Personal Assistant

You are supremely organized. You can tell people where, when, and how to fi nd virtually anything in your city, and people often look to you as their personal errand service. So why not make a business out of it, offering such services to others in your community? You won’t need much to get started, except for a strong desire to help others solve their problems and get things done. How many times have you heard from people that they could get so much more done if they just had the time to do it? You can be quite a valuable person in the lives of many a harried professional, handling everything from picking up laundry and dry cleaning to grocery shopping or assisting with vacation plans. Your work will be different each day, as well as for each client, so the challenges are many and interesting. On the downside, you may need to put in a lot of hours to make a good living, at least in the beginning. Once you become more established and start getting more referrals than you can handle, it’s time for the personal assistant to hire a personal assistant.


You will need a decent computer with Internet access so that you can use a good search engine to find all the resources you’ll need quickly and efficiently. More than that, you’ll need a cell phone with hands-free accessories (if mandated by your state) to be in constant communication with your clients. They will almost always want you to do that“one more thing” before the day is done.A PDA would be most handy in keeping your files handy while on the road.


Stay organized by investing in a good goal-setting or time-management software package. You will always be juggling so many different tasks, and you will wear many hats for your diverse client list. Don’t forget to pencil in some time off to de-stress and re-energize, as you are your own best product and service.

Approx. cost of start-up:$100 to $1,000


Approx. potential earnings:$25,000 to $55,000


Typical fees: $10 to $45 per hour or a flat rate if the service is on a regular basis (such as weekly trips to the dry cleaners or grocery store)


Where to promote: Local/community newspapers, bulletin boards (especially at grocery stores), community coupon books, referrals


Qualifications: None (but will need a chauffeur’s license if carting people around)


Things needed: Dependable transportation, computer, cell phone with hands-free accessories (if mandated by your state) and/or pager, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or some such tool to keep you organized


Required staff:No


Hidden costs: Fluctuating fuel costs, liability insurance