Errand / concierge business

N23C

Hello all...I have beenreading up on this type of business and am very interested in starting one...In my city of about 150k there is only one business, so i am sure there is plenty of demand...My parents whom i have been working with for about 5 years have had ther business here for over 18 years so i figure i can use there client list to start sending out newsletters introducing my new business and services...I have not however figured out pricing...I have seen hourly reates billed to the quarter hour...But is this all you use to bill...is there a per item bill as well...If ayone could give me some sound advise it would be greatly appreciated...
thanks   in advance

N23C

come one guys...anyone out there have any advise???

ChrisFarley

There could be a reason there is just one business in that it is not enough work for two companys.

johnqh

There are a lot of threads about errand/concierge businesses.
I just want to emphasize one point - you may successfully end up owning your own low paying job.

consumertreehouse

My friend just ran an idea like this by me. Both of us live in Los Angeles, while I am sure that this idea would work great out here and I am sure that there are several already up and running I am just not too sure that this could be a money maker for you alone.To me, it seems that you would have to have at least one or two employees, because you would have to manage everything else and could not be running around all day working. What if you hired a couple friends or college students to help you once the business gets going. I have a few friends in college now who are always doing odd jobs, etc.. to make extra money on the side because they unable to hold down a full or part time job because school is to demanding for them.I also think that you need to be specific on what you are willing and not willing to do. Are you willing to pick up someones dirty clothes and take it to laundry mat and wash it for them? You have make a list of what you will do and won`t do before you start working, because if you don`t and if you do something once that you don`t really want to do, then word will get around and chances are you will probably be taken advantage of.Your idea can for, but it will be very time consuming and expensive with gas the price that it is now. Good Luckconsumertreehouse11/17/2007 12:09 AM

smallbizcoach

I am going to put a positive spin on this whole thing.
How many people are in your community? 150k
How many people do you need to hire you to have a fulltime job? Probably 80-100 (I don`t really know how often people use an errand service)
Do you think you can find 80-100 people in a town of 150k? Heck yes!
Personally, I wouldn`t bill in 15 min increments. By the time you bill them, it isn`t even worth your time to bill for 15 min. I would only bill in 30 min increments.
Also, regarding pricing........take a pie-in-the-sky price that you would want to get and use that as a starting point.
Remember, everyone is not your client. You are only looking for a small percentage of those buy your services. Once you show great value, word of mouth will also increase.
Aaron

conciergelady1

Most errand and concierge businesses bill one hour minimum and then at 15 min increments. This seems like a easy way to start a business but its not that easy. There are a ton of things you need to know, forms to have in place and a liability contract and general liability insurance. If you do something else besides errands and conciege well then you need MORE insurance.  I`m not kidding it gets to be expensive if you want to take the necessary steps to protect your business and yourself. Some people also offer travel planning, event planning, prof organization, virtual office support. Then you need prof liability insurance. What about transporting people, then you need livery insurance. I am doing this now for 2 years. I started out trying to target seniors. That part hasnt been too successful so now I am targeting small business and two income families and I also offer business virtual services and organizing now as well.  I know I could be very successful if I wanted to transport kids and offer meal planning services but thats another type of insurance. So you really need to sit down and write a list of what you want to do first and be insured for that, then set up your business legally. I would recommend that you check out on Startupnations website.  Everything you need to know in how to start up any business is here and free. Its  great info and is compiled in one place and you dont have to search the internet and get it from a hundred different places. Dont forget about the networking part and getting your name out there esp in the beginning. If you need some help I will tell you how I got started just email me off line. Good Luck
Concierge Lady

brat

I am replying to Concierge Lady, I would love to know more about the concierge business, please e-mail me with any imformation...Thank You

DMichelle

Hello, 
can you please give me more information.  I am in the planning stages and am getting very overwhelmed.  Any suggestions

conciergelady1

For anyone who is interested starting a concierge/errand business please go to yahoo.com and sign up for the errand group in communities. You will find everything you need including lots of freebies.  Also there is an errand group in i-village.com too. Good luck
 
conciergelady

sweetpea1

 1) What forms are required for this business, liability contracts and general insurance needs
 
2) What type of business ownership is best, i.e. sole proprietorship, LLC, etc.
sweetpea112/11/2007 8:50 AM

superten

I am thinking seriously about starting this type of business. Errand/Concierge. Please tell me how you got started. I work part time in a popular grocery store. Thought I might be able to test the waters there with some of the regualr customers. What do you think?? 

rocky1254

Hello Concierge lady: I want to start an errand service in the greater metropolitan detroit area. I feel overwhelmed because as I have been doing my research, I see that to protect
your self in this biz u need lots of insurance. I dont have that type of $$. Did you start off with getting a lot of insurance? It`s hard to know what to start off with

ObsidianLaunch

I like the Chinese menu strategy.  Charge flat rates for a list of services. This way the customer knows what to expect in regards to cost.... AND you make more profit the more efficient you are.  Flat rates can be a major win-win, if executed properly.

conciergelady1

Hello Concierge lady: I want to start an errand service in the greater metropolitan detroit area. I feel overwhelmed because as I have been doing my research, I see that to protectyour self in this biz u need lots of insurance. I dont have that type of $$. Did you start off with getting a lot of insurance? It`s hard to know what to start off with
I can understand how you feel - I feel the same way a lot esp since I now added virtual services to the errands and concierge services.  The insurance that you need depends on what your services are. The basic policy is a GL policy`but if you offer pet sitting, transport, party planning they each have their own policies. Do you have a business plan yet or a marketing plan, a TM or a niche?  Insurance is essential and the good thing is it now is easier to get and there are more insurers offering it with more options.  I  am also set up as an LLC also since it offers more protection than a sole proprietorship. Please see my previous post about researching this more on Yahoo. Good luck!

conciergelady13/11/2008 2:45 AM

businessformsstore

You can get your errand service business forms at http://www.businessformsstore.com/errand_service.  This site also offers free support, so if you need any help, send an email.