Personal Shopper

Startup Costs: Under $2,000
Home Based: Can be operated from home.
Part Time: Can be operated part-time.
Franchises Available? Yes
Online Operation? Yes

If you're a shopaholic, consider turning your passion into a lucrative business. Personal shoppers are in high demand for selecting gifts for special occasions like holidays, birthdays, weddings, and anniversaries. But it doesn't stop there! Interior designers and collectors also hire personal shoppers to hunt for hidden treasures at flea markets, consignment shops, antique stores, and garage sales. Even corporations rely on personal shoppers to find the perfect gifts for their customers, prospects, business partners, investors, employees, and executives. They also need help sourcing products for gift bag giveaways at special events, ceremonies, and seminars. If you have a love for shopping, a creative mindset, and enjoy networking with people from all walks of life, then you're the perfect fit to become a personal shopper.

How much money can you make?

The average salary for a personal shopper nationwide is $41,074, according to Glassdoor, and PayScale pegs a personal shopper’s typical hourly pay at just over $13.50. 

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What kind of experience do you need to have?

"It's just something I've always been good at — color, shopping, putting things together and knowing what someone else will like, what they can wear and what will make them look good and feel good," she says. -Maggie McQuown, VisibleEDGE Resources

What’s the most important thing to know about this business?

“You are at the mercy of the retailers. Even if a personal shopper made themselves available in the evenings for clients, there are not physical stores you can take clients to in order to get them their attire. Personal shoppers are personal, and that usually includes in-person shopping experiences.” — Amanda Sanders, image consultant and personal shopper

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