Want to start your own Concierge Business? Here’s how…
“Everything is impossible before it works. That is what entrepreneurs are all about –doing what people have told them is impossible.” -Hunt Greene
Although the personal concierge & lifestyle management industry is a relatively new one, it is growing at rapid speed in busy cities such as London, New York & Hong Kong. So why this rapidly growing demand for personal concierge? A key reason is that people simply don’t have enough time to do all they need in a day. People accumulate so much “stuff” in their work and personal lives and in order to sort it all out, you need time and organisation.
A lot of concierge owners are ex-hotel concierge who have gained valuable contacts in their previous career and decided to start their own concierge business. You may decide to dabble into this adventure completely green but it’s not to say that you will not be successful. Many concierge owners are former PA’s, executive PA’s, stay at home mum who is looking for work/ life balance without compromising income, or HR and Operations Managers.
Follow this blog to find out more on how to start your very own Concierge business.
Tags: buy time, Christine Stedmann, Christine Yuen, concierge for business, Concierge services, How to start a concierge business, how to start your own concierge business, personal concierge, professional concierge service, Starting a concierge business, virtual assistants, virtual PA, Zentime
I don’t want to sound negative in anyway here but I do have a question about this business (and other related to it). Since it was stated that many people coming into this business are previous employees of hotel or similar groups that break out into the world independently with contacts they have made from their employer. This sounds like yet another ‘good old boy’ network business that has extreme limitations to new folks. Is this true or not? A REAL and HONEST response is needed.
My wife, stepson, and myself have been unemployed and decided to start this form of business. Is it realistic to see this pan out as an income or just something to dabble in?
Thanks
Dear Dalkoyo,
Having your doubts in starting a concierge business is ever so common and understandable. I shared the exact same fears when I first started Zentime. So I was, in many ways, one of the “new folks” in the Concierge industry. Having moved to London from Canada in 2006, I’d only lived in London for 2 years when I launched Zentime. My personal and professional network was not very big when compared to someone who had been working and living in London all their life. My work experience in the financial industry definitely had it’s benefits, but I honestly believe the success is boiled down to my commitment to drive business by growing and expanding my network and also my dedication to ensure Zentime maintains excellent customer service quality standards. Almost all of our business comes from word of mouth – a powerful marketing tool but also one that could really hurt you if things go wrong. All it takes is for one customer to tell all his friends about his bad experience, and it would take months, sometimes even years, to correct.
There are limitations to new folks, even for more experienced players in the market to ride out the storm, especially in this financial climate. However, I feel very positive about how things have transpired for me because I effectively started Zentime at the start of the recession. We started with offering only one service – business admin support to now expanding into Concierge, DIY home repairs, event planning and Wedding planning services. So it is possible, but it certainly may not be everyone’s cup of tea. There are people I know who really hate going to networking events and don’t particularly enjoy organisation. So I think it’s so important to find something you really enjoy doing and turn that into a viable business. Hope this may offer some encouragement to your new business venture.
Christine x