The Concierge Manual: A Step by Step Guide on How to Start Your Own Concierge and/or Errand Service [Paperback]

Katharine C. Giovanni (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 22, 2001

Written by industry expert, Katharine C. Giovanni, this extraordinary 236-page guide will provide you with all the tools that you need to become a successful concierge, personal assistant and/or errand service professional. Inside you will learn about all the different types of concierge/errand service businesses. Do you want to be an on-site/lobby concierge, corporate concierge or serve individuals? How do you get the contracts and set it all up? You will also learn about the business basics of starting a new company ... business plan, brochure, website, insurance ... it’s all here!

The Manual also explores in great detail what services you might wish to offer and how to set up your fees. Learn how to set up your errand service and hire employees. Learn how to set up your vendor services and actually get commissions from them! Plus there are some wonderful sales and marketing tips that will help you get started! All the information you need to start your new business is right here.

"I have read your manual on starting your own concierge business, and it was wonderful. The examples and all of the tried and true advice made sense. I have read too many home business books that are too general, even if the table of contents suggests otherwise. Thank you for putting together exactly what I needed. It made it easy to get started." Carla Mandell, Spirit Concierge

"A comprehensive masterpiece! An indispensable A to Z guide for all businesses that intend to offer nothing less than their best in the service to others." Nicolé Perrin-Grizzard, GO-FERS

"We utilized your comprehensive and invaluable book to establish our own successful independent concierge service business. We would highly recommend it to any entrepreneur desiring to establish their own business and advance into the rapidly expanding, international concierge industry." Nicole Hanson, Style de Vie Concierge Service, Australia

"I'd like to thank you for writing The Concierge Manual - I am just starting my own concierge service, and I know that I could not have done it correctly without your guidance. The information has been extremely helpful, and it gives me a step-by-step guide on starting the business. Otherwise, I know that I would have wasted a lot of time and probably would have learned many things the hard way. Thanks so much." Holly Parker, Time Solutions Group, LLC

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mrs. Giovanni has been a meeting/event planner for over 16 years and has set up two successful businesses: Meeting Planning Plus and Triangle Concierge. She has been doing concierge consulting since 1998 and has over 2000 clients from around the world.

Mrs. Giovanni is Triangle Concierge's senior trainer and speaker and is the author of their best-selling book - The Concierge Manual. Mrs. Giovanni is also co-developer of the world's premier concierge software, TriTrax. She is President and co-founder of the International Concierge and Errand Association (ICEA). She can be reached through Triangle Concierge's website.

Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: NewRoad Publishing (January 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931109001
• ISBN-13: 978-1931109000
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,474,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Too rudimentary. NOT worth [the money], October 25, 2002

By 

"sharon6637" (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Concierge Manual: A Step by Step Guide on How to Start Your Own Concierge and/or Errand Service (Paperback)

This book was really disappointing. It might be okay (maybe) for someone who has no idea where to begin starting a concierge service. But for anyone else, this book is a waste of money. I was hoping to get specific advice regarding networking with other businesses, best practices for marketing, and what challenges to watch out for. This book barely touches on those. And for anyone hoping to grow their concierge service into a big company, this book fails to talk about how to set yourself up in a way that will facilitate large amounts of growth. I got better advice from books related to starting a small business than from this book. (Entrepeneur's book "Start Your Own Business" is great.) If Giovanni's book was [less expensive], it would be worth purchasing. But [what i paid]is ridiculous.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Did I read a different book? Not impressed!, August 8, 2002

By 

Sirena (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Concierge Manual: A Step by Step Guide on How to Start Your Own Concierge and/or Errand Service (Paperback)

After the other rave review, I was disappointed with this book. There is some advice on setting up your concierge systems (which is also an opportunity for the author to sell her contracts and software), but I was expecting more insight on her experiences as a concierge, tips and tricks on juggling clients' demands, etc. Instead, the first half of the book just covers how to start any small business. There are plenty of excellent books which cover this subject much better. Anyway, most of it is irrelevant to non-US readers because the laws are different. The last quarter of the book covers meeting planning (the author's previous business) and human resource management. So there is not much room left to write about the concierge business specifically.
If you are thinking of starting a concierge business, know nothing about small business and just want to read one book, then this could get you by. However I would not recommend starting a business with so little research!

All in all, I'm glad I was able to source this book second-hand through Amazon and didn't have to pay full price!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This book was an excellent starting point for me !, October 30, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Concierge Manual: A Step by Step Guide on How to Start Your Own Concierge and/or Errand Service (Paperback)

I order my book and got it quickly. I started to jump into it immediately. Although it started with business basics, I got a few ideas I did not think about. But what I really wanted was a book to get me started with my concierge business venture and this gave me a start. Now I know that I would not get everything I need, but it definitely pointed me in the right direction. I did not think I was buying a franchise for the price of the book. What it did for me was save me time in doing additional research, which is all I ever want from a book of this type.
I am looking to build a large company, which will take time, this basic primer was what I needed. I have been in business before on my own, but I need the basic start for concierge business and the Concierge Manual gave me just what I needed to move me in the right direction. If you are looking for a franchise type of book, then this may not be it. But if you want a book that gives direction and help with your start up, this book is one that you may want to purchase. It is working for me!!!!