Business Venture Description

Business Name

Liberty Concierge

Proposed Location of Business

Kingston, ON – Brick and Mortar and Online presence (with planned expansion to Belleville, Brockville, Cornwall, Nappanee and Ottawa.)

Mission

It is the mission of Liberty Concierge to provide our clients with exemplary personal assistants that permit more time for family, personal health and truly experience the benefits of prosperity in their lives.

Values

Our values are instilled in every employee at Liberty Concierge, we believe in family, respect, integrity, resourcefulness, and excellence in every aspect of the business. To ensure each client is treated as a part of our family, and that each experience is unique and memorable.

Vision

Our vision serves as the guidelines and influences all business decisions by outlining our goals and necessary accomplishments to ensure continuous success and growth for the future. Our vision is to create a world filled with prosperity and freedom for each individual and business.

Description of All Services Offered

Personal Services - $25.00 Fee (See appendix: Figure 3)

Grocery Shopping

Our personal assistants will take care of all grocery shopping needs, this includes creating grocery lists, purchasing large amounts, or picking up a few items.

Gift Shopping & Wrapping

Personal assistants offer clients personal shopping and gift shopping for occasions such as holidays, birthdays, special events and thank-you gifts. Our PA’s will use their vast knowledge of Kingston and surrounding areas to find the perfect item, either by request or from any suggestions. In addition to shopping they will also wrap gifts professionally.

Flower Pick up & Delivery

Whether it is picking up flowers for a loved one or friend, or just looking for flowers to garden/decorate a home, our PA’s will pick up fresh flowers and deliver them in a timely fashion.

1

Non-prescription Mediation Delivery

For ill or busy clients, PA’s can offer the convenience of picking up any non-prescription medication such as Tylenol, cough medicine and vitamins.

Dry-cleaning

Wasting time at the dry-cleaners is no longer a problem, as our personal assistants will pick up and drop off dry cleaning at the clients’ convenience.

Personal Transportation Pick-up & Drop-off

Taxi cabs, busses and getting rides from friends and family is no longer needed. Our PA’s are waiting to pick up and drop off clients where ever they need to go.

Transportation to Appointments

Our personal assistants are concerned for their clients’ well-being, therefore they will ensure that all dental, medical, personal care and psychological appointments are scheduled properly as well as provide transportation to and from said appointments.

Reservations

Our personal assistants will take responsibility of booking reservations both in and out of Kingston. Ensuring clients are prepared when having a night out or going on a trip.

Home Services - $40.00 Fee (See appendix: Figure 3)

House Sitting

House sitting will include care of plants, ensuring security, checking plumbing and checking water flow to ensure clients can come home to a comfortable and well-kept house.

Collecting Mail

Personal assistants will pick up packages, check mail boxes and collect mail when clients are away or too busy.

House Check-up & Maintenance

Services are offered to clients when they go away for winter, vacations, or the like. During which time PA’s will look specific concerns clients have while they are away of home and keep them updated with photos and daily/weekly reports.

Basic Lawn Care

Lawn care can include minor gardening, watering plants, mowing and clean up.

Indoor Plant Care

Feeding and watering plants, ensuring their specific needs are being met.

2

Snow Removal

Snow removal includes shovelling driveways, walkways and steps, as well as salting and sanding to ensure safety.

Seasonal Decorating

Personal assistants can offer top notch decorating for holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Halloween, birthdays, Easter, St. Patricks’ Day, Valentines’ Day and more.

Basic Maintenance & Repairs

Basic maintenance includes painting, oiling, repairs on cars, couches, sewing

Pet Services

Pet services include pet sitting, walking, novice training, “when you’re away” check-ups, pick-up and drop-off to veterinary appointments and cleaning up after the animals.

Cleaning Services

Personal assistants do provide cleaning services that involve tidying, dusting, organizing, and major post party/event clean ups.

Administrative Services - $65.00 Fee (See appendix: Figure 3)

Research

PA’s can provide research for business, personal use, insight into markets, industry size ups, and so much more. If the client has a research question the personal assistants at Liberty Concierge can find the answer. Research can include a report or document for the client.

Data Entry

Our PA’s will work to make their clients more organized by accurately entering data both electronically and manually. All PA’s are efficient in Microsoft office and data entry techniques.

Filing

In order to keep clients records organized, all PA’s will offer extensive filing services in whatever order requested.

Mailings

Our personal assistants will keep track of all sent and received mail this may include postal duties and pick-up/drop-off of mail.

Bookkeeping

Our personal assistants can keep track of clients’ transactions through journalizing expenses and revenues, both personal and business, through bookkeeping services.

3

Appointments & Calls

Our PA’s can make and receive calls, take and relay messages and schedule appointments for any purpose required by the client.

Booking Venues & Coordinating Events

Our experienced staff can book venues for events, weddings, and parties, as well as coordinate and organize an event that will exceed any clients’ expectations and will be sure to be an experience that impresses all guests.

Decorating

Our services offer both indoor and outdoor decorating for personal and professional events. This includes seating arrangements, creating themes, shopping for fabrics and supplies, decorating and implementing a fabulous décor for any party or event.

Photography

Our PA’s are skilled in photography and editing, they can provide affordable photography sessions that are planned at the clients’ convenience. Our clients can benefit by getting extremely affordable, top notch photos for family albums, school and graduation photos, promotion and advertising and much more.

Sourcing Trip Destinations & Transportation

There is no longer need for a travel planner or trip advisor. At Liberty Concierge personal assistants do all the work for the client, including sourcing top destination spots around the world, finding proper travel and lodging accommodations at the best cost, as well as scheduling fun tasks and tours to ensure the every trip is one to remember.

Bill Payment/Banking

At the discretion of our clients, every personal assistant is trained and certified to do banking such as deposit cheques, manage payments and pay bills.

Organizing

Organization services are one of the larger services our personal assistants offer, they are capable of organizing large spaces such as houses that have gotten out of hand, move-in and move-outs, files, paperwork, dressers and drawers, as well as cars. If the client can think of something that needs organizing, our PA’s will do it.

Paperwork

Paperwork can include memos, to-do lists, important forms, personal notes, meeting minutes and more. Our PA’s will take note of whatever the client needs and ensure it is kept safe and secure.

** Outsourcing & Coordinating External Services**

Any services that are not listed can be outsourced by us with trusted local companies.

4

Industry Facts, Issues and Insights

The Concierge Industry

The Concierge Services industry is currently in the growth stage of its life cycle (IBIS World, 2014).

Business Concierge services are popular throughout Europe (IBIS World, 2014).

Booming Industry - Business Concierge services are expected to become more common in the US throughout the next five years (IBIS World, 2014).

In the US the number of concierge service based businesses has grown steadily since 2009 with an average annual growth rate of 5.5% (IBIS World, 2014).

Concierge service companies take care of clients personal and professional lives. This can range from dog walking to planning social events (IBIS World, 2014).

Considered a luxury business (IBIS World, 2014).

In the United States, the concierge industry raked in $220 million in revenues in 2012 (IBIS World, 2014).

Trends

Senior care concierge services is on the rise, helping seniors live comfortably in their homes, and assisting them in daily activities can improve their quality of life (BidnessEtc,2014).

Today’s consumers are looking for a way to allow them to boost their free time and do more things that they value and appreciate. This trend is known as the “convenience trend” (Government of Canada, 2010).

“The convenience trend” is essentially the consumers yearning to create more free time.

In 2008, a study found that 44% of inhabitants across 15 different countries felt that they had a difficult time managing all of their responsibilities and finding time to relax (Government of Canada, 2010).

A 2008 study known as the Yankelovich study found that 70% of Americans aged above 16 felt that they did not have enough free time to do things that they want or need to do (Government of Canada, 2010).

5

To add to the last statement, 50% of Americans above 16 also stated that they felt the lack of time is a bigger issue then the lack of money (Government of Canada, 2010).

Consumers are spending less time on meals, cleaning, and day to day activities (Government of Canada, 2010).

Consumers are experiencing stress such as increased time pressure, work and personal stresses, difficulty balancing work and life and lack of energy. Many consumers feel overwhelmed by all of the obligations they are responsible for (Government of Canada, 2010).

Business people and workers often feel they are having less time to spend with family members (Turcotte, 2006).

Facts

It is projected that in the US the revenue is going to grow to $264 million by 2017 (BidnessEtc, 2014).

As of 2013 the industry has a growth rate of 3.2% annually, with 658 competitors in the US market (BidnessEtc, 2014).

According to the NDPA (National Private Duty Association), on average it costs over $60,000 annually to have a senior live in an assisted nursing home, compared to just over $30,000 annually to have an assisted living person helping the senior in their own home (BidnessEtc, 2014).

In Canada, the number of seniors aged 65 and over has increased 14.1% from 2006 to 2011 reaching nearly 5 million (Statistics Canada, 2011)

In 2011, the working age population was heavily proportioned towards baby boomers (ages 45 to 65), accounting for 42.4% of the working population (Statistics Canada, 2011).

The fastest growing age group in Canada is the population aged 60 to 64 years old.

In 2011, 16.3% of Kingston’s population was aged 65 and over (Statistics Canada, 2011).

In 2011, the median age in Kingston, Ontario was 41.4 years of age (Statistics Canada, 2011).

6

The total population of Kingston is 159,561, broken into Kingston, South Frontenac, Loyalist and Frontenac Islands (See Table 2).

As of 2011 there were 109,700 residents in Kingston between the ages of 16 and 64, which has grown 5.1% from 2006 (See Table 4).

The average median income bracket of Kingstonians is $30,000 to $39,999 (See Table 3).

Stress can be caused by various factors, including but not limited to: unhappiness, busy schedules, long working hours, poor management/organization, harassment, emotion and unrealistic expectations (Web M.D., 2014).

43% of all adults suffer negative affects from stress, including physical and mental health issues, and relationship problems (Web M.D., 2014).

Between 75 to 90% of all doctor visits are related to stress issues (Web M.D., 2014).

Stress can cause headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression and anxiety (Web M.D., 2014).

There is a strong relationship between emotional disorders and stress that has been untreated (Web M.D., 2014).

According to Forbes, stress causes 20% of all workplace illnesses, including decreases in productivity, communication and engagement (Parker, 2014).

Busy lifestyles can cause one to neglect their basic human needs, causing digestion disorders, insomnia, reduced energy, headaches, migraines, heart disease and depression (Allabouthealth.org, n.d.).

Busyness is one of the top causes of stress, which can result in fatigue, light-headedness, increased alcohol or drug use, loss of interest, as well as many other negative behavioural, physical and relationship issues (Bourg Carter Psy.D., 2012).

Support networks, sense of control, attitude and outlook, ability to deal with emotions, and knowledge and preparation will help busy individuals deal with stress. Therefore it is important that one takes control of his or her life by managing their time and creating more free time to take care of their mental and physical health, as well as nurture their relationships.

Risks and Assumptions

Employee Safety Risk

7

Employees of a new business will take many risks when it comes to keeping their jobs and receiving benefits that are offered. Once workers enter a new business they must be ready to deal with the ups and downs of a start-up business, such as bankruptcy, increasingly busy schedules and additional responsibilities (Loesch, n.d.). When a start-up business is successful they must remain on top of employee risks as there are risks that would come with doing their job, such as:

Employees will have to enter the homes of clients, interact one-on-one with them, and constantly be on the move from job to job.

Potential car accidents when on the move is a large risk when an employee is constantly driving to each job.

Liability for lost, broken or stolen items. Losing the trust of a client can be a risk to the business as well as the employee.

Driving clients from place to place creates a very high risk for employees as they are not only liable for their own actions but the lives of the clients.

Uncontrollable forces can create potential risks including weather, burglary, un-trustworthy clients.

Financial and Credit Risks

There are four main types of finance risks Market Risks, Credit Risks, Liquidity Risks, and Operational Risks (Simplilearn, n.d.).

Market Risks come with the setting of prices for products and services, and the changes and movement of these prices can affect interest rates for a business and depending on the size of the business can affect stock prices (Simplilearn, n.d.).

Credit Risks result from businesses not being able to pay their dues to investors, banks and to the Canadian Government (Simplilearn, n.d.).

Liquidity Risks are when businesses fail to complete transactions and have allocated the necessary resources to attempt to complete the transactions and fail (Simplilearn, n.d.).

Operational Risks come from a management standpoint and their ability to adhere to the law in regards to matters such as credit fraud or other legal risks about finance (Simplilearn, n.d.).

Consumer Risk

8

Clients are the soul of any business, they must always be made aware of all risks that come from the use of a business’s services. The following are risks that Liberty Concierge consumers must take into consideration:

Tasks not being completed to their standards, Untrustworthy employees Employees being respectful of their home and possessions.

Clients are key in businesses make their living and it is imperative to address these risks that come with the concierge service to reduce them and put strict standers in place that reduce the risk, and handle it when the situation arises. As some risks cannot be completely avoided being aware of them makes the damage that can come from these risk significantly less.

Market Acceptance and Company Reputation Risks

The first and most important risk is that assessing if a business will be used by their selected target market. Any person or persons can have a great business idea however every great idea can be rendered useless if no one is willing to buy the business’s services. The following are risks that must be considered regarding market acceptance and company reputation:

Having a need for the service, and the means by which to pay for it. If an employee becomes untrustworthy and steals, breaks or mishandles a clients’ case it

can have severe backlash on the business, and ruin the reputation. If the market was not properly assessed, and the messages are not being properly

addressed to gain their interest this will take away from any possible profit, running the risk of bankruptcy or failure.

For Liberty Concierge the risks of starting the business will be first assessed the risk through the creation of a survey that asks questions around what everyday tasks people do not enjoy doing and inquire as to whether they would want to outsource the these tasks to a third party service provider. This will decrease the risk when entering the market as well as provide the business with primary research allowing Liberty Concierge to properly address where services should be focused.

Partnership and Alliance Risks

9

Funding for any business always comes with risk, such as: how to get the funding, how much funding is needed, how it will be paid back and what will happen if the money cannot be paid back. The following is an outline of risks that partnerships and alliances may face (Loesch, n.d.):

Finding the proper investors that will add value or provide the necessary funds to the business.

The values, and work ethic of those that are being invested in, to ensure they are making a good investment, and determining if they will get their money back.

Being aligned with another company brings risks because what they do will directly affect the partner companies values, mission and beliefs.

Considering how much money to invest in the business. Owners and investors have to consider the possibility of not being able to create a return

on investment if the business were to fail. The terms for an event such as this would have to discuss with the investor directly so that a plan can be put in place to avoid a tremendous amount of risk.

Legal and Operational Risk

The legal risks of running a business begin with the establishment of the business name and number. The business name must re-establish every five years because if it is not the business rust the risk of dissolution because the business may no longer be a legal business entity. There also comes the risks of not adhering legal actions of the marketing and business laws in place by the Canadian Government.

Laws and regulation such as CASL or PESTAL, not following these laws can lead to fines for businesses. Businesses must adhere to the legal regulations of how they are to treat their employees and ensuring that employees know their legal rights in the business they work for.

Marketing Plan

10

Business Objectives

Establish market in Kingston, ON by generating minimum $50,000 in gross revenues within one year.

Develop brand awareness by gaining 100 repeat customers (used the service more than once) within one year.

Grow employee base to 6 employees within one year. Gain 50 service contracts with B2B customers within one year.

Target Market Profile

Primary Market:

Geographic’s:

Region – Kingston

Demographics

Age: 25 + Gender: Male and Female Education: High school/college/university/trade Income: $85,000 – over $125,000 (Middle to upper class) Occupation: Business person, entrepreneur, working person, retired Marital Status: Married, single, widowed, with or without children

Psychographics:

Values

Health and wellness Individual choice Ownership Self-actualization Prosperity Free Time Family

(Value Options, n.d.)

Lifestyle

Busy – incapable of doing all that they were able to do before due to several different tasks/projects going on at once, needing assistance to get all tasks competed.

Stressful – carrying many responsibilities, including family, work, finances, projects, future wealth and personal hobbies.

Health and wellness concerns – larger focus on health care, creating less physical or mental capabilities

Retired – seeking more time with family/personal exploration.

11

Seeking more free time.

Attitudes

Cautious Hard working Strong values Introspective Self-preservation

(Lesonsky, 2011)

Behaviour Response:

Benefits Sought:

The ideal customer is seeking out convenience, more free time to spend with their friends and family, and reduced stress with little work on their part. They value hard work and being efficient, as well as having more special moments with their family, and they seek out convenient ways to achieve this in their daily lives.

Note: Target market is largely focused on income levels and only high income, due to the services offered being considered luxury, positioning needs to be defined by income and price will reflect this. In the B2C market will be offered memberships or impulsive/individual purchases.

Secondary Market:

Geographic’s:

Region – Kingston

Demographics:

Business size: Small to medium sized businesses Income: $100,000 + in annual profit after taxes Occupation: Business person, entrepreneur, intrapreneur, small/medium sized business

owner Marital Status: Single or Married (with or without children)

Psychographics:

Values:

Freedom Money

12

Family Success Simplicity Health Free time

Lifestyles:

Busy – balancing work and family, health and business, seeking more free time or assistance in simple tasks that take up time.

Hectic – a lot of different responsibilities, must remain accountable and responsible for make aspects of their lives.

Seeking more free time. Need an assistant to take care of smaller jobs to look at the bigger picture

Attitudes:

Honesty Hard working Strong values Success Wealth Free time

Behaviour Response:

Loyalty Response:

Networking and creating lasting relationships is important to the business person/entrepreneur, there must be honesty, trust and give and take in order to create a lasting, and loyal relationship. Business people and entrepreneurs. Demonstrating the same values of hard work and ambition, as well as taking initiative are important characteristics that business people look for the in companies they choose to create relationships with.

Benefits sought:

Free time to spend with family, explore new ventures and capture new opportunities. Become more organized and structured, get easy tasks out of the way to focus on more important issues. Seeking to spend more time on new tasks, tired of wasting time on time consuming tasks.

Note: In the B2B market services will be offered almost exclusively by contract buys. This is an important factor for the buying process and marketing efforts. While both the primary and secondary market has similar needs there are crucial differences between them. IN the B2B market the major focus will be on buying behavior based on services needed during business hours, when clients are regularly working.

13

When targeting B2B markets we must consider proposing personal assistants to executives for employees as a part of their employee loyalty program or to increase efficiency of key employees. Businesses can provide our services to their employees through their compensation packages, which will provide additional appeal to the employee. It is important to address this market as there is an increasing pressure to perform with better efficiency, and time is becoming even more of a valuable currency. The focus will be on small and medium sized businesses because many large corporations and businesses already have internal personal assistant services in place.

Customer Profile

For business to consumer clients

“Busy Brenda/Brian”

Biographic Information

25+ years of age Male or female Married or single, with or without children Living in Kingston, ON and surrounding areas

Characteristics

Busy lifestyle filled with work, family and responsibilities Enjoys working, healthy living Feels stressed and overwhelmed with daily activities Family oriented Determined Continuous learner

Needs/Wants

To spend more time relaxing or with family To travel, reduce stress and explore new ideas/ventures

Competitive Overview

Tasks Everyday (Tasks Everyday, 2015)

Positioning

14

Tasks Everyday offers virtual assistants for lower value tasks all over the world. With over 400+ staff operating in almost every country in the world.

Place

Entire staff is located in Mumbai, India.

Price

Cost is $6.98/hour

Target Market

Target Market is business people/professionals

Product

Services include: o Internet Researcho Bookkeepingo Database Managemento Appointments and Callso Website & Software developmento SEO & PPCo Recruitment & Job Searcho CRM & CMSo Personal Taskso E-mail & Chat Supporto Presentationso Sales & Marketingo Transcriptiono General Tasks

Assistants can only provide services via the internet, and come with various skill sets including: Bookkeepers, MBA Consultants, SEO – Internet marketing expert, Web designers and mobile designers.

Modern Concierge (Modern Concierge, 2015)

15

Target Market

Targeted at busy individuals (no age specification), busy mothers, and small to medium sized business owners in the GTA.

Product

Services include:o Event Planning

Sourcing/booking venues Coordinating Decorating

o Travel Planning Making reservations Sourcing destinations, flights, and rental cars. Clarifying passport/visa requirements Collect mail, check on the house, stock the fridge

o Personal Shopping Grocery shopping Personalized gift shopping/wrapping Returning/exchanging Major purchases

o Personal Assistant Making restaurant reservations Waiting for deliveries, etc. Organizing Running various errands Donating clothes, managing kijiji Checking in on elderly loved ones Making appointments Helping search for home, schools, doctors etc.

At Your Colling (At Your Colling, 2015)

Positioning

16

Taking their customers from “frustration to freedom” Increasing quality of life and helping put time back in customer’s schedule. Affordable, personalized, friendly services. Efficiency and productivity, allowing customer to make better use of their time. Providing peace of mind

Target Market

Small business owners, entrepreneurs and middle aged people.

Product

Personal assistance includes:o Grocery shopping, personal shopping and gift shoppingo Dry cleaning, library/video pick up, prescription pick upso Flower selection and deliveryo House management (mail, plant care, pet care)o Visit elderly family memberso Waiting for delivery/service peopleo Special occasion planning (decorating, florists, catering arrangements, card &

invitation writing, gift wrapping, mailing and delivery) Home or Small Office Support

o Business representation and presentationso B2B and B2C liaisonso Specialized services (data entry, filing, mailings)o Editing and proofreading o Answering serviceso Bill paying/banking, pick up/delivery, shoppingo Special occasion planning

Price

$30 to $60 per hour on a sliding scale depending on service.

Run My Errand (Run My Errand, 2015)

Positioning

17

Errand and concierge service, specializing in helping people and companies take care of errands. Allowing their customers to find a balance between work, family and friends.

“Giving the gift of time”

Target Market

Generation X & Y and business people.

Product

Personal Assistance & Errands House sitting Dry cleaning Ordering gifts/flowers Seasonal Decorating Senior services, Coordinating home utility repairs Personal organization “Much More..”

Price

Personal Assistance/Errands - $30/hr After Hours/Holidays - $40/hr Mileage charged – $0.45/Kilometer (all business over 25KM) $5 Discount for new customers

Place

Operates in Burlington, Oakville and surrounding areas

Errands Unlimited

18

Positioning

Offers a wide variety of services from deliveries, to pickups, to respite care and personal transportation.

Target Market

Caregivers, independent adults and busy professionals.

Product

Standard services include:o Wide range of delivery serviceso Grocery shopping and deliveryo Meal deliveryo Vacation home services: snow removal, mowing, mail pickup.

Caregiver and Independent adult serviceso Accompany to social events/activitieso Drop-off and pick-up to various appointments/visitso Respite care arrangements

Price

Most services are charged $25.00/hr (1 hour minimum) $.50/km (above 20KM) NSF fee of $30.00 24 hr notice

Balance in Style (Balance in Style, 2015)

Positioning

Understanding client individual needs, building long-term, trusting relationships, and valuing client confidentiality. Services are defined only by the requests of the clients.

Creating more time for their clients.

Target Market

19

Individual and corporate services.

Product

Shopping & Errands Wait services Private chef/private dining Personal Assistant Relocation services Home maintenance & renovations Research experts Wardrobe consultation & Makeovers Document authentication Holiday services Travel services Trade referral Mail services Wedding concierge services Virtual Personal Assistants

Price

Hourly - $65/hr Membership plans:

o “More Life” (25 Hrs) - $1500o “Freedom” (50hrs) - $3000

Virtual Personal Assistantso Starter (5 hours, 15 tasks) - $159/mtho Growth (15 hours, 45 tasks) - $450/mtho Entrepreneur (25 hours, 75 tasks) - $750/mtho Balanced (50 hours, 150 tasks) - $1250/mth

Golden Age Concierge (Golden Age Concierge, 2015)

Positioning

Focused on making lives easier for busy people

20

Target Market

Busy working individuals

Product

Assist with correspondence Document authentication Coordinate contractors/repairs Event planning Assistance in bill payment Home watch Organization Pet services Personalized/negotiable services Senior Companion and care giver Travel services Banking, Medical, Lawyers, Beauty salons/spas Shopping, dry cleaning, prescription pick ups. Transportation

Price

$25/hr (minimum one hour shift) Stat holidays (1.5X hourly rate) $.50/km after first 20 KM

One Concierge (One Concierge, 2015)

Positioning

Global leader of concierge and lifestyle services. Luxury VIP services. Elite, industry experts and always accessible. Highly technological and affordable costs. Will cater to any request around the world “never

say no”.

Target Market

High income/elite clients from around the world. Busy working individuals working in business, entertainment, athletics and politics. Large families.

Product

Personal/Corporate Concierge Programs

21

Private membership options Lifestyle management Personal assistants VIP Event Access Security services Domestic help Private travel management Specialty/high-value goods procurement Event access and VIP support

Price

Memberships: o “Travel” - $1000.00/yearo “Executive” - $3000.00/yearo “Bespoke” - $8000.00/yearo “Lifestyle” - $18000.00/year

Competitive Pricing Analysis

See appendix: Figure 2

SWOT Analysis

See appendix: Table 1

Marketing Strategies

Personal Selling

Used exclusively for B2B market. In start-up stage, executives will complete personal selling/sales activities to gain clients

and build reputation, one in the growth stage of the business, will plan to hire internal sales people for B2B solicitation.

Sales pitch through telephone or in-person interviews with prospective B2B clients. Contract for sale is completed.

Out of Home

Billboard on John Counter Blvd: $525.00 for four week period (Blue Line Media, 2013). Radio advertisements on K-Rock radio station. Radio advertisement creation and 30

second time slots during morning drive (6:00am – 10:00am) and afternoon drive (3:00 pm – 7:00pm) every second day for two weeks. Costs: Advertisement: $500.00, 30

22

Second slot: $250.00 X 7 = $2,800.00. Total Costs: $3,300.00 (Radio Advertising Tips, 2010).

All cars will have the company logo to advertise while workers are on the job. The cost of putting the logo, slogan, and phone number would total $225.00 per car. Cost: $225 X 3 = $675.00 (Deluxe, 2015).

Digital/Online

Social media presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, as well as a company blog which will be posted by the website.

Company website: Liberty Concierge will have an online presence via company website: www.libertyconcierge.ca and social media channels. The website will be professionally designed, the development and maintenance of the website will be completed by company executives and employees. The domain name, hosting, planning, design, development, and maintenance is estimated to cost a total of $1360.00 for the first year (Executionists, 2014). 

Tactics and Implementation

Strategies Sept-15 Oct-15 Nov-15 Dec-15 Jan-16 Feb-16

Personal Selling            Digital/Online            Out of Home

Radio Campaign        Car Decals            Billboards        

Marketing Plan Budget

23

Marketing Budget

Out of Home: $4,050.00

- Radio Campaign $3,300.00

- Car Decals $225.00

- Billboard $525.00

Personal Selling $600.00

Digital/Online $1,360.00

TOTAL $10,060.00

Customer Acquisition

Customer Type Reach CPL Total

B2B 50$201.2

0 $1,060.00

B2C 1000 $9.46 $9,460.00

Therefore, the cost of customer acquisition for a B2B client is $201.20, for each B2C customer the cost is $9.46.

Financial Strategy

Investment Proposal

Services

Liberty Concierge will offer three types of services: personal, home and administrative. Personal services include assistance with transportation, shopping and picking up non-prescription medication. The prices for such services will cost $25.00 an hour. Home services will range from house sitting, checking in everyday, to basic and advanced lawn care. These services will cost $40.00 an hour. Administrative services can be any task from bookkeeping of the clients personal affairs to making appointments and calls on the client’s behalf. These services will be $60.00 an hour. Liberty Concierge also offers an outsourcing service. In the event that a client requires an additional service not listed by Liberty Concierge, the excellent staff will do research and determine the best business, make contact to receive a discounted service, and set up the appointment for the customer. Personal Assistants are required to be in the field at all times, estimated 3 minimum and 5 maximum for first year of business, so that clients are having their

24

service needs met. To do this employees will require their own vehicle, cellphone, for communication, and a detailed account of what the clients seeks upon completion of the job so that the employees may acquire necessary tools to complete the job.

Liberty Concierge will offer a range of payment options for clients, such options are: direct point of perchance at the client’s home through employees using apple square products for the use of debit and credit cards. Online payment, if clients are not home upon completion or do not have the means to pay upon the date of completion clients will be given an invoice with a code corresponding to the task completed and the amount due that will last for 10 days, clients will be able to input the code and pay the outstanding balance on their account. Once a commercial location has been established after the first year of business clients will also be able to pay in store at the Liberty Concierge location. To accommodate these means of payment Liberty Concierge will require multiple Apple Square products, at least one Interact debit and credit card reader and hire a web designer to create the Liberty Concierge site.

Liberty Concierge will market its services to two specific target markets. Men and women with an income of $85,000 – to over $125,000 a year and value having free time. The secondary market is local small to medium sized businesses with an income of $100,000 annual profit that require but personalized assistance to assist with day to day business functions.

The competitors to Liberty Concierge are: Tasks Everyday with services at $6.98/hr, Modern Concierge (rate unknown), At Your Colling with services ranging from $30-$60 depending on the service, Run My Errand at $30/hr and a mileage charge of $.45/Km, Errands Unlimited at $25/hr with a one hour minimum, Balance In Style (rate unknown), and Golden Age Concierge at $25/hr and a $.50/Km charge after the first 20Km. What sets Liberty Concierge apart from all of these competitors is that Liberty Concierge practices three main values: providing convenience, providing wellness, and providing success.

Promotion

Liberty Concierge seeks to understand its target market by asking them questions based around what tasks they do and what tasks they least enjoy doing and why they do not enjoy doing them. These questions would be posted on to social media to gain the attention of perspective clients and give them an awareness of the concierge business industry and ask if they would ever consider outsourcing the completion of such tasks to these concierge business, namely Liberty Concierge. Liberty Concierge will also establish an online presence through the different social media and Liberty Concierge website. As well the cars of Liberty Concierge employees will have the Liberty Concierge logo posted on the side with the business number and location.

Market Plan and Success Measures

Liberty Concierge has several success measures that will be used to judge the success of the business in the first year:

25

Gain 15% market share in the first year.

Achieve revenues of $200,000 within first year.

Create a repeat customer base of 20% within one year.

Have six employees to keep up with demand.

Reach 20,000+ followers on social media.

Financial Projections and Required Investment

Sales forecast for first year:

Estimated Gross Revenues = $165,600

Estimated Total Operating Cost = $108,550

Estimated Net Profit = $57,000

Percentage of Net Profit generated from Gross Revenues = 34.4%

Based on the projections for the sales revenue of Liberty Concierge, it is determined that the business is valued at $165,000. From this evaluation, the investment required will be 10% of the value of the company, $16,560. From this investment $9000.00 will be used for the start-up cost of the business concept and promotional efforts. The remaining $7560.00 will be used for the first year business operating costs. As Liberty Concierge is not yet a corporation shares will not be offered as of yet. However if investors continue to invest or remain uncompensated when the business becomes a registered corporation shares of the business will be offered at 1% of the company for every 2% of investment of the initial value of the company (ex. A $16,560 investment will offer 5% stake in the business).

Investors

The following list outlines the financial resources that Liberty Concierge is interested in working with to assist in funding the business start-up costs.

Grants

This government provides this funding to help cover expenses, such as research and development, marketing, salaries, equipment and productivity improvement. The criteria for government grants and funding are: A detailed project description; An explanation of the benefits of the project; A detailed work plan with full costs; Details of relevant experience; Background on key managers; and completed application forms. Criteria will be assessed according to significance, approach, innovation, assessment of expertise and need for the grant.

Government funding can come from many sources such as:

26

Canada Business: a company that provides sources of financing, including government assistance (Government of Canada, 2015).

Canada One: a free online magazine for small business in Canada, has useful information on Canadian government funding (Canada One, 2014).

Can-Grants.com: an online database that lists hundreds of programs offering financial assistance for Canadian businesses and individuals including grants, low-interest loans, technical assistance and more (Can-grants.com, 2015).

Angels

Angels tend to finance the early stages of the business with investments from $25,000 to $100,000. In turn for risking money, they have the right to supervise the company's practices and finances. This often involves a seat on the board of directors and an assurance of transparency.

Networks such as the Canadian Angel Investment Network helps put entrepreneurs in touch with angels through organizations such as Angel Investors Canada which is a not-for-profit organization that promotes best practices in this field (Ventureworthy, n.d.).

Bank loans

Bank loans are the most commonly used source of funding for small and medium sized businesses. Banks such as: BDC a bank that offers start up financing for entrepreneurs (BDC, 2015).

Start-Up Costs

The total start-up budget for Liberty Concierge is $8,746.41. This total includes all anticipated costs necessary to initiate the business concept.

Start-Up Budget Cost Registration Fees $60.00IT Installation:   - Accounting Software License $1,061.07 - debit/credit machine(s) $395.50 - business phone device $45.14Marketing Budget:   - radio campaign (2 weeks) $3,300.00 - branded car logos $225.00 - website design $1,360.00

27

Equipment:   - office/business computer $800.00Office Supplies $500.00Working Capital $1,000.00

TOTAL $8,746.71 (Government of Canada, 2014)

Operating Costs

Operating Costs (Monthly Expenses) Calculations CostInsurance See Insurance Section: Page 29 - 30 $860.00Telephone $30 + 13% tax $33.90CRM Software $25x4 users per month $100.00Salaries $1500 x 3 executives per month $4,500.00Employee Wages $12 x 160 hours per month $1,920.00Fuel $100x3 employees per month $300.00Banking Fees TD Unlimited Business Plan $125.00WSIB 3.26% of salaries & employee wages $258.19CRA (CPP, EI, Income Tax for owner and employees):     - Executive Employees Income Tax $4500 x 15% $675.00 - CPP (owner and employee contribution) ($1920 - $67.31) x 0.0495 $91.71 - EI $1920 x 0.0183 $35.14Internet Unlimited usage $146.90

TOTAL $9,045.84(Government of Canada, 2015)

WSIBConcierge or Personal Assistant services are included in the rate group category 944: Personal Services with a rate of 3.26 % on insurable earnings (WSIB Ontario, 2006). Liberty Concierge will pay WSIB installments on a quarterly basis on all company employees’ earnings.

Break-even Analysis

Break-Even Analysis

Service Contribution Price CostContribution

Margin

1 hour of Personal Services$25.0

0$12.0

0 $13.00

1 hour of Home Services$40.0

0$12.0

0 $28.001 hour of Administrative Services

$65.00

$12.00 $53.00

Total $94.00

28

Approximate Overhead costs = $9045.84Overhead Costs/Service Contribution = Break Even$9045.84/$94 = 96.23 hours of service per month

Therefore, the business must complete approximately 26 hours of service distributed evenly among service categories per week (based on a 4 week month) or 3.2 hours per day (based on a 30-day month period) in order to

break-even based on direct costs of revenues.

Projected Sales Forecast

(See Appendix: Figure #4)Revenue Streams Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb

6 Month Total

1 Year Total

Personal Services $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $9,000 $18,000Home Services $3,200 $3,200 $3,200 $3,200 $3,200 $3,200 $19,200 $38,400Admin Services $9,100 $9,100 $9,100 $9,100 $9,100 $9,100 $54,600 $109,200Gross Revenues $13,800 $13,800 $13,800 $13,800 $13,800 $13,800 $82,800 $165,600                 

Total Costs $9,045.84 $9,045.84 $9,045.84$9,045.8

4 $9,045.84 $9,045.84 $54,275.04 $108,550.08                 

NET PROFIT $4,754.16 $4,754.16 $4,754.16$4,754.1

6 $4,754.16 $4,754.16 $28,524.96 $57,049.92

The projected sales forecast estimates the gross revenues for the first year of business to be approximately $165,600.00. This is the determined value of the business concept. After subtracting the estimated costs of operation, a total of $108,550.00, the anticipated NET PROFIT for Liberty Concierge first year in business is $57,050.00.

Projected Sales ForecastWeekly Basis (7 days)

Service Contribution PriceHour

s Revenue

1 hour of Personal Services$25.0

0 15 $375.00

1 hour of Home Services$40.0

0 20 $800.001 hour of Administrative Services

$65.00 35 $2,275.00

29

TOTAL $3,450.00Monthly Basis (4 weeks)

$3450.00 revenues earned per week x 4

$13,800.00

Yearly Basis (52 weeks)

$13800.00 in revenues earned per month x 12$165,600.

00

Regulations

Business Registration Legal Regulations to start a Business

1. Establish the business structure. Determine if the business is a sole proprietorship, partnership or a corporation (Government of Canada, 2015).

2. Register the business name through Service Ontario on the Service Ontario website, in person at a Service Ontario centre, or mail an application (Name registry cost from $60-$80 and will last for 5 years) (Government of Canada, 2015).

3. Register the business with the Ontario and Canadian Registry Services (however an exception exists where a business is not required to register if it is a named as a sole proprietorship) (Government of Canada, 2015).

4. Once Canadian Registry Services gives notification that the business may now be officially registered the business may be registered via: online at OneStop Business Registry, in person at the nearest Business Registry location or by mail (Government of Canada, 2015).

5. Once the business has been fully registered the owners are then capable of registering or a business licence to conduct business practices in the specified region that has been applied for (Liberty Concierge will be registering with the city of Kingston to conduct business in the North and South Frontenac regions) (Government of Canada, 2015).

6. Once the business licence has been received it is recommended, but not legally required, to consider registering for Employment Insurance or Self-Employment Insurance as a safety precaution on the event of any unforeseen circumstances (Government of Canada, 2015).

30

7. After all registration has been completed it is time to begin laying out the requirements for legal contracts, employment contracts, partnership contracts, leasing agreements and hiring legal aid to assist in the creation and observation of such contracts (Government of Canada, 2015).

The government of Canada says that when an entrepreneur seeks start their own business they must first create a business plan outlining what their business is and what they seek to accomplish. The Government of Canada also advises that businesses gain a proper source of financial aid to establish themselves. For only with proper financing can businesses get off the ground and implement their business plan (Government of Canada, 2015).

Insurance

Insurance is necessary to conduct business in any part of Canada in that it allows business owners to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances that may occur inside and out of the business. Insurance is meant to be a precautionary measure that allows a business to continue conducting its business without suffering major losses or potential legal allegations.

In the case of Liberty Concierge there are several types of insurance that will be required in order to conduct concierge services in the city of Kingston. There are also potential insurance packages that Liberty Concierge should consider for the future when it becomes a larger business entity. The types of insurance that are required to start and run the business are as listed:

Key Personal/Employee Insurance: Liberty Concierge will be hiring one employee to assist with running business at the offices and in the field conducting the services offered. In the beginning this employee is going to be a large help to the business being prepared, if the business were to lose an employee insurance is necessary so that revenues will not be heavily affected in the time needed to hire a new employee (Coulter, 2015). Cost: $100 per month

Content Insurance: For the first year or two of business Liberty Concierge will be using the house of the CEO as a business office. The office will be used to storing service supplies, money, debit and credit machines. By having content insurance the business assets can be separated from the CEO’s home assets (Coulter, 2015). Cost: $40 per month

Vehicle Insurance: Each service worker will use their own car to travel to clients houses. While each person will have insurance on their own car naming their car as assets for the business and putting the vehicle insurance through our business will cut insurance costs for each individual (Coulter, 2015).Cost: $120 per month

31

Product/Service Liability Insurance: This insurance is necessary because many of the concierge service tasks will have workers doing tasks that will require them to enter a clients’ home and possibly interacting with appliances in clients’ homes. In the event that services are not up to par with a clients’ standards or if an appliance that one of our employees had to interact with breaks after use, this insurance will allow problems that occur to be rectified without the client being inconvenienced and protect the business (Coulter, 2015). Cost: $200

Professional Liability Insurance: This is the most important insurance for any business as it will protect the business in the event that a client sues the business for things such as: errors in services, omissions or even professional negligence. This form of insurance will allow business to continue moving forward even should any legal discrepancies occur (Coulter, 2015). Cost: $400

Future Secondary Insurance costs to Consider (once in retail location) Disability Insurance: No matter how cautious every employee is anything can

happen on a job. And in the event that an employee or even a partner becomes injured on a job and unable to work for a prolonged period of time and provide said employee or partner with an income over a specified period of time. This insurance cost could even offer the ability to show employees that the business values them and retain employees for the future (Coulter, 2015). Cost: $150 per month

Business Interruption Insurance: In the event of a fire of some other event that cause a total stop to business services, this insurance cost will cover the loss of income and earnings until such a time as the business is back up and running (Coulter, 2015). Cost: $300-$500 per month (based around gross earning in a year)

Total Insurance Cost: $860.00 per month

Total Insurance Cost plus Secondary Insurance Costs: $1,310.00 per month

Operational Plan

Business Success Measures

Gain 15% market share in the first year.

32

Achieve revenues of $165,600.00 within one year. Achieve $57,050.00 net profit within one year. Create a repeat customer base of 20% within one year. Have six employees to keep up with demand. Reach 20,000+ followers on social media.

Business Payment methods

Liberty Concierge must offer multi payment methods: cash, cheques, debit and credit cards. As more than 77% of all transactions will be made by some form of payment other than cash business will have to move away from a cash only business model (Brooks, 2014).

The first point of sale that must be addressed is having an online payment option. Customers seek out easier forms of payment and having a method that allows them to pay right at home is the most convenient and appealing. An online payment method would be able to accept debit and credit cards and when a job is completed customers will be given an invoice and each job that our business conducts which will provide a code that customers can input when they log in they allowing the cost of their service to be easily payable (Brooks, 2014).

Future Payment Methods (retail location established)

Once Liberty Concierge has opened a retail location improving employees work environment and customer accessibility, the business will implement an in-store payment option. As stated customers will be given an invoice after the completion of a job and if customers prefer to pay directly in person all options will be at their disposal. In store customers will simply bring their copy of the invoice, or offer identification, and pay with cash, debit or credit, and even through the use of a cheque however; post-dated cheques will not be accepted without the customer signing a legal document acknowledging that on the payment date stated on the cheque will have access to the funds for payment (Gokturk, 2015).

Additionally, Liberty concierge will also offer payment through employees at POS (point of sale). Through a Rogers’ telephone business plan each employee will have an apple iPhone and an apple square credit card reader. Customers will be able to pay via credit cards directly with the employee and also each employee will have a set amount of cash on hand for cash payments (Gokturk, 2015).

External Influencers

Accountant: Jeff N. McArthur C.P.A.

Role is to provide additional advice regarding government mandates, as well as to approve journal entries and other documentation required by the Canadian Revenue Agency

33

Lawyer: Richard A. McNevin Partner at Soloway Law

Role is to provide advice regarding laws and regulations when making business decisions, as well as anticipating changes that may affect the business.

I.T. Specialist: Kingston Information Technologies L.T.D

Role is to provide business with information on technological advances, opportunities and innovations.

Outsourcing Services Plan

In order to optimize customer experience and set our company apart from competitors Liberty Concierge will offer outsourcing services for clients when the listed services do not cover their needs. In the beginning a network will be built/created through working relationships with businesses as requested by the client (Ex. If a client asks us to find them a plumber, Liberty Concierge will do thorough research to find the best plumbing business by looking at comparative costs, weighing customer reviews, reviewing business values and comparing services offered). This process will create a strong network of relationships and partnerships with local companies that in turn for giving them business they can provide us with a special discount for customers. The client will pay for the service through Liberty Concierge, and a fee of $10.00 will be charged.

The benefits of building this network on a by-client basis are:

Having a concise and strong list of community partners. Learning who works/does not work well. Gaining insight on the most common needs of the target market. Allows us to determine what we can add as personal services and what we will need to

outsource. Less broad and complex. Simplicity and ease of use. Savings for the customer.

At the point that the company is able to grow provincially, nationally and internationally, a vast network will already have been established over a longer period of time in Kingston, Brockville, Cornwall, Belleville and Ottawa. Therefore recommendations and referrals can be created to create further growth of the network in these new areas of business.

Hours of Service

Liberty Concierge is operating in the convenience industry, creating a demand for accessibility at all times of day. In order to promote this positioning, the business hours will be as follows for the first six months of business operations:

Sunday to Saturday – 7:00 am to 7:00pm

34

Seasonal Considerations

Liberty Concierge can and will be subjected to the influences that the different seasons can bring. Winters bring poor road conditions and harsh weather such as strong snowfall and freezing rain. Because of these conditions times of arrival at client’s homes or the completion of specific jobs would be affected based on the weather. Rain can also affect when jobs are completed and can create safety risks for jobs that are outside. The same can be said for weather that is hot and dry, employees must be aware of the weather for each day so accommodate their duties accordingly.

The different seasons bring different holidays as well, Christmas, Easter, summer vacation etc. And during these times clients will be off work and want to spend time at home or away. These are prime times for clients to utilize concierge services. As well employees will have time off school and will also seek time off work, therefore work schedules will have to be made month to

month to accommodate the seasons.

Evaluation Methods

It is detrimental to future success of the business to ensure that there are specific methods in place to evaluate the effectiveness of employee training and development, client services, financial and marketing strategies. Liberty Concierge plans to evaluate the business quarterly in the following ways:

Determining if goals have been reached by reflecting on original business goas and success measures to determine if they have been achieved.

Constant review of the business to determine if processes are efficient, and looking at strategies in an objective way, by allowing trusted external influencers to review and provide insights that may have been overlooked.

Preparing and analyzing income statement and balance sheets to evaluate sales results.

Surveying customers, employees and business associates with opinion surveys, business excellence reviews, satisfaction surveys, performance meetings and focus groups.

Information Technology Strategy

CRM

In the midst of the digital revolution, big data is important for businesses of all sizes. In order to gather, collect, analyze, and utilize consumer data, a CRM system is a necessity. For the concierge industry, success relies on an understanding of consumer pain points and preferences

35

in order to identify and effectively serve their needs. Liberty Concierge will implement a basic CRM service through Salesforce, a leading provider of CRM software through Salesforce Small Business Solutions (Sales Force, 2015). Sales Cloud Basic software allows up to 5 employees access to basic sales and marketing technologies. Once the Liberty team is ready to expand to over 5 employees, the software will be updated to Sales Cloud Professional; increasing capabilities of a full CRM system allowing for growing team access with unlimited users.

Sales Cloud Basic– Salesforce automation and customer relationship management

Costs:

$25 per user monthly fee, billed on an annual basis.

Features:

Account & contact management Opportunity tracking Lead scoring, routing & assignment Task & event tracking Customizable reports & standard dashboards Mobile access, customization, & administration Chatter—company social network Outlook Side Panel & sync Case management

Future upgraded system:

Sales Cloud Professional – Complete customer relationship management system

Costs:

$65 per user monthly fee, billed on an annual basis.

Additional Features:

Campaigns Customizable dashboards Collaborative forecasts Products, quotes, & orders Mass email Role permissions

Accounting Software

Sage 50 Premium Accounting (Sage, 2015)

Downloadable license

Costs:

36

2-user Premium with Support and Payroll: $850.00 Cloud Data (Sage Drive): $89.00 Total: $939.00 x 1.13 = $1,061.07

Features:

Unlimited technical support, with access to a 24/7 knowledgebase and 60-day money back guarantee

Creating customer records, preparing sales invoice, track payments and receipts, choose 100 price lists, create sales quotes and orders and charge for services using employee time slips.

Create vendor records, print cheques, create purchase quotes and orders, and record and track purchase invoices.

Prepare payroll cheques with automatic tax deductions, process cheques as batches, prepare ROE slips for print or online filing and prepare T4/RL-1 slips for print or online filing.

Track GST/HST and PST/QST, file GST/HST online, keep accurate records with the full-time audit trail, store up to 100 years of financial history, process payroll remittances, reconcile bank statements to accounting data, use departmental accounting and create payroll expense groups.

Integrates with Word and Excel, is able to convert to QuickBooks, MYOB and Quicken, synchronizes with Outlook, and can create and assign role based security settings.

Access and customize built-in reports using pre-defined industry specific reports, budget company revenues and expenses, view performance dashboard for real-time information, and consolidate financials for multiple companies.

Track and report on projects, budget projects for one fiscal year, and create detailed project budgets by account or by period.

Debit/Credit System

Interac Debit System

Moneris Long Range Wireless Payment Terminal (Moneris, 2015).

Telephone Software

Rogers Small Business Wireless Business Phone

(Rogers, 2015)

Costs:

37

$39.95 (one-time fee) for wireless business phone device $30.00 per month without other Rogers Services

Includes:

Unlimited Canada-wide calling Call waiting, Call forwarding, Caller ID, Conference calling, Enhanced Voicemail Connect up to two corded or cordless phone systems, including headsets.

Rogers Small Business Wireless Share Everything Plan

(Rogers, 2015)

Costs:

$165.00/month

Includes:

16GB Unlimited Canada Wide Calling Unlimited text, picture and video calling Call Display, Voicemail, Call waiting, Group calling 2500 Call forwarding minutes Add up to 24 devices Add tablets for 10$/month, add smartphones for $60/month

Organizational and Talent Roster Framework

Human Resource Strategy

Vision for Training and Development (Cardiff Council, n.d.)

As a business Liberty Concierge strives to create a unique and positive experience for every client by providing each employee with the skills and knowledge to make smart decisions and

38

efficient working habits. Liberty Concierge strives for excellence in the training and development of our employees by:

Valuing each and every employees’ prior knowledge, experience and education and the positive impact they have on the success of the business.

Regularly reviewing productivity, as well as creating benchmarks for employees and creating incentives for continuing to grow within the company.

Recruiting and retaining qualified and high quality employees by enabling them to voice their opinions, concerns, questions and ideas in an encouraging environment.

Motivating our workers by offering continuous training and development opportunities through innovative and hands-on techniques.

Training and Development Strategy Overview

1. Purpose

The purpose of this training and development strategy is to ensure that all employees are demonstrating the values of this business and feel qualified and confident in making decisions.

To develop the knowledge, skills, behaviour and confidence of the employees and encourage future learning.

2. Goals

To create a standard of behaviours, skills and abilities within the organizational structure that is required by all employees.

To be able to determine top performers, as well as areas of weakness within the organization.

To ensure the values and missions of the company are being demonstrated by all employees at all times, and to ensure the highest level of quality is being provided by each interaction between employees and clients.

To provide and create further opportunities for career growth to each employee within the company.

3. Measures

Employee opinion surveys, business excellence reviews, customer satisfaction surveys, performance meetings, and focus groups.

4. Review

This training and development strategy will be revised semi-annually to ensure it is relevant and up-to-date. Any concerns or issues will then be refined and changed in order to provide more effective training and development procedures.

Training Strategy

39

As a company that values the personal and professional growth of others, it is detrimental to implement and maintain an effective training strategy.

To ensure that each employee is prepared to handle various tasks and situations in a positive and efficient manner, as well as remain competent and considerate in difficult situations, our vast training will prepare employees with the tools and knowledge as a four week training program initially, and then on a quarterly basis to refine skills and resolve concerns.

The following list outlines the topics that will be addressed throughout the training program:

Employee Behaviour – This will entail educating employees on proper courtesy while interacting with co-workers and clients, body language and tone, customer awareness, creating a positive work environment, handling conflict, and dealing with stressful situations (WPEX, 1999).

Skills Training – Employees must understand how to efficiently provide all services, therefore the training program will develop skills in bookkeeping, research, effective shopping, cleaning, privacy, proper communication, confidentiality, organization, decorating, photography, event planning, administration, paperwork and filing, and outdoor services (WPEX, 1999).

Safety Training – This training includes occupational health and safety, accident prevention, safety compliance, accident and emergency response, safety practices, workplace hazards and WHMIS (WPEX, 1999).

Policies and Procedures Training - This will encompasses the policies of the company including dress code, rules and regulations on actions and behaviours, situational procedures and health and safety (WPEX, 1999).

How this will be delivered

These training goals will be provided via:

Classroom/Instructor led training with the use of PowerPoints, Role-Playing, Videos, Story-telling, Case Studies and Group Discussions.

Demonstrations of real-life situations Coaching on first time on-the-job experience and job shadowing Online quizzes and modules In-class quizzes Final exam

Measuring Success

Training success will be determined by: observation of trainees, quiz and exam results, post training surveys, as well as an evaluation of the ROI from the training (Revenues – Training costs x 100/Costs).

Development Strategy

40

It is important to the Liberty Concierge business culture to keep high quality employees within the company, and to help them reach their full potential. All employees will start within the company at a beginner position, this could be considered as a part-time employee, a placement student, a trainee, new hire, or as an intern.

This development strategy will be put in place to provide employees with the opportunity to have both personal and professional growth within the company, allowing them to utilize these new found skills to gain promotions, create new positions for themselves and move up through the company hierarchy.

How this will be achieved (Alberta Government, n.d.)

Development will be implemented through the following approaches:

Continuous training to maximize employee learning potential including on-going online training allowing employees to learn at their own pace.

Coaching and mentoring programs. Employee promotion, including benchmarks and incentives for receiving positive client

comments or by bringing in new clients. Job enrichment, through adding more responsibilities and decision power for employees

to feel empowered. Which can increase motivation and interest in the job. Cross-training and job rotation to allow employees to learn all aspects of the business.

Measuring Success

Development success will be measured through constant feedback from employees, examination of effectiveness of development programs, productivity levels, and regular reviews of performance for employees.

Key Positions and Duties (See Employee Hierarchy: Figure 1):

As a new business it is important to understand what positions are important to have within the company, and what each job entails. It is important to keep in mind that while there are several positions listed, as a beginning small business many of these positions will initially be held by the three owners and one trusted staff member (i.e. Members of the business will wear many hats until it has grown in size) (Iowa State University, 2013).

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

This position is responsible for all day-to-day decisions and to ensure that the company is implementing and reaching all long and short term goals. This position is also responsible for putting together resources, and having the final say on any business decision (Iowa State University, 2013).

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

41

This position is responsible for daily operations within the business, including ensuring necessary tasks are done on time, operations are going smoothly. This position involves handling relationships with lenders, community leaders and vendors. It is also in charge of production and ensuring the vision of the company is being met. This position is also in charge of decisions regarding budget, costs and funding (Iowa State University, 2013).

Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)

This position is responsible for tasks such as pricing and market research, designing advertising and promotions, as well as coordinating the team (Iowa State University, 2013).

Human Resource Manager/Office Manager

This position is responsible for maintaining the structure of positions within the company, interviewing, hiring and training, preparing employees, distributing pay, maintaining legal requirements, counselling and disciplining employees, handling concerns, creating and implementing guidelines, policies and procedures and scheduling (Iowa State University, 2013).

Accountant and Bookkeeper

This position is responsible for handling monthly income statements, balance sheets, bank reconciliations, collections, account receivable and payables, payroll and managing cash (Iowa State University, 2013).

Foreperson or Supervisor

This position is responsible for understanding all aspects of the company and ensuring all employees are following proper procedures and duties (Iowa State University, 2013).

Administrative Clerk

This position is responsible for handling phone calls, dealing with clients’ questions and concerns, outsourcing additional services, greeting, billing and taking payments, and mail (Iowa State University, 2013).

Personal Assistants

This position includes all services listed in page 2 – 5, such as personal shopping, research, photography, data entry, cleaning services, house sitting, etc. This position is responsible for maintaining a positive relationship with clients and reporting back to the main office (Iowa State University, 2013).

Salary Estimations

As a new business in the concierge industry, salaries and wage will be determined by industry averages. As mentioned in the employee development strategy, our employees will have the opportunity to grow within the organization, therefore their wage will be set on a scale that can increase over time.

Concierge Hourly Wage:

42

Beginners wage: $12.00/hour (Payscale , 2015)

Wage increases dependent upon performance: $14.00 - $18.00/hour

Senior wage: $20.00/hour (Payscale , 2015)

Administrative Clerk Wage

Beginners wage: $12.00/hour (Payscale, 2015)

Wage increase dependent upon performance: $15.00 - $19.00/hour

Senior wage: $22.00/hour (Payscale, 2015)

Calculating Salaries:

Liberty Concierge is beginning with 3 executives and 1 full-time employee.

Executives – CEO, CMO, and COO will be paid in salaries determined on a yearly basis but withdrawn biweekly.

$24000 per year for the first year of business in an effort to generate profit that will flow back into the business to drive growth.

$24000/12 months = $2000/month per executive.

As stated above employees will be paid an hourly wage beginning at $12/hour.

1 full-time employee at $12/hour = anticipated wage expenses of $1920/month

(80 x $12 = $960 biweekly = $1920/month)

Action Register

Step 1: Establish the business structure

The first step to beginning Liberty Concierge is confirming what different services the business will be doing.

Include what it will offer, the market, the funding, and who will be a part of the business from the beginning.

43

Establish the structure of the business, if it will be a sole proprietorship or a partnership. Determine what role each partner in the business has.

Step 2: Register the business

Next is to register the name of the business Liberty Concierge through Service Ontario. In order to legally conduct business in Ontario the Government must be aware of the

creation of a new business the business name must be registered. Once the name Liberty Concierge has been registered through Service Ontario the

business must then be registered with the Ontario and Canadian Registry Services. Allowing Liberty Concierge to be recognized as a legal business entity

Liberty Concierge may be registered: online at OneStop Business Registry, in person at the nearest Business Registry location or by mail.

The business is then capable of registering for a business licence to conduct its concierge business practices in the specified region that the business has applied for (The City of Kingston including the North and South Frontenac regions.

Step 3: Investment proposal and financing

Once established Liberty Concierge can then send a proper investment proposal that outlines what the investment money will be used for.

Confirm financing agreements.

Step 4: Developing a talent roster and strategy

Liberty Concierge can begin finding perspective employees and decide on the amount that will be paid to these employees and the benefits that will be offered as incentive.

After Liberty Concierge has received the business licence it is recommended, but not legally required, to consider registering for Employment Insurance or Self-Employment Insurance as a safety precaution in the event of any unforeseen circumstances.

After all registration for Liberty Concierge has been completed it is time to begin laying out the requirements for legal contracts, employment contracts, partnership contracts, leasing agreements and hiring legal aid.

Step 5: Open up the business to the public

After all registration requirements have been met and all legal requirements completed Liberty Concierge is now ready to begin conducting business with its first clients.

Works CitedAlberta Government. (n.d.). Employers: eight great ways to develop your employees. Retrieved from

Alberta Government: http://alis.alberta.ca/ep/eps/tips/tips.html?EK=8784

Allabouthealth.org. (n.d.). Too busy to be healthy? Retrieved from All About Health: http://allabouthealth.org.uk/articles/too-busy-be-healthy

At Your Colling. (2015). What can a concierge service do for me? Retrieved from At your Colling: http://www.atyourcolling.ca/

44

Balance in Style. (2015). Corporate & personal concierge services in Ottawa. Retrieved from Balance in Style: http://www.balanceinstyle.com/

BDC. (2015). 7 Sources of start up financing. Retrieved from BDC Entrepreneurs First: http://www.bdc.ca/EN/articles-tools/start-buy-business/start-business/Pages/start-up-financing-sources.aspx

BidnessEtc. (2014). The concierge service industry. Retrieved from BidnessEtc: http://www.bidnessetc.com/business/the-concierge-service-industry/

Blue Line Media. (2013). Billboard advertising in 300 cities - billboard ads company. Retrieved from Blue Line Media: http://www.bluelinemedia.com/billboard-advertising

Bourg Carter Psy.D., S. (2012). Too busy to read this? Then you probably should: Part II. Retrieved from Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201208/too-busy-read-then-you-probably-should-part-ii

Brooks, C. (2014). Accepting credit cards: a small business guide. Retrieved from Business News Daily: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4394-accepting-credit-cards.html

Canada One. (2014). Accessing government funding in Canada - Page 1: Canadian government grants and loans. Retrieved from Canada One: http://www.canadaone.com/magazine/accessing_government_funding.html

Can-grants.com. (2015). Can-grants.com. Retrieved from Can-grants.com: http://www.can-grants.com/

Cardiff Council. (n.d.). Vision for learning and development. Retrieved from: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/61076/good-practice-training-strategy-example.pdf

Coulter, M. (2015, March 15). Insurance for your small business. (N. Coulter, Interviewer)

Deluxe. (2015). 4 reasons to put your logo on your company vehicle. Retrieved from: https://ww.deluxe.com/blog/four-reasons-put-logo-company-vehicle/

Executionists. (2014). How much does a small business website cost in 2014? Retrieved from: http://www.executionists.com/blog/cost-to-build-websites-2014/

Gokturk, M. (2015). Four essential payment strategies to grow your small business. Retrieved from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-digital/innovation/four-essential-payment-strategies-to-grow-your-small-business/article22487755/

Golden Age Concierge. (2015). Your Ottawa Concierge. Retrieved from: http://www.goldenageottawa.com/

Government of Canada. (2010). Consumer trend report. Retrieved from: http://www.ats-sea.agr.gc.ca/inter/5527-eng.htm

Government of Canada. (2014). Starting a business. Retrieved from: http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/page/2856/

Government of Canada. (2015). Business Registration Online (BRO). Retrieved from: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/bsnss/tpcs/bn-ne/bro-ide/menu-eng.html

45

Government of Canada. (2015). Business start-up guide. Retrieved from: http://www.cbo-eco.ca/en/index.cfm/starting/getting-started/business-start-up-guide/

Government of Canada. (2015). Canada Business Network. Retrieved from: http://www.canadabusiness.ca/eng/

IBIS World. (2014). Business concierge services in the US: Market research project. Retrieved from: http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/business-concierge-services.html

Iowa State University. (2013). Top management and key personnel positions in a business. Retrieved from: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/wholefarm/html/c5-111.html

Lesonsky, R. (2011). Changing attitudes: marketing to the still-influential baby boomers. Retrieved from: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/changing-attitudes-marketing-to-the-still-influential-baby-boomers/

Loesch, B. (n.d.). 6 commonly overlooked risks when starting a new business. Retrieved from: http://www.business2community.com/startups/6-commonly-overlooked-risks-when-starting-a-new-business-0158188

Modern Concierge. (2015). About Us. Retrieved from: http://www.modernconcierge.com/

Moneris. (2015). Long range wireless payment terminal. Retrieved from: http://www.moneris.com/en/Products-Services/Payment-Terminals/Long-Range-Wireless.aspx#horizontalTab2

One Concierge. (2015). One Concierge. Retrieved from: http://www.oneconcierge.com/

Parker, S. (2014). Stress at Work: The Busyness Trap. Retrieved from: https://www.jobcast.net/stress-at-work-the-busyness-trap/

Payscale . (2015). Concierge Salary. Retrieved from: http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Concierge/Hourly_Rate

Payscale. (2015). Administrative clerk salary. Retrieved from: http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Administrative_Clerk/Hourly_Rate

Radio Advertising Tips. (2010). Radio Advertising Costs. Retrieved from: http://www.radioadvertisingtips.com/radio-advertising-pricing-costs/

Rogers. (2015). Plans & pricing. Retrieved from: http://www.rogers.com/business/on/en/smallbusiness/shop/wireless/plans/

Rogers. (2015). Rogers small business wireless business phone. Retrieved from: http://www.rogers.com/business/on/en/smallbusiness/shop/wireless/wirelessbusinessphone/

Run My Errand. (2015). Errand and concierge services. Retrieved from: http://www.runmyerrand.ca/

Sage. (2015). Sage50 premium accounting. Retrieved from: http://na.sage.com/ca/sage-50-accounting/premium

Sales Force. (2015). Sales Cloud. Retrieved from: http://www.salesforce.com/ca/sales-cloud/overview/

46

Simplilearn. (n.d.). Financial risk and its types. Retrieved from: http://www.simplilearn.com/resources/finance-management-articles/financial-risk-and-its-types-rar131

Smith M.A. Segal M.A. Segal Ph.D., M. R. (2015). Stress symptoms, signs and causes. Retrieved from: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm

Statistics Canada. (2011). Focus on geography series, 2011 census. Retrieved from: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-cma-eng.cfm?

Statistics Canada. (2011). NHS Profile, Kingston, CMA, Ontario, 2011. Retrieved from: http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?

Statistics Canada. (2011). The Canadian population in 2011: age and sex. Retrieved from: http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/98-311-x/98-311-x2011001-eng.cfm.

Tasks Everyday. (2015). Virtual Personal Assistant. Retrieved from: http://www.taskseveryday.com/m/index.html

Turcotte, M. (2006). Time spent with family during a typical workday, 1986 to 2005. Retrieved from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2006007/9574-eng.htm#tablea1

Value Options. (n.d.). The baby boomer generation. Retrieved from: http://www.valueoptions.com/spotlight_YIW/baby_boomers.htm

Ventureworthy. (n.d.). Canadian angel investors. Retrieved from: http://www.ventureworthy.com/canadian-angel-investors.asp

Web M.D. (2014). Health & Balance. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/causes-of-stress

Web M.D. (2014). Stress management health center. Retrieved from: http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your-body

WPEX. (1999). Employee behaviour: training, guiding, coaching. Retrieved from: http://www.wpex.com/news/view/employe_behavior_training_new/

WSIB Ontario. (2006). Employer classification manual. Retrieved from: http://www.wsib.on.ca/WSIBPortal/faces/WSIBManualPage

Appendices

Figure 1: Employee Hierarchy

47

Figure 2: Competitive Pricing Analysis

Figure #3: Pricing of Services

48

$25.00

$40.00

$65.00

Pricing of Services

1 hour of Personal Services1 hour of Home Services1 hour of Administrative Services

Figure #4: Six Month Forecast of Estimated Revenues

Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb$0

$1,000

$2,000

$3,000

$4,000

$5,000

$6,000

$7,000

$8,000

$9,000

$10,000

Six Month Forecast of Estimated Revenues

Personal Home Administrative

Month

Reve

nues

49

Table #1: SWOT

Strengths Weaknesses

Liberty Concierge provides a unique service not currently offered by any other concierge service by outsourcing their services.

In depth training provides employees with experience to allow them to handle a variety of tasks, making them a hybrid in comparison to competitors.

Employee growth instills motivation and determination within each employee.

Having administrative clerk to speak with each client creates a recognizable voice for the company.

Only having four employees to start may not reach the demand.

Having only one phone line to take phone calls can cause clients to become frustrated.

Liability of employees entering clients homes.

Opportunities Threats

There are currently no competitors in Kingston or surrounding areas, providing possible opportunities to be first in the market.

“Convenience” trend – everyone is looking for an easier way to do things, people are becoming lazier.

As the market has not yet been reached in Kingston, this could possibly mean that there is no opportunity and could mean that the business is not successful.

Target market is not willing to pay for concierge services.

Table #2: Kingston Population by Division Kingston Population by Division

Division PopulationKingston 123,363South Frontenac 18,113Loyalist 16,221Frontenac Islands 1,864

Total 159,561(Statistics Canada, 2011)

50

Table #3: Kingston Average IncomeKingston Average Income

Income BracketNumber of Individuals

$30,000 to $39,999 18,640$40,000 to $49,999 14,470$50,000 to $59,999 10,320$60,000 to $79,999 11,450$80,000 to $99,999 3,740$100,000 and over 3,050

Total 61,670(Statistics Canada, 2011)

Table #4: Kingston Age DemographicsKingston Age Demographics

Age 2006 Population 2011 Population% Change

0 to 14 24,600 23,880 -2.915 to 64 104,400 109,700 5.165 and over 23,365 25,975 11.2

Total 152,365 159,555 4.7(Statistics Canada, 2011)

51