How To Start A Home-Based Personal Shopper Business

Can you imagine making money as a personal shopper? Shopping with someone else’s credit card and getting paid for it? Talk about your dream home-based business! Sure you can’t keep the stuff you buy and that is probably the only downside. But if you’re successful you could soon have your own money to enjoy your own shopping spree!

People who live very busy lives can use the services of a personal shopper. Think of the moms and dads working or running a business, managing a home and in a lot of cases, both. With all that on their plate they might forget things like buying gifts for friends or loved ones.

And with the holidays around the corner busy parents will need someone to lend them a helping hand by taking off “shopping” from the to-do list.

How To Start A Home-Based Personal Shopper Business

If you can see yourself shopping for clients for a living, I’m going to share some tips to help you launch your own personal shopper business.

I’ll share the benefits of starting your own personal shopper business, the type of skills you need and how to find clients.

You’ll also learn how to effectively pitch your business to new clients.

First, here’s what a personal shopper can do.

A Personal Shopper Can Do More Than Buys Gifts

A personal shopper isn’t limited to picking up last minute gifts for their clients. There are other methods to earn money as a personal shopper.

For instance you can pick up groceries for moms who are already busy running the house and doing other activities like volunteering at their kid’s school. You can help senior citizens with their shopping needs like groceries, clothes, and sometimes medications or other medical supplies.

A client may want to buy thank-you gifts for their staff. Or a client might need a personal shopper to purchase furnishings for a new home or clothes for their wardrobe or a special event.

What’s In It For You: The Benefits Of Running A Personal Shopper Business

I can think of a couple of things right off the bat. One, you can run this business from your home so start-up costs will be on the low end.

And two. It’s a form of retail therapy only you don’t run the risk drowning in debt.

The Skills Of A Personal Shopper

In this type of business, clients won’t be concerned with your typing speed or whether or not you know about HTML codes. But there are other skills and characteristics you’ll definitely want to have though. Here’s a quick list:

Time Management – To make sure you have time for all your clients.
Organization – To keep track of clients, appointments, invoices, or expenses.
Communication – You’ll have to talk with clients via telephone, email, and in person.
Be a Go-Getter – You have to have a knack for being able to sell your services and land new clients.
Flexibility – Clients may need you at any moment, you’ll want to be available when you’re needed.
Be Budget Conscious – It’s true you’re spending someone else’s money but you still want to save your client money by finding the best deals. If you’re looking out for the client, that’s job security mamas!

Along with these, you will need to have basic computer skills and some knowledge with software like Microsoft and other software you’ll need to run your business.

Finding Clients

Finding new clients can be nerve-racking but fret not there are some things you can do.

Promote your business on social media. Start with the platforms that will grow your business like LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. And remember. You don’t need to be on every social media platform.

Approach any friends and family members who may have a need for your services and ask them if they can do a trial run for 30 days or a special event in exchange for a review.

You can also ask them to spread the word about your services.

Set up a website to promote your services, customer reviews and contact information.

Post flyers at grocery stores and church bulletin boards. You can even pass out flyers in your neighborhood and order a car decal to promote your business.

Pitching Your Business

When pitching your business make sure the passion for what you’re doing is apparent to the potential clients reading your flyer, letter, email or visiting your website or social media page.

Be sure to include a WIIFM, What’s In It For Me to your clients. In other words, let them know the benefits there are to hiring you to do their shopping. Such as: