a highly lucrative industry to be in—you could generate $100,000 USD or more profit per year.
• You’ll be able to enjoy the spa and all its health benefits yourself.
• There are many additional services that you can offer to increase your profits and general quality of service (massages, hair treatment, facial treatments, etc.).
• You don’t need any special qualifications or prior experience in order to start this business and make it a success.

The Bad:

• The startup costs can be quite high.
• It can take a while for you to build your spa’s client base before you start enjoying the great profits that can come with this business.

Resources:

• The Spa Association
• International Spa Association
• The Day Spa Association
• Wikipedia on Spas

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Business Overview:

If you love pampering your pet and you’re looking for a lucrative business idea, consider starting a dog grooming business by opening a pet spa. Pet owners spend billions of dollars on their furry friends so what better way to tap into this booming industry than to open an environmentally and dog friendly pet spa? If you want to start a dog grooming business, you could also offer services such as pick-up and delivery, healthy doggie snacks and the latest fashion items like sweaters, collars and hair bows to bring in customers of all economic levels. Dog owners will jump at the chance to have their pooches pampered with a hypoallergenic bath and professional haircut and blow-dry. When you add to that organic dog treats and fun toys and accessories, your spa will be the talk of the town among dog owners. The first thing you need to do is find the perfect spot for your pampering palace. The more items you offer, the more space you will need so you should determine what types of goods and services will be available before deciding where you will set up your spa. You may be able to handle the workload solo for a while but eventually you will need to hire pet professionals to help you. In no time at all, your spa will be the most popular luxury destination for all dogs from petite Pomeranians to massive Mastiffs.

A Day in the Life of a Dog Grooming Business Owner:

As owner of a pet spa specializing in dog grooming, your day will begin by making sure your shop is clean and ready for your customers. You will greet your customers or arrange for pick-up of the day’s doggie clientele. If working alone, you will work your way through your furry customers and arrange pick-up or delivery when they are finished and fabulous. If you have a pampering staff working for you, you will oversee their work and talk to the owners to make all the other arrangements. You will spend a portion of your day talking to designers, bakers and distributors to stock your bakery and boutique. If it’s a slow day, you will concentrate on marketing your business with online ads, ads in local pet magazines and fliers in shops pet owners frequent like pet food stores and obedience schools. Finally, you will check your finances to ensure the day’s earnings have been properly recorded and you will make sure the shop is clean for the next day.

About Your Customers:

Ultimately your customers will be dogs in need of a day of pampering and primping but you will be dealing with dog owners who want their furry pals to enjoy the cleaning and socializing your spa offers.

What You Need to Start:

• Storefront
• License and insurance
• Dog shampoos
• Dog grooming equipment (tables, electric clippers, nail clippers, brushes, etc.)
• Designated area for the dogs to roam around
• Staff (if desired)
• Vehicle for pick-up and delivery of dogs (if that service is offered)
• Computer with finance software

The Good:

• You can spend your day doing what you love by working with dogs.
• You don’t have to be stuck behind a desk 9-5.
• The startup investment is relatively low.
• You can charge top dollar for high quality pet pampering services.
• Excellent customer service and friendly personnel will go a long way toward repeat business.

The Bad:

• It can take time and patience to build up your client list.
• You will work with some difficult dogs (and owners) from time to time.

Resources:

• National Dog Groomers Association
• Pet Care Services Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Animal Care and Service Workers
• Wikipedia on Dog Grooming

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Business Overview:

If you are a go-getter and love getting the job done while helping others, you should look into starting a concierge business. If you don’t know what a personal concierge is, the concept of this business idea is simple. People need things to get done but they don’t have time to do them themselves and are willing to pay someone else to get errands and chores done. Concierge services vary widely and can include making dinner reservations, picking up dry cleaning, finding concert tickets, driving children to and from school, event planning and much more. Creativity and the ability to dig deep to fulfill sometimes unusual or difficult requests are absolute “musts” in this business. If this sounds like a business you would enjoy but you don’t know how to start a concierge business, a simple Google search will give you some ideas. But before you get too far, you should have a solid concierge business plan to help focus your business so you don’t spread yourself too thin. Your business plan should define the scope of your business and should include what types of services you will offer. Will you offer home or office services? Will your business operate only in your local area or will you choose to offer services anywhere in the world offering Internet-only services? Keep in mind that when you start a concierge business, it can be a great online business idea because you can coordinate services for anyone in any location. If you take this route, you or your staff should expect to spend a lot of time on the phone, whereas if you operate only in your local area, you or your staff will likely be doing a lot of driving as well as communicating via phone and email. You need to consider how you will market your new business so you can accumulate clients quickly. Consider placing ads online and in your local newspapers and magazines. Magnetic signs on your vehicle will draw attention to your new business and should bring in some new clients. Customer service is the most important aspect of this business. As long as you make each of your customers feel special, and get things done on time, you may soon need to hire a staff of concierges to work for you.

A Day in the Life of a Personal Concierge Business Owner:

Your duties will vary greatly in this business depending on what type of services you offer and what types of clients you have. You will likely spend a great deal of time on the phone or the computer (if your clients live out of your local area) or in your car (if your clients are local). If you have a staff working for you, you will communicate with them throughout the day to check on their progress. You will spend some time spreading the word about your new business by placing ads in magazines and newspapers or online. Finally, you will check your finances to ensure everything is in order.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals who are too busy to handle all of the events of their lives by themselves and so they need assistance with various errands, tracking down event tickets, making reservations, event planning, etc.

What You Need to Start:

• Business plan
• Marketing plan
• Organization and customer service skills
• Computer with finance software
• Cell phone with unlimited talk and long distance
• Vehicle if your clients are local

The Good:

• This business is inexpensive to start.
• You can charge top dollar for high quality concierge services.
• Helping people get things done can be very rewarding.
• You can operate this business entirely online if you wish.
• You get to work with all kinds of interesting people.

The Bad:

• You will work unusual hours, not just 9-5.
• You will run into some difficult clients and requests.

Resources:

• National Concierge Association
• International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Concierges
• Wikipedia on Personal Concierge

Technorati Tags: concierge business plan, how to start a concierge business, start a concierge business, starting a concierge business

Business Overview:

Having a manicure and pedicure can bring such pleasure to people, but did you know profit can abound when you learn how to open a nail salon of your own? Starting a nail salon is a great business idea for the right entrepreneur, and one that has stayed strong despite changing economic times. Here’s the basic idea of an effective nail salon business plan: Beyond the obvious business license, insurance and operating permits, you will need to rent a commercial space to house your salon. It need not be too large because the equipment can be fairly minimal in this business. Next, you will want to select your equipment—tables, chairs, nail polishes and supplies. Finally, you will need your nail technicians. It is important that every employee who works on your customers has a beautician’s license that is up to date and that includes manicures and pedicures as part of the accreditation. With an attractive ambience and a competitively priced menu of nail services, your business will have customers almost immediately. This is the simplest way of opening a nail salon, but from there you can easily build your menu of services to include body treatments (massages, waxing, and other spa treats) and improve your equipment to include the latest and greatest gear (like bubbling footbaths and therapeutic chairs). Initially, though, with good nail technicians and an array of polish options, you’ll have all you need to start a nail salon that is successful.

A Day in the Life of a Nail Salon Business Owner:

Once your business is up and running, your typical day will consist of high-level management; you might spend a part of your day at the salon ensuring things are running smoothly while the rest of your time can be spent behind-the-scenes making supply purchases, reviewing financial records, and considering how to increase your revenue. If you choose to be more hands-on and you are also a licensed beauty technician, you might also work on customers and make yourself part of the day-to-day work in the salon. Whichever way you decide to run your business, you will likely find yourself in a lucrative and enjoyable business venture with a perk: You’ll always have great-looking nails.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will span both genders and every age group, especially as the idea of having a manicure and pedicure is now so mainstream. If you create your menu of services effectively, you might find yourself with customers like pre-wedding bridal parties, groups of young girls out for a birthday party, and women and men of all ages seeking the pleasure and attractive outcome of getting a manicure and pedicure. Offer them a relaxing environment and a little slice of heaven for a great price, and you’ll find yourself with more customers than nail stations.

What You Need to Start:

• A storefront location set up in a nail salon fashion
• Business license, insurance, and permit
• Licensed nail technicians
• A wide variety of nail colors and manicure supplies
• A menu of salon services
• Financial-tracking software

The Good:

• This business can be lucrative and enjoyable for someone interested in the field of nail salon services.
• Once started, the business owner can take a backseat to the daily workings of the salon.
• You can jump into a franchise opportunity or even open more than one of your own salons as your business experience—and salon reputation—grows.
• The business holds steady through changing economic times.

The Bad:

• The business requires a substantial startup investment.
• It can be very time-consuming in the beginning as you setup and initially run the business.

Resources:

• Professional Beauty Association
• Salon and Spa Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Barbers, Cosmetologists and Other Personal Appearance Workers
• Wikipedia on Nail Salon

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Business Overview:

If you’re ready for a business idea that suits your unique personality and doesn’t risk becoming mundane, why not look into starting a tattoo business? There are several things you’ll want to do before you consider opening a tattoo shop. First, you should certainly be interested in body art and you should also be tattooed yourself (it would be hard to throw yourself into an enterprise like this if you weren’t passionate about it). Then you should learn as much as you can about the art of body tattoos, including the techniques, safety, equipment, aftercare, and laws of the business. If you’ve got these things in the bag, you’ll be ready to learn how to open a tattoo shop of your own. On the business side of this art, you will need a business license and permit, startup capital for a storefront location, insurance, and tattoo artists who you can trust to uphold your business expectations. Your tattooists might come with their own following, but you might have to offer some customer incentives to build your shop’s reputation. Once established, the way to maintain a thriving tattoo business is to keep an impeccably clean shop, provide stellar artwork and customer service, and uphold a fiercely professional atmosphere, even in an alternative business like this one.

A Day in the Life of a Tattoo Shop Business Owner:

A business like this often keeps later hours than most, opening in the afternoon and closing near or even after midnight, so you’ll want to ensure you’ve got a trustworthy staff if you’re not in the shop each day and night. After opening or checking in on the store, you’ll want to look over your previous day’s client agreements to make sure all your legal responsibilities are in place, and you’ll want to review your payroll and finance spreadsheet to check that your business is financially secure. If you’re also a tattoo artist, you will want to get to work inking customers and interacting with your staff and clients. This is a fairly relaxed business, and many days will have you chatting with and admiring the tattoos of the people you interact with.

About Your Customers:

Customers of a tattoo shop will be interested in getting tattooed or will be accompanying someone who is, either for the first time or as a veteran tattoo lover. They will likely scan your shop for cleanliness and professionalism, and might also want to browse your handiwork—providing a portfolio of each tattooists work is key to attracting customers. Your customers might have questions or concerns before they get inked, and will expect that anyone on your staff will be able to answer them.

What You Need to Start:

• Business license, permit, and insurance
• A storefront
• Tattoo equipment and sterilization methods
• Tattoo artists
• Legal contracts for your customers

The Good:

• If you love tattoos, this is a business you can feel passionate about.
• If you prefer odd work hours, this alternative business provides that.
• You get to meet interesting people who share your passion.
• The business can be quite lucrative once you establish a solid reputation.
• It’s a business that’s easy to advertise—your customers’ tattoos will often bring in more business than even great marketing will.

The Bad:

• With the alternative hours and customer base, you might encounter some troublemakers (think: underage kids with fake IDs or intoxicated customers looking for a late-night tattoo adventure).
• Again, before you actually earn a reputation as a premiere tattoo shop, you will need to offer incentives and below-cost tattoos in order to build your business.

Resources:

• National Tattoo Association
• Alliance of Professional Tattooists
• Wikipedia on Tattoo Studios

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Business Overview:

If you have a passion for beauty, color and creativity, then learning how to start a flower shop could be the perfect match for you. This business idea is centered on selecting, cutting, designing and arranging flowers for a variety of purposes and occasions – including for weddings, graduation ceremonies and special events, or for people who want to give flowers as gifts to their partners, family and loved ones. Starting a flower shop is therefore excellent for anyone who enjoys “hands-on” work and is willing to seize the opportunity to channel their creative talents into a business – and enjoy the freedom, satisfaction, and financial rewards that will go with it. More people than ever before are looking into how to start a florist business, and doing so can be a highly lucrative business decision for you. Indeed, the floral industry now generates over $20 billion annually. One reason why this is one of the most attractive business ideas for so many people is that no special qualifications or prior experience are needed. No degree is needed to move into this industry and succeed – all you really need is passion, and a basic understanding of flower arrangement. However, even if you’ve never done flower arranging, you have two great options. First, you can easily someone to do the actual flower arranging while you tend the business side of things. Second, you can quickly and easily learn. There are many schools and institutions that offer classes on flower arrangement and show you how to start a floral business. In addition to this, you don’t even need to have your own shop! Arranging flowers for people, events and special occasions is a business that you can orchestrate from your own home and build up from there if you’re lacking in initial start up funds. With passion, creativity and commitment you can definitely build a thriving and highly lucrative floral business, wherever your location may be.

A Day in the Life of a Flower Shop Owner:

A typical day in the life of a florist or manager of a florist business will consist of selecting, cutting and arranging flowers for various purposes, occasions and special events. You will have customers call you or enter your shop, and you will create attractive flower arrangements for them based on their specifications. A customer may wish to give flowers as a gift to their partner, for example, and you will work with them to create something special. In addition to this, a large part of your day-to-day activities will be based around creating attractive and suitable flower arrangements for specific occasions and special events, such as weddings, birthdays, graduation ceremonies, or corporate events. Here you will work with clients or organizations and provide flowers that fit in with and compliment the theme of the occasion. Other day-to-day activities will include ordering and maintaining supplies of flowers, most likely from local suppliers such as nurseries and garden centers. If you hire staff to do the floral arranging you’ll want to oversee them and check their work until you have full confidence in their abilities. You may also want to offer delivery services in which case you may have additional staff to do your deliveries. You’ll need to give them their schedule every day to be sure that all deliveries are made on time.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be people looking for gifts to give to others or to brighten up their home. They will also be people and/or organizations looking for flowers for special events such as weddings, birthday parties, graduation ceremonies and so on.

What You Need to Start

• A basic understanding of flower arranging – you can easily get this by taking a basic class.
• A business location (a shop, or your home)
• Basic tools of the trade – coolers, a display counter, trimmers, clippers and a storehouse
• A florist business plan – stating the markets you will target and advertizing strategies
• A flower supplier

The Good

• No special education or previous experience is needed to be successful with this business.
• It provides a great outlet for creative, hands on people.
• It’s easy to start up – you can run this business from your own home and build from there.
• It offers lots of variety; you’ll be catering for many different types of occasions and people.
• It can be very rewarding – you’ll be making a contribution to special moments and occasions in people’s lives.

The Bad

• It can often take up to a year to build an established customer base.
• Customers can be very detail oriented – you will need to be patient and accommodating or it may become frustrating and stressful at times.

Resources:

• Retail Florist Association
• Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association
• Bureau of Labor Statistics on Floral Designers
• Wikipedia on Flower Shop

Technorati Tags: florist business plan, how to start a floral business, how to start a florist business, how to start a flower shop, starting a flower shop

Business Overview:

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but gemstones of all varieties can bring in such profits that you must consider starting a gemstone dealer business. As an online gemstone dealer, you will locate awesome gems and minerals from places the world over and then find prospective buyers for the gemstones. As the broker of these deals, you will earn your profits when the buyer finds his match—sometimes you’ll even get paid from both sides. One great aspect of a business idea like this is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home. In fact, this online business idea is a little known but lucrative business venture and one that enables you to do all your prospecting from your home office. Another great perk to a business like this is that you can jump in without any startup money; you never actually have to buy or own the gemstones you deal with, you can simply create the buyer-seller relationships and earn your profits. Perhaps the sweetest part of a business like this is the potential. You can earn enough money brokering gemstone sales that you can begin traveling worldwide to buy dirt-cheap gemstones of your own to sell. A business opportunity like this—an international enterprise that you run from your own home—is certainly worth examining more closely to see if it fits your entrepreneurial desires.

A Day in the Life of a Gemstone Dealer Business Owner:

Much of your initial work time will be spent learning the business and learning about gemstones themselves. You will also want to start advertising your service and seeking out potential customers on both sides of the coin—buyer and seller—in order to make your first business exchange. Your business connection will rely heavily on your computer, so you will want to ensure it’s a fast and reliable machine with high-speed internet access. You will also want to consider creating a website or at least you will want to check your email very frequently to establish and maintain your business contacts. When you’ve made a sale and when business takes off, you will need to review your finances regularly. In no time, you might consider making this your full-time business.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be internationally-based computer users who are either seeking to sell a gemstone or acquire a gemstone for personal or business use. Your job is to ensure both get what they’re looking for and the transaction is seamless—that’s how you make your money in this business. Often your next potential customer will have heard about you from a satisfied customer.

What You Need to Start:

• A computer with high-speed internet access
• Business insurance
• A website (if desired)
• A primer on gemstone types and on the business itself

The Good:

• You can work entirely from your home.
• The initial startup investment can minimal.
• You can make a global name for your business.

The Bad:

• Learning the business might take time.
• Your first sale might not happen immediately.

Resources:

• International Colored Gemstone Association
• American Gem Trade Association
• Gemological Institute of America
• Wikipedia on Gemstones

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Business Overview:

If fashion and customer service are your two passions, you should look into how to become a personal shopper and start your own personal shopper business. A personal shopper offers advice to his or her clients on the latest fashions and helps purchase and deliver clothing or other items to clients. Today many career professionals need to look their best but don’t have the time to do the shopping necessary to put together the wardrobe they need. Busy people also need help buying gifts for various occasions like birthdays, office parties and Christmas. When you research how to start a personal shopper business, you will likely find these and many other opportunities to put your shopping skills and people skills to work for you. But before you quit your current job and set up your new personal shopper business, you should formulate a business plan in which you determine who your clients will be. As previously stated, your clients could be business owners and busy executives, but they can also be families or the elderly. You may decide to focus your business on more than one of these groups which is a good idea since there is such high demand among many different client types. Grocery shopping for the elderly could be a very rewarding part of your business. If you have high-end clothing retail experience, you may want to focus on wealthy businessmen and businesswomen. As you can see, this business opportunity can be tailor fit to whatever your skill set is. You can work as much or as little as you like and the startup investment for this business idea is minimal. As your client list grows, you may need to hire a staff of shoppers to handle the growing demand of your clients. Eventually you can concentrate on managing your staff and securing new clients.

A Day in the Life of a Personal Shopper Business Owner:

Your day will vary depending on who your clients are and what their shopping needs are. If your client needs high-end business clothes, you will likely visit a local department store or boutique to research the newest arrivals or, if your client has given you a good idea of what he or she wants, you may make some purchases and deliver the clothing to your client. If your clients are elderly individuals who need groceries, visit with them to see what they need and make a trip to the grocery store then deliver the groceries. Family clients could need anything from groceries to sports equipment. If you have a staff of shoppers, give them their assignments and follow up with your clients to make sure their needs were met. Spend some time marketing your services in areas you visit throughout your day (department store, grocery store, etc.). Finally, you’ll want to check on your finances to ensure your bills have been paid and your clients have been sent their invoices.

About Your Customers:

Your customers will be individuals or families who need help shopping for various items.

What You Need to Start:

• Business plan
• Vehicle
• Eye for fashion (if your focus is clothing)
• Computer with finance software
• Filing system (either paper or digital) to keep track of all clients’ preferences, sizes, purchase history, etc.

The Good:

• There is great demand for this type of business.
• You can specialize in a variety of client needs.
• You get to spend your day shopping.
• You can run your business part time and ramp up to full time.
• You can charge top dollar for high quality customer service.

The Bad:

• Running all over town can be exhausting.
• Ramping up your client list can take some time.

Resources:

• Association of Image Consultants International
• World Association of Image Consultants
• Wikipedia on Personal Shoppers

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