By Joanna Tovia
The Advertiser 23/11//04

WOULDN'T it be wonderful to have your own personal concierge to handle all those time consuming chores you'd rather avoid?

Life is becoming so busy that many people are resorting to just such services and lifestyle management businesses are emerging to meet demand.

Abbie Martin, owner of Adelaide-based Lifestyle Elements and vice-president of the International Concierge and Errand Assocation in Australia and New Zeland (ICEA), said the industry was growing rapidly.

Ms Martin started her personal concierge business this year and says many of her clients are executive businesswomen with young children.

"They are absolutely flat out and need that extra time," Martin says. "They've chosen to allocate money towards this so they can spend more time with their families and have more time for themselves as well."

Ms Martin said people were realising that outsourcing errands and time-consuming tasks is not a luxury but a necessity.

"The more a personal concierge understands a client's needs and wants, the better service they will provide and the more time they can save them," Martin says.

The idea for her business was born when she worked as a nanny during her university years.

Lifestyle managers can tack just about any task asked of them,f rom doing the grocery shopping or organising a party to walking the dog.

The standard hourly rate is about $35 but blocks of time can be booked at a discount. A five-hour block, for example, costs about $135.

Time is usally booked in 15-minute increments. The costs of special projects such as organising a wedding can be worked out ahead of time.

ICEA president Catharina Vaag says 77 percent of lifestyle managers run their business from home, which makes it a good business to run for a parent who wants time with their children as well as an income.