Here’s a Business Idea: Become a Personal Concierge

Dictionaries are yet to come up with a formal definition for personal concierge, however the profession does not require any introduction. It is already a flourishing business.

The term concierge has been defined with two meanings by the Dictionary.com. The first is when the term is observed from the hospitality industry’s point of view. In that sense a hotel employee who assists the guests and people staying there in taking care of their baggage, delivering the messages and helping in tour reservations, comes in this category. Another one is from a French culture whereas someone who resides in an apartment as the personal attendant and also serves as the janitor, is considered a personal concierge.

The rise in demand for personal concierge has been because of the high-flying lifestyle and increased spending on personal facilities. Todays busy lifestyle does not allow much room for the professionals to handle their own bills, make reservations for the vacations and organize personal and business activities.

Now the job of personal concierge has received all around legitimacy. Laura Tiffany in the article ‘How To Be A Personal Concierge’ that appeared at EntrepreneAur.com reveals that the demand for personal concierge is on the rise. She informs that while there is increasing demand for it, the data for this is difficult to find. A Chicago based group The National Concierge Association that started working in late 1990s to provide resources and networking facility for both hotel and personal concierges, does not handle collection of any data related to this profession. Cynthia A. who worked herself as a personal concierge earlier and now running her own concierge organization in San Diego estimates that all over the US personal concierges may number a few hundred.

For the person who wants to start as a personal concierge the question that arises is where to make the starting? Here is a basic description that may define the role required from a personal concierge – “Booking the seats for a sporting event, making table reservations at big restaurant, delivering birthday present. Be willing to go beyond the everyday requirements. Always willing to serve the employer to the best of the abilities.”

While the demand for the personal concierge is on the rise in the US, Britain is also catching up. Person living in any of these two countries can approach companies that provide the services of concierge to the employers. Inquiries can be made if they are hiring new people or provide training for personal concierge employment.

All the people wanting to be personal concierge may not make the grade. Person who have the organizing capability, love assisting their employer and do not become impatient if the research takes a little longer than expected, can always apply for this job. Some experience with an event management will surely improve the chances of being employed. In case all these traits are present in the person but presently employed in another profession then this may be best time of the year to go for it. There would never be any regret for taking this decision.

Those who have already worked as administrative or executive assistant are a lot suitable for the job of personal concierge. For the person coming from the same profession some difficulty may be faced initially when starting the business. But the thing to remember is if the person has been proofreading or improving present employer’s marketing plan and business ideas, this may be the best time to start out own business of personal concierge.

Business Idea: Solar Light Landscaping

As our world becomes more energy conscious, people increasingly look for ways to be more economically efficient.  Science and technology are creating new energy sources that are more economical and less ecologically draining.  The goal of many homeowners and consumers is finding ways to eliminate the cost, but still enjoy life.  Using solar lamps in order to light your walkway, garden, or landscape is a great way to enjoy energy savings and home satisfaction.  This combination of energy efficiency and efficient savings might just be the wave of the future.  Imagine the possible demand of a company that was able to install garden lighting that was solar powered and freely energized.

In order to be involved in the business field of solar lighting, you would have experience of some type in designing landscaping, and you will need to possess the ability to provide consultation to your clients of their lighting needs.  As you conduct your consulting sessions, you need to find out what looks and moods they are interested in creating in their nighttime landscaping.  Some of the topics for discussion might involve lighting needs for their driveway and the various walkways around their home.  After a thorough needs assessment, the task of designing a plan for lighting and a making up a purchase list to implement the plan would be next.  After that is done, you would need to price check in order to create an estimate for your customer.

Most solar lighting operates using a collection panel that accumulates and stores the energy from the light of the sun.  The solar panel is then able to change the energy into usable electric power which is stored for use in strong, highly efficient batteries.  Once the sun goes down, the solar lights turn on automatically and are able to remain lit sometimes as long as 15 hours.  Since these solar lights require no electric wiring, they create a convenient product to use for landscaping.  If the need is for landscaping that is a little more formal, you might need to use a different type of lighting application for your design.  Most homeowners want to have a yard that is appealing, well designed, and enjoyed by everyone.  They realize that curb appeal is a good thing and never hurts the marketability of your home.  

When starting up your business, inform your potential customers that there will be no need to tear their backyard apart by digging trenches for wiring or holes for lights.  Solar lighting can be installed easily and efficiently, compared to the typical landscaping renovations.  By selecting lighting that is solar, it gives businesses or home owning customers a great deal of flexibility for the future.  Without the worry of wiring and fixtures to dig up, solar lights can easily be readjusted and relocated.  Another benefit to solar lighting is that it does not require an electrical energy source to be relocated.

Make certain as you install the solar lights, that the panels must be in a position to receive as much direct sunlight as possible.  If a panel is receiving its full measure of sunlight it can generally give off fifteen hours or more of solar lighting.

As an installer, you need to decide how many solar lights you will need for the various landscaping jobs you will receive.  If you are looking to create a mood with your lighting, your approach to designing and installing the solar lights will be focused more on location.  If the lighting is going to be used for the purpose of providing lighting for safety, you will want to install more lighting units along the walkways and driveways.  Another consideration for this lighting is to install it in a location that will create the greatest amount of convenience when it comes to cutting the lawn or trimming bushes in the garden.  There have been more than a few lights that have lost their function due to the blades of a mower or bush whacker.

Solar lighting is on the upswing in popularity; more companies than ever before manufacture these products and they are now available in a plethora of colors, sizes, finishes, shapes, and warranty offerings. The prices on these products continue to go down as the competition to produce solar products goes up.  There are also great incentives offered for landscapers that desire to purchase in large quantities.

Attempt to provide your customers with as many options and choices as possible.  There will be customers that want the latest models and technology and other customers that will want the most inexpensive and conservative installation possible.  Solar lights come in many types of finishes and colors.  The optimum installation to achieve is to have these lights very blended and unnoticed during the day and fully functional and noticed during the evening.  Solar products are increasing to include flood lights, well lights, tier lights, and more.  The colors, shapes, and styles that are available should give you an opportunity to choose the light that is just right for you.

Business Idea: Assisting Divorce with a DIY Divorce Kit

A divorce is a stressful and often overwhelming period of time for most people to experience, and you can help people save money by offering an alternative to a costly divorce attorney. Nobody wants to pay huge dollars to an attorney and now there are other options available. By providing divorce assistance you can help your customer by offering a ‘DIY divorce kit’ so they can do everything for themselves. Keep in mind, these customers often times just want it over quickly and without going breaking the bank. $50 and up are a generally reasonable price for divorce kits.

If you have experienced divorce yourself, you know how truly expensive lawyers are and how drawn out the cases can be. You can assist others by offering a helpful kit that they can use at their own pace and on their own time and will allow them to orchestrate their own divorce rather than leaving it in the hands of strangers.

Each jurisdiction will charge for different motions filed, so it is imperative that you do the research for your specific area or being up front with out of area clients that the cost will vary. You should include all necessary paperwork, as well as an easy-to-follow book that explains the procedure in simple terms, in every divorce kit. Different areas may require different types of paperwork filed, so you may have to have a different kit for each state, or limit yourself to your specific location.

Another option with low overhead costs is to produce CDs with all needed paperwork included. The client can then print them out at home on their own computer. You can even offer them on a website that you set up in PDF format so they can get an instant download rather than a bulky package or waiting for the CD to arrive in the mail.

It will take quite a bit of research and organizational skills on your part to pull everything together with all necessary components in place. Laws can be different from state to state, and even county to county. So, it will be your responsibility to know exactly what paperwork needs to be done and in what order.  It will be imperative that you know where your customers live, and more importantly where the divorce will be filed, that way you will know which paperwork and directions to provide. It will also be necessary to stay on top of any law changes for your different coverage areas as well.

The more ways that you can advertise your new divorce assistance business, the more exposure you will get. Create an advertising budget, and stick with it but advertise in as many ways as you can afford. Starting out with your local phone book and newspapers is a good place to start. Use social networking sites for free advertising and get creative. The more people that see your business, the more money you can potentially make.

Starting out in your local area is beneficial, and then expanding as your income demands. This will allow you to reach customers outside of your area and giving you the time to gain the pertinent information needed.

This is an excellent side venture for anyone that is already familiar with law. There are offices appearing everywhere that provide low cost divorces run by paralegals. If you have a background in law or know a knowledgeable person that would be willing to help you, it could be advantageous when you first start off.

If you are knowledgeable and comfortable with computers, you could also offer the DIY kits online as well. If you offer all that the customer needs online in downloadable format, or a way to have it shipped if they prefer to have the kit mailed to them, you can widen your coverage area for limited costs. If you start your own website, you should find a way to make money from the space available. Divorce assistance books or other related products could be a great possibility to start making real profits. Once the client pays for the book, have it available for immediate download.

Create a Shopping Service as a Business

Imagine a service where you take a grocery list and go shopping for people who simply do not have time to go do this themselves, or do not like to shop. You can even get an email list from them and then deliver their food after you get done shopping. A delivery fee of $5-$10 for each delivery is good.

Almost everyone has to do some type of shopping usually everyday. There are two types of shopping: the kind where you shop for basic essentials, and the type of shopping where you are shopping for luxury items you simply want. People would much rather shop for luxuries since they get to look around at things they might not see normally. A new television is a big purchase; the entire family group might want to go along for this shopping trip.

It is the everyday, mundane shopping that not everyone will enjoy. Just going out to shop for groceries and other essentials gets to be a boring experience for many, plus it is a huge time waster. Because many people are busy at home or at the office, it can be a really tiring job after a long day at work. A good shopping service can be just what these poor, tired people are looking for. There are many elderly people who also cannot physically get out and shop for themselves anymore. This would be an extremely handy service for them, and a big help and relief for their families.

To get started, you will need a reliable van or truck to carry the food around to deliver it to their homes. You might give them a few choices such as them giving you a personalized list or an email list. If you do decide to deliver, you will need to charge, perhaps $5-$10 each trip. This is a reasonable charge, especially with gas so high now. Please do not forget to tell them about the delivery charges; they might not be willing to pay you the extra money.

You really do not need any special type of education for this type of business. It would be best if you do have a background knowledge of buying fruits, meat, vegetables, and even fish. There is no reason to offer to buy these things for them if you have no idea how to make the right choices.

You have to build trust and people also have to have faith in your dedication to having a good shopping business. The clients should know they can trust you to get the right things for them. You might want to set up a credit type of business where you collect monthly from your clients. If you do this, you have to make sure you have the money upfront to pay for the groceries.

If you stick to a particular area of neighborhoods, you will not spend quite so much money this way. It will be cheaper and easier on you. Anytime you have new people moving in, you can ask them quickly about needing your services. You might even offer to take telephone orders in case someone is cooking and forgot the main ingredient! Once you get the right food and provide a steady supply to them, these folks will give you a glowing reference for your services to people they know. Everyone does not enjoy grocery shopping; remember this and you can make a good deal of money being a personal grocery shopper for them.

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Become a Talent Agent

Nothing can beat parents’ pride in knowing their children have grown up to succeed in any area, let alone becoming Oscar-winning actors. The winners alway thank Mom and Dad upon winning, and one other person. Their agent. But the agent enjoys another benefit the parent does not. The agents get paid.

Becoming a talent agent does not mean having to move to Hollywood or New York City, either, as even much smaller cities need the services of talent agents. Where-ever television commercials are in the making or print ads are being created, they need to find models and actors. Most media makes use of talent agents.

Additionally, there are no geographical boundaries for the dream of being a star on the silver screen. Those dreaming of becoming an actor or model who live outside of California and New york get access to auditions and casting calls that they ordinarily would not know through their agents.

It is not difficult to start a new talent agency, and it is a business you can even start from your home. No special experience or education is required, although in some states, cities or locales, licensing is required. Always check out local and state laws for requirements when beginning any business. Other than that, the largest obstacle you will have is making the right connections.

No two agents usually run his or her business in exactly the same way. Some only take on clients who are ready with a portfolio and send them on to auditions. Other agents will help a beginner to create professional portfolios and present them to the right people and places. In some states, agents are permitted to teach auditioning or modeling classes.

Determine what the local going rate is for agents in order to set your prices in line with the market. Generally speaking, agents make no money until their clients get paid. Actors and models continually receive warnings against paying agents any money up front. At times, however, agents may require a small fee to cover their own expenses until the model or actor starts to make money.

Expert advice may be found on websites such as www.futurecasting2000.com, www.casting-america.com and www.agentassociation.com. Take advantage of their experience to learn all you can about your trade. It is exciting to think of choosing the people you want to work with, running a business your own way, and making money from working at home. If you are professional, trustworthy and energetic, you will find success. A good online presence in the form of a professional looking website will help also. In any business, your best marketing tool will always prove to be your reputation.

Never do anything to ruin it, for you will not get it back again. If making a living helping other people realize their dreams is something you really want to do, there can be no better job than becoming a talent agent. The gratification and satisfaction factor is high, and you will have earning potential.

When you see the clients enjoy local fame, or even better, climbing their own success ladder all the way to New York or Hollywood, you will be just like the proud parent watching his or her child win an award–and they will be thanking you.

Business Idea: Coordinating Speaking Events and Speakers for Groups and Oragnaizations

This year, we were looking for a great speaker for our writer’s group that would be interesting to both men and women who write in a variety of genres. Days were spent looking on the Internet for someone who could fill these shoes and not make us go overboard on our allotted amount. It took several weeks for us to find someone who could be here on the right date and who could make the trip to our hometown. It would have been really nice if there was one place we could look to find people who could perform this work for us.

The writer’s group is just one of many that present seminars throughout the United States. If you pay attention to details, you could really make some money going around to all the presentations. And really, you do not have to do any public talking at all.

A seminar service is a great way to make some cash. You get to meet all kinds of VIPs from many different areas of knowledge and expertise. You are the one that plays a very significant part in the daily lives of not just the audience, but the speakers as well. You can do this all from your own home office.

This is a quick moving and fast-growing business. You might want to try something local at first just to get used to it. Then, once you have some expertise, you can start up a great website to get their attention. There is no end to how many people you can reach as you start to schedule and organize these speakers.

There are two main ways you can do this: One, you can act as a go-between, fixing dates and fees and taking care of all the details for the venue. This means that you will need to set up a good database to organize the talent and let groups know you are available to help them. Next, you can do the event organizing yourself, instead of waiting for these groups to call you. This is more work because you have to be the promoter and the person who actually runs the meeting.

Soon, based on your reputation that you earn, your business will be growing. You can succeed in providing a great service to many different groups. Or you can look into a particular niche for your market, like speakers for retreats. Parenting workshops, financial aid workshops, and many other kinds offer a truly endless opportunity to make your business grown. Work with the groups you enjoy and that you really are interested in.

In 2011, our writer’s group will again be looking for the best speaker we can find. This time, we will hire someone to find us a great speaker. This will make the job so much easier for us. If you are lucky, it might be you that we end up calling.

Running Errands as a Business

Have you always wanted to be in business helping others? As they age, many seniors find themselves housebound and unable to take care of their errands the way they are used to doing. These are the same errands we do every day but take for granted. There are some people that are earning $20 to $35 an hour for their services as errand runners. In a 15 hour week it is possible to earn nearly $500.

As an errand runner serving seniors, your job responsibilities will include driving where your clients need you to go and running errands for them to help them out. You can earn as much or as little as you want based on the hours you work and the number of clients you work with. You can work a schedule that will accommodate your busy life.

Some of the responsibilities of this type of job might include running to the grocery store for your client, picking up their prescriptions at the pharmacy and taking them to the client’s home. They may need you to house sit for them, take their pet to a vet or the groomer. Since you can make your own rules and determine what you will and will not do, this job should be a fairly easy job for you to do.

In a job like this, you set your own hours. If you choose to work a full time week you could potentially earn up to $1,400 or more.

One requirement of this type of work is reliable transportation. It is recommended that you have your own vehicle. To earn the most you should have a car that is not expensive to maintain and has good gas mileage. You do not want to have to put all of your earnings back into your vehicle maintenance.

If you have been considering offering this service but are not convinced that there will be enough clients, keep in mind that approximately 8,000 people turn 50 in the United States daily and are considered seniors. This means that there could potentially be hundreds of people needing a service like this on a daily basis.

It is reported that the “Baby Boomers” make up as much as 52 percent of this country’s current population with this number growing daily. As this number increases, so does the number of people that will need to have help to have some of their needs met.

With these statistics, now is the perfect time to start a business that will cater to the needs of this generation. The next several years will see an increase in the amount that this generation will need these types of services.

There are several ways that you can advertise your services. You can put an ad in the local paper or phone book. You might consider having business cards printed that you can leave at places such as local senior centers and doctors offices. Doctors that practice geriatric medicine might be very happy to let you leave your cards in their offices as they may be trying to encourage their patients to get some help, just like the kind of help you are offering.

You might also consider investing in a brochure that outlines your services and the prices associated with each service. You might even decide to create your own on a home computer and print them out whenever you need them. Creating and printing them yourself can even save some of your hard earned money.