The ushering business is another excellent venture you can start with little or no capital. In this line of work, your primary service is providing ushers for various events like weddings, corporate functions, birthday parties, conferences, and other gatherings. Ushers help with crowd control, welcoming guests, directing them to their seats, managing event coordination, and ensuring the smooth flow of activities during an event. This business is ideal for someone with great organizational skills and a knack for managing people.
How to Start Ushering Business With no Capital
Starting an ushering business doesn’t require any significant capital investment because your main “product” is human resource—the ushers themselves. Here is how you can get started without needing to purchase any equipment or material.
Build a team of reliable, well-groomed individuals who are courteous, professional, and can handle the tasks required of an usher. You can recruit people you know or advertise locally or on social media to find individuals interested in working as event ushers.
Create a portfolio or team profile: It’s important to have a well-branded portfolio showcasing your team. While you don’t need a physical office, having a presence online through social media pages and a portfolio that highlights your services, and past experiences will give you credibility.
Networking: Start by attending events or reaching out to event planners, wedding coordinators, and corporate event organizers. Offer your ushering services to them and be sure to follow up on any leads.
You don’t need to invest in uniforms or other event materials initially. Simply coordinate with your team to ensure they are well-dressed and presentable for each event.
Marketing and Branding Your Ushering Business
Like other service-based businesses, branding and marketing are important to success. Since your business thrives on visibility and professionalism, here are a few ways to market yourself effectively:
Social media presence: This is where branding comes in. Create professional profiles on Instagram, Facebook, Tiktok and LinkedIn where you can display pictures from past events, testimonials from satisfied clients, and highlight your well-dressed, professional team of ushers.
Networking: This is key. Attend events, introduce yourself to event planners, and let them know what services you offer. You can also partner with other businesses like event decorators, makeup artists, photographers, even djs and caterers to recommend each other’s services.
Offer promotions: When you’re just starting out, you can offer introductory promotions or discounts to attract clients. For example, offer a discount for first-time clients or bundle your ushering service with another service like event management or decoration coordination.
Managing Your Team and Ensuring Quality Service
Since you’re responsible for the smooth flow of the event, it’s essential you manage your team effectively. Here are a few steps to help you ensure success:
Train your ushers: Even though ushering might seem like a simple task, it’s important to train your team on professionalism, guest relations, and event management skills. This ensures they know how to handle various situations that might arise during an event.
Assign roles: Depending on the event, some ushers will be responsible for welcoming guests, while others might direct them to their seats or handle crowd control. Make sure your team understands their specific roles before the event begins.
Quality control: After each event, seek feedback from the client and ensure your team performed their duties to the client’s satisfaction. Quality service will result in repeat clients and good referrals.
Scaling and Growing Your Ushering Business
As your business grows, you can consider expanding your services to include full event coordination or specialized ushering services for high-profile or large-scale events. Here’s how you can grow your business over time:
Build a larger team: As you gain more clients, you may need to recruit more ushers to handle multiple events at the same time. Ensure that all new recruits are well-trained and understand the standards you’ve set for your business.
Offer additional services: You can expand your offerings by including services like event management, VIP ushers for exclusive guests, or hostesses for corporate events. This will allow you to charge premium prices for more specialized services.
Partner with event planners and venues: By building strong relationships with event planners, venues, and corporate organizations, you can create a steady stream of clients who trust your services.
Eventually, as you grow, you can also offer training programs for aspiring ushers or usher recruitment services to other event planners and coordinators.
