Have you ever wondered how very busy people or those
with families and huge corporate commitments manage to get everything
done? Certainly, some may be multi-taskers with masses of energy and
superb delegation skills, which means they manage on their own, while
others may be fortunate enough to have family members who are willing
to take on some of the load. However, many busy people choose to enlist
the services of a Personal Concierge (also known as Lifestyle Management
Consultant) to help them run things smoothly so that they can enjoy
time with their family, friends, pursuing hobbies and simply enjoying
life.
What it involves
Basically it involves carrying out all the tasks that busy people don't
have the time to do themselves. This could be anything from booking
a seat at a restaurant to buying a gift and getting it professionally
wrapped. All tasks must be delivered with utmost professionalism and
care.
What does a personal concierge do?
Runs errands for clients including:
Domestic tasks such as ironing, washing, cleaning, tidying as well as
running day to day errands such as dry cleaning, banking, grocery shopping,
post office, waiting for delivery at client's home, sitting with builders/decorators
at client's home, watering plants in home and garden whilst client on
holiday, house-sitting, pet-sitting, dog walking, cleaning out a garage,
collection of passports, collection of tickets, booking appointments,
gift buying, collecting prescriptions, Home PA work, Home Office work,
child minding, school runs, gardening and much, much more.
What skills are required?
This job is best suited to a 'people person' as you will be dealing
directly with clients. In addition to this you should have good communication
skills, excellent organisation skills, be reliable, trustworthy and
hard working.
Getting Started
There are two ways to work as a personal concierge, the first is to
join an agency and the second is to start your own personal concierge
business.
Lifestyle Management Agencies to join
If you'd like to join an agency you can do an online search which will
put you in touch with lifestyle management companies. You can usually
apply online or telephone for an application form. Lifestyle Management
agencies have their own portfolio of clients who pay an annual or monthly
fee for their services. The benefits of joining an agency are that they
will find jobs for you that are suitable to your criteria and they will
filter clients to ensure that you are entering into a safe environment.
Setting up your own Personal Concierge Service
If you've decided to set up on your own then you will
need a few pointers.
As far as set-up costs are involved you probably won't
need a huge investment. You'll need a computer, Internet access, mobile
phone and a printer. You will also need to take out insurance to safeguard
youself against any accidental damages.
Getting your personal concierge business insured
It is advisable to take out some insurance for your
business to safeguard you against any damages, losses or mishaps. Compare
business insurance here.
How much will you earn?
Payment depends on the task but can be from £7.00 per hour to
upwards of £25.00 per hour. If you're setting up your own personal
concierge business then you can offer your clients 'block hours', for
example 5 hours, 10 hours, 20 hours at a set rate or you can give them
the option of a monthly membership. Alternatively, you can charge a
one-off payment per job.
You will need to devise a business plan for your service
and stipulate prices on your website and/or leaflets.
Who will your clients be?
Busy professionals. Working families. Celebrities
often enslist the services of a personal concierge.
Advertising your Personal Concierge Service
Firstly, get some business cards printed, and make
sure that you include your website details on the card. We
highly recommend VistaPrint
for a great range of marketing products. They offer FREE business cards
(you only pay approx £3.00 for postage and package) as well as notecards,
postcards, flyers and posters. They constantly have special deals and
deliver a quick and efficient service.
Once you've got your business cards and brochures
printed get them out there! You could drop them off at businesses, leave
in your local library or newsagents. You could also put a small ad in
your local newspaper. Once you've got a couple of satisfied customers
they will do the advertising for you by recommending you to their business
associates and friends. Before you know it, you'll have your own portfolio
of customers.
A FREE website for your Business
A website is an important advertising medium for a
personal concierge business as potential clients are likely to look
you up to see what kind of services you provide and what your rates
are. Don't forget to include a Testimonials section on your site from
satisfied customers.
Moonfruit
will give you:
- 20MB Storage Space
- 1GB Monthly Bandwidth
- up to 15 Pages
- Over 4000 Templates to choose from
- Free Hosting
- Advert Free
- Picture gallery and more
All for FREE. Find
out more...
Tax
When you join an agency make sure that you find out if you will be responsible
for paying your own tax and national insurance contributions. If you
are then please read our article on Tax
for the Self-employed.
Summary
Pros
Varied work
Interesting assignments
Travelling
Good rate of pay
Cons
May be Ad hoc work if not hired as a full time consultant
Might be asked to carry out tasks that you don't enjoy, which you should
refuse!
Some tasks may be tiring or mundane
If not a full time consultant with an agency it may not a reliable source
of income.
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