Do you want to make money online shopping for celebrities? If YES, here is a detailed guide on how to become a personal shopper for celebrities and get paid. Some celebrities don’t know jack about fashion and yes, they know it. That is exactly why they hire stylists, personal shoppers and image consultants to help them project the perfect image that would be attractive to their fans.
The fact that a music artist has his/her song topping charts doesn’t exactly translate into knowing how to put together a superb outfit. That is why some of them fall into the scrutinizing hands of the fashion police.
Why Do Celebrities Hire People to Do Their Shopping?
Being a personal shopper is a very interesting career. You can help your clients shop for unique fashion pieces, you can also help to shop for outfits for movies and music videos or put together a fabulous collection for fashion editorials. You are like an image maker and would be largely responsible for the way the public would perceive your client.
Another reason why celebrities hire personal shoppers is because they cannot enjoy the luxury of shopping privately the way some of us may be able to; all the paparazzi drama and excessive public scrutiny is a thing that most of them would prefer to avoid. While you can just walk into Macy’s to pick up whatever you want, someone like Beyonce may not be able to do that.
Another reason why they hire personal shoppers is because of their busy schedules; from going for shows, photo shoots and movie locations to attending to their numerous businesses, there’s barely enough time for them to go shopping.
Pros and Cons of Being an Personal Shopper for Celebrities
Personal shopping is mostly used in the context of fashion and styling but being a personal shopper is not all about the latest dresses and shoes. There are different niches in the personal shopping business. For instance you could be a grocery shopper, furniture shopper, vehicle shopper, apartment finder or collector’s item shopper; there are quite a bunch of niches that you can choose from.
Being a personal shopper has its own advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages of being a personal shopper are that you would make a lot of money from it. Also, you would get to meet people and attend A-list events and if you are really good at what you do, you may even become a celebrity yourself. You also get to start fashion trends because people usually look to celebrities for fashion inspiration.
However, there are some downsides of the business too. Because you are an image maker and responsible for what your clients put on, you may be blamed whenever they put on something and the public criticizes them for it. To start your business as a celebrity personal shopper, these are the steps you should take-:
How to Become a Personal Shopper Online for Celebrities
1. Assess yourself
This is not a kind of business that you rush into simply because you hear that people make money from it. You have to be passionate about it and also ensure that you understand what being a personal shopper is about. You would also need to have eyes for detail and understand the art of negotiation. You also need to know how and where to get items at very cheap rates.
2. Choose a Niche
The next step is to decide on a niche. What kind of personal shopper do you want to become? Do you want to be a fashion shopper or a property shopper? This is a very important step that needs to be approached with caution.
3. Gather Knowledge
It’s not like you need a degree to become a personal shopper but just like in any business, you need adequate training to succeed. You have to know all the nitty-gritty of the business. There are different ways to train to become a celebrity personal shopper.
You can become really good just from reading books, watching related TV programs and by observing trends. You could also consider going to a school to learn how to become a personal shopper; you can enroll in one of such programs. With the information gathered, you can then proceed to prepare a personal grocery shopping business plan.
4. Get Certification
There are always dozens of people struggling for attention of celebrities. A lot of people are already into the business and expect more people to join the trade. This is why you must ensure that you stand out from everyone else. You have to package yourself such that you would be recognized as a professional and gain more attention and patronage.
5. Build a Portfolio
You would most likely be asked to prove your competence by stating some of the people you have worked with and some of the jobs you have completed hence, you need to build a portfolio. It may be difficult to build a portfolio with celebrities so you have to start from your family, friends, popular people within your locality, newscasters or even consider doing some free jobs.
Some personal shoppers buy and send free stuffs to celebrities in exchange for mentions on social networks and endorsements. You can adopt this strategy too. You can also consider doing some volunteer jobs or working in unpaid positions.
6. Obtain a license
It is always good to be duly registered with the government for any type of business you want to do. This helps to protect you and ensure that understands all legal requirements and acceptable practices.
7. Set your goals
Determine what you want to achieve by becoming a celebrity personal shopper and then write down your goals to serve as a guide and blueprint for your business.
8. Networking
If you want to work for celebrities; you need to be very good at networking. You must try to meet as many people as possible that may be able to introduce you to celebrities. This includes attending events, having influential friends, dressing well and building a good image for you as well.
9. Marketing
Also, you would need to figure out how to market and promote your business. You can consider advertising in newspapers and popular fashion magazines, blogging, advertising on social network, building a website and so many other marketing strategies.
10. Referral Programs
You can also consider starting a referral program for stylists, celebrity assistants and people who work for celebrities. You basically reward them on a commission basis for each job they can help you secure. This is another fast way to gain patronage and climb up the ladder of your celebrity personal shopping business faster.