Question

If you're surrounded by people who shop, there's an opportunity to be a personal shopper. Word-of-mouth is a very traditional and effective way to market your skill. Also, try personal shopping for family and friends and word gets out that way. Email marketing is also an effective way to promote yourself. Try visiting ConstantContact.com and Vistaprint.com. Create business cards. If you're working with a budget, place an ad in a relevant publication. Get noticed by networking; talk to people who may need that service like busy 'soccer moms' or folks who work long hours. Basically, service those who don't really have time to shop for themselves. Since you're just starting out, try not to charge outrageous prices. You want to build your clientele. You could start by charging minimal fees by the hour or a small percentageon the full purchase amount.