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

Related: Get the No.1 Guide to Starting Your Own Business

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

Want one-on-one help? Book a session with a small business development expert now

The Market

96

Needed Equipment

96

Personal Shopper Ideas

Body Piercing

Start a business that pierces its way through the community.

Pedicure Service

Enjoy flexible hours while keeping people's feet looking great with a pedicure service.

Wigs

Hospitals and medicals centers are among the growing consumer opportunities for wig businesses.

More from Business Ideas

Marketing

How I Found My Voice and Built a Life as an Entrepreneur — in 3 Acts

I want to share my journey as an entrepreneur and what led to me starting my own company.

Franchise

Free Webinar | October 23: Taking Control of Your Life Through Franchising

Ready to be your own boss? Join our webinar on 10/23 at 2pm ET to learn how being a franchise owner can allow you to take back control of your daily schedule and stop working for someone else. Register now!

Starting a Business

This Ex-CIA Officer's Near-Death Experience Inspired Her to Start a Business That's Earning Over 8 Figures a Year: 'I Have a Higher Risk Tolerance Than Most'

Emily Hikade, founder and CEO of luxury sleepwear and home company Petite Plume, had an unconventional path to entrepreneurship.