IT’S the household chore millions of us do every few days or once a week – restocking the fridge with groceries.
But Abbie Manning, 29, has turned the dreaded task into a business that’s raking the savvy Brit up to a whopping five figures every month.
While those close to Abbie have been supportive of the business, it’s a different story on TikTok[/caption]
While the concept is relatively new, it’s a big hit across the ocean in the US where busy celebrities and the riches pay someone to organise their fridges.
Abbie, who after dropping out of sixth form worked on a super yacht and for a beach restaurant, realised there was a gap in the market – and she could utilise her skills and knowledge.
Now, two years later after launching her business, SW VIP Concierge, Abbie has a team of eight self-employed members helping her out.
”I just realised hospitality wasn’t for me anymore,” Abbie shared in an exclusive interview with Fabulous.
”I was looking out at the beach and I just thought, a personal concierge service – there’s not really anything around here.
”I had my unique selling point as a super yacht stewardess, so I’ve dealt with all the high-end clients […] and I kind of thought it would be a really fun concept to bring my super yacht experience onto land.
”The housekeeping, the laundry, the party-planning, the cocktail making, the table decorating – pretty much everything.”
It’s not just holiday homes and people’s second homes that Abbie helps keep pristine – the local area also has full-time residents whose busy schedules mean they don’t have enough time to keep up with the chores.
While those close to Abbie have been supportive of the business, it’s a different story on TikTok – where the 29-year-old recently landed in a sea of comments not taking her business seriously.
”I still can’t believe I get paid for unpacking people’s food shopping and putting it into their fridge.
”A lot of people don’t understand it, a lot of people say how ridiculous it is.
”The TikTok trolls say, ‘how lazy the clients are’ and how ridiculous it is and what not.
”But I don’t think they understand that time is the most valuable asset.”
Although for the most part Abbie chooses to scroll past the troll comments, she does occasionally respond – but even then, there’s no winning.
”I replied to somebody who said that the food quality was really poor.
”I replied to them but then you just get backlash and she said, ‘Oh, you’re replying to rage comments for engagement’.
”So either way, you can’t win.”
When it comes to stocking the fridges, ”space is never an issue”, Abbie said – and while there is no specific method, she does follow key steps to ensure the stock is presented nicely.
”I’ll always try to keep all the dairy groups together, all the meats in one drawer, all the veg in another drawer.
”Labels always facing towards you just to make it look all uniform.”
How to start your own business
Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis revealed his tips for budding entrepreneurs:
- One of the biggest barriers aspiring entrepreneurs and business owners face is a lack of confidence. You must believe in your idea — even more than that, be the one boring your friends to death about it.
- Never be afraid to make decisions. Once you have an idea, it’s the confidence to make decisions that is crucial to starting and maintaining a business.
- If you don’t take calculated risks, you’re standing still. If a decision turns out to be wrong, identify it quickly and deal with it if you can. Failing that, find someone else who can.
- It’s OK not to get it right the first time. My experience of making bad decisions is what helped develop my confidence, making me who I am today.
- Never underestimate the power of social media, and remember the internet has levelled the playing field for small businesses.
- Don’t forget to dream. A machine can’t do that!
It may be just two years since Abbie launched her business – with just a few printed T-shirts – but she’s already attracted a clientele worldwide.
”I’ve got a client who lives in Italy, I’ve got them all over – not just in the local area. I’ll do anything for them, from planning holidays, planning road trips, booking flights, assisting with property sale.
”If they need any sort of admin task done, they can just pick up the phone and WhatsApp me.”
This means that Abbie can now make up to five figures every month – however, this depends on the season, as winters tend to be a bit more quiet.
The total income, she said, ”is a lot more” than she ever expected to be earing.
”I love it, it’s so random and it’s so varied.
”Depending on the concierge hourly rate or our cleaning hourly rate, it’s a lot more than any other job I’ve ever had as an hourly rate.
”You can definitely make a very healthy living out of it.”
‘Just do it’
It may sound cheesy but when it comes to launching your own business Abbie said that the easiest way to get started – is by actually getting started.
This doesn’t necessarily mean investing hundreds of thousands – you can easily kickstart the process by doing research or by speaking to people in the industry.
”Just do it, don’t think too much about it.
”Obviously, you need to make sure you’ve got the relevant insurances in place.
”But just go for it – because you learn along the way,” she shared her tips in the chat.
People may troll you or call your idea ‘bonkers’, but don’t let that get in the way, Abbie said.
”Post in the local social media groups, get your name out there. Go around houses, drop fliers off – just get yourself out there and give it a really good shot.”
While Abbie did have ”a bit of money” in her savings to launch her business, in the end, she didn’t even have to use it.
”With things like my website, I didn’t get that built until a couple of months ago.
”I bought some uniforms, just some blank T-shirts, and I had a little vinyl printer, so I just printed my own uniform.
”Because it’s a service-based business, I didn’t have to invest that much into it.
”I finished my previous job on a Thursday and then I was working my self-employed job on a Friday.
”In that month, when I handed my notice in, I started then to build my advertising – just so I knew that when I finished that job I went straight into warning money,” said Abbie who estimated she’d used £150 to launch her now-successful business.
