Personal Shopper
Personal shoppers can profit by helping people make their retail purchases.
With relatively low overhead, entrepreneurs can start a personal shopping
business from home, even on a part-time basis.
"The main motivation [for the use of personal shoppers] seems to be increasing
time pressure for a segment of busy professionals who don't really get much
enjoyment from shopping," says Adam Finn of a retail service institute.
Linda Marafito, founder of Your Personal Shopper, points out that "personal
shopper" is a catch-all phrase -- a personal shopping business can encompass
a variety of services and areas of specialization.
For example, she focuses on health-care products and long-distance telephone
services, and limits the clothing-buying portion of her business.
Dawn Correa's Buying Time provides a variety of office services, with 70
percent of her business coming from professionals.
For example, for an attorney client, her services range from performing
basic secretarial duties to jury watching. She spends the other 30 percent
of her time gift buying, picking up dry cleaning and grocery shopping.
Carol Conner, who started C and C Ventures a year ago, says her primary
goal is to "supply gift shops with valuable merchandise. We are searching
the web for the unusual and the valuable." She also sells to individuals through
the Internet, providing a form for online orders.
Natasha Novotny is employed as a personal shopper by the Holt Renfrew department
store. Her shopping focuses primarily on building wardrobes -- 90 percent
of her clients are women. But she also helps customers with gift buying, particularly
during the Christmas season.
Holt Renfrew sponsors the free personal shopping service, and Novotny even
goes to people's homes on occasion to help them review their existing wardrobe
and plan its expansion.
Attention Shoppers
For those who love to shop, a personal shopping business allows entrepreneurs
to make their own hours while working from home.
After Correa's son was born, these advantages led her to start her personal
shopping business, while Conner works on C and C Ventures after her regular
workday as a software specialist.
Marafito began shopping full time after several years of part-time work
in the field, and after many years as an accountant and the manager of her
family's business.
A personal shopper might begin the relationship with a new client by interviewing
them about their lifestyle and personality -- they want to buy things appropriate
for them.
There is no specific education required to start a personal shopping business,
but "it is essential to work in the retail industry first," according to Novotny.
Since her clients include "housewives, movie stars and executives," the ability
to work with a variety of people is also an important trait.
A good personal shopper will be flexible and patient, says Novotny. She
also notes that time management skills are key, since you need to estimate
time for client appointments and schedule them accordingly.
Feeling comfortable with people is important as well, since you can spend
three to four hours with someone in a somewhat intimate situation.
The overhead to start a personal shopping business is relatively low. A
basic office setup is certainly helpful. Depending on the type of services
provided, a car may be a requirement. Advertising expenses should also be
anticipated when estimating overhead costs.
Marafito recommends starting a shopping business part time before depending
on it as a sole source of income. She advises that entrepreneurs in the start-up
phase set up a business plan.
"A plan is important in a business like this -- know where you would like
to be by such and such a date. It's easy to be scattered." She recommends
picking one area of interest to start and promoting sales in that area before
expanding.
Conner suggests studying other businesses and trends, and reading small
business advice on the web.
She advises against "putting all or most of your capital into something
you think will sell. Try a few items at a time, and see what reaction you
get from the public or the stores you would like to provide products to."
Correa points out that a lot of work is required to build an initial client
base. In the beginning, "you have to really sell yourself." On a similar note,
Marafito feels that advertising must often be learned by trial and error,
and that expensive mistakes can eat into early profits.
Shopping Opportunities
Correa charges each client $20 to $25 an hour and can sometimes run errands
for many clients at the same time, increasing her hourly revenue. Marafito
charges 10 percent of what the item or service is worth.
While Novotny can't disclose her payment arrangement, she feels that most
department store shoppers work on a balance of commission and salary. While
Conner's business has not shown a profit yet, she feels the potential is there.
"Part time, I'd say we could expect up to $20,000," she says of their annual
earnings. "Full time, the potential is probably well over $40,000."
The use of personal shoppers is expected to increase, according to Finn,
"in the same way other consumer services such as house cleaning [and] pet
care...are increasing."
Bruce Van Kleeck of the National Retail Institute notes that since some
personal shoppers work in upscale department stores, career opportunities
grow with the expansion of new retailers.
For traditional retail sales workers, compensation systems vary -- hourly
wages, commissions, or a combination of wages and commissions
are all possible.
So if you have an eye for style, a head for prices and a smile for people,
you may have what it takes to make it as a personal shopper.
Links
National Retail Federation
Includes information about retail-related events and conferences,
statistics and hot issues
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