How to Start a Personal Jewelry Shopping Service

Shopping around and choosing the right jewelry is not an easy task for some people. Therefore providing personal services to shop for jewelry offers a lucrative small business opportunity for people who are passionate about shopping and have an eye for pieces of jewelry that suit the wearer. Although this small business requires minimal start-up capital, you need to be enterprising enough to establish a loyal clientele base. Starting a personal jewelry shopping service entails making contacts, marketing your services and delivering the required jewelry to the clients.

Things You'll Need

• Start-up capital- approximately $200
• Advertisement and marketing tools- brochures, fliers, business cards and website

Instructions

1. Create a portfolio of styles of jewelry for different categories of clientele such as young women, older women, or men. Creating a jewelry portfolio based on themes such as wedding jewelry and jewelry for black tie events is also a good idea. Do this by taking photos of jewelry styles from magazines, jewelry shops and from your own homemade collection of jewelry.

2. Settle on a niche clientele who require jewelry shopping services. Take into consideration the fact that high-income people such as executives and professionals are typically able to pay for these services. Choose to offer jewelry shopping services to clients such as brides-to-be and their bride maids too.

3. Determine the payment structure of your services by taking into consideration the amount of time spent in consultation and the price of a piece of jewelry purchased. Place a rate for consultation session you have with the clients, preferably on an hourly basis and a commission, which varies with the price of jewelry. Note that you may place higher commission percentages on pricier jewelry.

4. Advertise you services by designing brochures, flyers, business cards and a website or hire the services of a local graphics designer by looking through sites such as Craigslist. Provide important information in the advertisement tools such as: snapshots of your jewelry portfolio, your skills in choosing jewelry, rates for services provided and your contacts. Post and distribute fliers, brochures and business cards in strategic places such as parties which you attend, friends' business locations, local spas and boutiques.

5. Set up a home office with a phone where clients can reach you, and writing material to record the needs of your clients. Note that you may use a set of personality questions, which will assist you in assessing what your client fancies and will also aid in creating custom jewelry for the client. There is no fixed set of questions to ask but inquiries about color preferences, shape, and style are appropriate.

6. Be prepared to travel to meet your clients once they start calling for your services. You need a reliable, fuel-efficient vehicle to travel to client's homes, offices or public meeting areas. Discuss further with the clients about their preferences, offer recommendations and upon agreement, get going to shop for the pieces of jewelry or recommend your own handmade pieces.

Tips & Warnings

• Acquiring experience working with a personal jewelry shopper or in the jewelry section of a department store will help you develop skills and build a clientele base for your business

• Educational background in fashion design is not mandatory but is desirable. Keep abreast with fashion trends by reading magazines

References

• Paradiso Inc: How To Become a Personal Jewelry Consultant; May 2010;
• References: Internet Based Moms: Make Money from Your Website - Start Your Own Personal Shopper Business
• How to Start a Jewelry Business: Discover a Home Jewelry Business Model that FITS YOU!
• Entrepreneur: Starting A Business As a Personal Shopper; Mark Hendricks; December 2004

Resources

• Craigslist: Craigslist US