If you've ever dreamt of a household staff ready to respond to your every need, you might be surprised to learn that it's not as unlikely as you might think. You know the old adage, necessity is the mother of invention. Well, lots of people are finding it necessary to be inventive. Some find themselves out of work and need to bring in a few greenbacks. Others think becoming an entrepreneur might be preferable to pounding the pavement for a minimum-wage job.

Their aha! moment? Target the affluent consumers who have more money than time, by fixing their nagging problems! Typically, the affluent have employed professional gardeners and nannies, house cleaners and fix-it folks, but now dog-walkers, personal shoppers, and private training services for harried parents and their pampered pooches and progeny (not necessarily in that order) are added to the list.

They've hit on what is being seen as a trend with real staying power: personal procurement outsourcing. Any business that's started now will have an uphill battle, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. You may not be able to find someone to peel you a grape, but personal procurement firms offer a menu of services that might include home assistance (groceries, cleaning), personal training (diet, exercise), research (charts, graphs, statistics), secretarial (proofreading, making reservations and appointments), and so forth. Use your imagination--find a need and fill it!

Check out Daniel Workman's list of the top overseas websites for international service. Workman notes that personal procurement businesses have the potential to surpass US$2 billion by 2015.

I'd love for anyone who has started a personal procurement business of any sort, or anyone who uses one, to tell us about it. Thanks!