Home
About Us
Coaching and Consulting
Workshops and Webinars
Bookstore
Our Newsletter
Resource Center
Find A Concierge
Client Testimonials
The Press Room
Legal Disclaimers
Contact Us
 
 
 

THE RESOURCE CENTER

 
 
 

Here you will find information to help you down your new road. Please continue to check back as we frequently update this page. 

FREE Articles by Katharine Giovanni HTH Worldwide - Mobile Health
Triangle's International Concierge Directory International Protocol
Concierge Insurance Technology
Helpful Information Speakers
Ticket Information/Entertainment Some other Helpful Sites
Gifts and the Hard to Find Industry Statistics
Websites and Graphic Design    
 
Articles by Katharine Giovanni ...
 

From tips on hiring a concierge, to the nuts and bolts of running a concierge business, check out our library of useful articles.

 
Triangle's International Concierge Directory
 
Are you looking for a concierge service in your area?

Check out our concierge directory by clicking here

 
HTH Worldwide
 

Help travelers manage health needs in 180 countries from any cell phone or computer.  Find emergency or urgent care centers, carefully-selected English-speaking doctors, translations of medications and medical conditions, pharmacy practices and even security alerts!  BOOST REVENUE! Earn commissions on subscription sales of HTH Mobile Health. For more information, or to sign up and earn commissions, please click here

 
Concierge Insurance NEWS
 
Business Insurance: It is not a question of what you think your business is worth, but it is more accurately what you think the largest amount someone could sue you for is. It would be unrealistic to think this could never happen and it is better to be prepared. Business insurance is extremely valuable in the concierge business because of the high amount of liability. To cover yourself, you need business insurance because without it they can take your personal assets. A good insurance person will be able to guide you in this more thoroughly.

Unfortunately many of our clients are having a terrible time getting business insurance because not only is the industry only a decade old, but there is no category to put us in. Generally, I suggest to all my clients that they go to an independent insurance broker because they are more “flexible” and can search many companies instead of just one (try several independents).

I also suggest that you tell him/her that they should put you into the “consulting” category or the “janitorial/cleaning house” category. Also, tell them that it is your company policy to never enter a home unless someone is there. Bonding each employee will help this too. Since one could say that we are similar to a cleaning company in that we both go into people’s homes when they are not there, why is there such a problem? The problem lies in the fact that insurance companies are seeing the additional services that a concierge provides ... like errand running in your car or recommending a service vendor (like a deck builder) for example, and other risk management type of tasks and are thinking “high liability”. It is the liability that the insurance companies worry about.

More to the point, insurance companies don’t know who we are and need education on it. They have no idea what a concierge is or does. You see, insurance is based on codes. This is how they gather their information and develop their risk management policies. Through the codes. Since the concierge business is new, they are unsure as to where to put us because there is no history or code for “concierges”, and the history is how they set up their premiums. Insurance companies (like everyone else) want to make money, and unless there is a proven history of good risk management it is hard to convince them to give coverage.

 
Here are some companies who are insuring concierge ...
 
  1. Travelers

  2. Chubb

  3. American Family Insurance - has a category for "errands and shopping"

 
Helpful Information
 

The International Concierge and Errand Association. If you're serious about starting a concierge and/or errand service,   then you should consider joining this great association. Between the networking, educational opportunities, resource directory and weekly chats they will become one of your most valuable resources!  Katharine Giovanni, president of Triangle Concierge, is the Chairman of the Board and co-founder of ICEA.

Employee Handbook - http://www.na.fs.fed.us/wihispanic/employee_handbook/ - a template so that you can create your own employee handbook. (By the way, we have a sample handbook at the back of The Concierge Manual).

http://www.logoyes.com/ - Create your own logo.

http://www.thelogoloft.com/ - Create your own logo.

VistaPrint - Business Cards - Full Color Printing - Digital Printing Company | VistaPrint - VistaPrint.com is the Web's innovative e-printing site that lets you easily customize and order your own FREE, high-quality, full-color business cards. They're great cards.

BigDates.com - BigDates is an extremely helpful tool for Concierges, and it takes just a few minutes to set up. It helps you remember and take action on the 'BIG DATES' in your client's lives, like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. It reminds you via email or cell phone and suggests appropriate greeting cards and gifts.

http://www.ezinequeen.com - If you’re an independent professional or small business owner, one of the most proven ways to attract new business is to gain status as an expert or resource in your field. And one of the easiest, cheapest, and most effective ways to do this is to publish an e-mail newsletter, or "e-zine." Has some great free tips and articles on her site.

http://www.prweb.com/ - free online press release distribution services

www.sba.gov - Small Business Association

www.score.org - Service Corps of Retired Executives

www.corporate.com - The Company Corporation can help you research and form an INC, LLC, Professional LLC, or Non-Profit Corporation. We also offer Business Licenses, additional filings, and many other small business services.

Publicityinsider.com - PR Tips, Press Release Secrets, and the Inside Track to Huge Publicity! 

http://sbinfocanada.about.com/library/startbusinessquiz/blquestion1.htm - Many people dream of starting a business - but are hesitant to start a business of their own because they don't know if they're the right sort of person to be starting a business or are worried that they'll start a business and fail.  Are you one of those people wondering if starting a business is right for you? This starting a business quiz will help you decide whether or not the time is right for you to start your own business.

Legal Zoom - http://www.legalzoom.com - LegalZoom was founded by attorneys who have worked at some of the most prestigious law firms in the country. We have used our expertise to simplify the law and make it accessible for everyone.

www.LegalDocs.com - This site allows you to prepare customized legal documents and legal forms directly online.

www.copyscape.com - Copyscape is dedicated to defending your rights online, helping you fight against online plagiarism and content theft. Copyscape finds sites that have copied your content without permission, as well as those that have quoted you. The free service makes it easy to find copies of your content on the Web. Simply type in the address of your original web page, and Copyscape does the rest.

Case - www.casedesign.com - find a local handyman!!!  At Case we understand that even small home repair problems can feel like big headaches. That’s why we offer our expert handyman repair services. And like all Case services such as kitchen and bath design, home remodeling, and additions, you can count on us to get the job right.

 
Ticket Information/Entertainment


Celebrity Seats
- Ticket brokers specializing in hard-to-get tickets for all concerts, sporting events, and theatre shows across the country. We can even handle last-minute requests for events in the Philadelphia area! We offer all concierges an 8% commission on any sales they bring to us, which are paid out twice a month.

www.opentable.com - the world’s most popular website for making restaurant reservations online.

 
Gifts and the Hard to Find


e-seek, The InternationalGoods and ServicesConcierge
- e-Seek online is an international goods and services concierge based in the UK. We specialize in worldwide price negotiation and sourcing hard-to-find items.

www.justpersonalgifts.com - personal gifts for most occasions

www.justcorporategifts.com - corporate gifts for employee rewards and corporate events

www.justmarriedgifts.com - a unique store for dating and married couples

www.greenhousegallery.com - Greenhouse Gallery is a traditional gallery featuring nationally and internationally recognized artists, many featured in fine museums and prestigious collections. As one of the most respected galleries in the United States, Greenhouse Gallery has celebrated 25 years of traditional art experience with the expansion to a 12,000 square foot location to create one of the largest retail fine art galleries in the country. Contact Sarah Oxford at sarah@greenhousegallery.com and visit the website to view our entire collection .

 
Websites and Graphic Design


A&D Graphixs - We design Business cards, Logos, Flyers, CD/DVD Covers, Programs, T-Shirts, Photo Editing, Stationary, Signage and Brochures

 
International Protocol

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk
- If you are doing business overseas, or you need to purchase a gift for someone outside of the United States, it is important to know their culture so that you can don't make a mistake. This website is absolutely wonderful!  Click on "Country Profiles" in their resource section and you'll learn everything you need to know about that particular country including information on business etiquette and what gifts to buy and not buy. A really great resource.

http://www.kissboworshakehands.com

 
Technology
 

Mozy Unlimited Online Backup

KickStart Cart Shopping Cart

Register a Domain Name

http://quickpaypro.com - Shopping Cart

Time Value Calculator - How much leisure time do you have and what's an hour of it worth?

 
Industry Statistics

The International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Association (www.ICLMA.org) publishes an industry survey every year. Free to ICLMA members. 

Work/Life Statistics - click here to read an article on statistics that I published a few years ago

 

 
Speakers


Katharine Giovanni - www.katharinegiovanni.com

Connie Domino - www.conniedomino.com

Jackie Farley - http://www.wisewomen4hire.com/consulting.html

Tracy Lynn Moland - www.tracylynmoland.com

Dallas Teague Snider, CMP - www.makeyourbestimpression.com

 
 
 
Some other Helpful Sites
 

www.automallnetwork.com

www.marketamerica.com/maryhayes  

Absolute Best Care Inc.

Common Boundaries

Enterprise Search

 

BuildTraffic.net