How to Start an Errand Service
Business in your spare time!

How to start an Errand Service may not be something you are interested in right now but that is likely because you are not familiar with just how easy this business is to start up and operate. Simple things like grocery and gift shopping, waiting around for the cable guy, and even taking back movies are all things that we have to do anyway, so why not get paid for it? More and more people are busy with their careers and complaining about having more time than money. This means there is a growing market for people looking to start providing Errand Services.

Estimated start up costs

So long as you have reliable transportation, a cell phone, and some basic office supplies to fill out and create invoices for customers, you have all the essential supplies needed to own an Errand/Concierge Business. There are starter kits available to you for less than $50 that can set you up with all the materials you will need to prepare professional looking invoices and keep track of your expenses. Other than that, providing Concierge Services might involve some “seed money” in the beginning to cover miscellaneous expenses required to complete errands.

Pricing Guidelines

Pricing guidelines are only limited by what your market can bear for the Errand Services you offer. Many professionals charge by the hour for their time while some prefer to set up monthly or even annual packages so that they get more money up front. On average and depending upon the service, someone providing Errand Services can expect anywhere from $15-35 per hour for their services for most residential customers. But, if you can break into the office support services market, then providing concierge services can really turn into a profitable endeavor.

Recommended Experience, Skills & Training

Having the ability to prioritize tasks and organize your time are probably the most essential skills to this job. As with any business owner, however, you will need to market yourself and your company to people so any kind of sales or marketing background will be very useful. Some general business and accounting courses will prove handy when dealing with the financial and administrative tasks inherent to any business.

Marketing Tips

Success tends to breed more success and that is precisely the way your Concierge Business will grow. As you network and build your reputation, so too will your ability to charge more. In the beginning, word-of-mouth advertising will be what makes or breaks your business. But, you may find it useful to advertise your business in the classified ads. Also be sure to print and distribute business cards every place you go.

Financing Sources

With relatively no start up costs to really speak of, securing financing is not really necessary when starting a Concierge business. However, you may want to try starting out on a part-time basis as the going will be slow in the beginning and you may still need the income from another job to pay the bills until you get things rolling.

Income Potential

The income potential for those owning an Errand Service really goes up if you can manage to break into the office support services market. There are people looking for workers with office skills to just come in and help them once a week or even once a month and they are willing to pay top dollar for this limited time. For people just looking to help others with their groceries and errands around the house, it is nothing for someone providing Errand or Concierge Services to make $35-40,000 a year doing the things that they would normally do for free anyway!