Editor’s note: This article was first published in November 2013. Massini’s “latest acquisition” for just over $1 million, Cowie’s client list and Eric Roth’s status as the most sought-after jet interior designer reflect that time.
They say most people don’t like their job, but that’s not the case for the people we’re about to mention. CNBC’s programme “Secret Lives of the Super Rich” featured several people who claimed to have the best jobs in the world, to the point that most of them had already turned their profession into their own independent business.
A while ago we shared 7 business ideas aimed at millionaires, with services some people didn’t even know existed. This time we look at a few people who found a niche in the exclusive world of the 1%, while doing what they love.
1. Ferrari personal shopper
We’ve already talked about personal shoppers and personal trainers as booming professions, but Marcel Massini has a job any lover of classic luxury cars would envy. His work consists of travelling the world to inspect and buy classic Ferraris for his billionaire clients.
Massini says that if you’re too short of money, the job might not be so much fun, though that’s not his case: Massini is now considered one of the leading Ferrari experts and can spot the best bargains for his clients. His latest acquisition was a Ferrari he got for just over $1 million.
2. Party specialist
Colin Cowie has spent years working in the business of “mega-parties”. The parties he organises shouldn’t even be called parties; they are really major events.
Cowie carved out a place for himself in the world of celebrities, and he organises everything from weddings to “parties just because”. His clients include Oprah and Tom Cruise, and he has been in charge of organising the weddings of many Playboy models. A real ordeal of a job.
3. Private jet interior designer
Eric Roth is the most sought-after private jet interior designer in the world among millionaires.
The success of his work led him to set up his own company, International Jet Interiors, which offers only that one service. And as a specialist in his field, he has one of the most profitable businesses anyone could wish for.
His clients, who range from Hollywood stars to Middle Eastern sheikhs, say Roth carries out extreme makeovers of their jets’ interiors. If you need your toilet seat covered in crocodile skin or plated in gold, he’ll get it for you.
The programme also looked at other opportunities that the world of the rich offers independent professionals, such as engineers, builders and distributors of mega-yachts for the wealthy, as well as yacht interior designers. Lamborghini salespeople also deal with clients with plenty of purchasing power.
Further reading
- 5 personal service business ideas for the 1%
- Ranking of the best and worst professions of 2013
- 10 jobs (and businesses) that will boom by 2020
Featured image: Alexandre Prevot from Nancy, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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