By Joanna Tovia
The Daily Telegraph 23/11//04

ODD jobs are big business for personal concierges, writes Joanna Tovia

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.

"The industry is booming, not only in Australia but worldwide," says Catharina Vaag, president of the International Concierge & Errand Association in Australia and New Zealand (ICEA).

Vaag also runs Sydney-based Busy Lifestyle Managers, a business she started last year to help people maintain the work-life balance they so desperately seek.

"It allows people to do what they want to do versus what they have to do," she says.

More than half of all Australians work more than 50 hours a week and 20 per cent work more than 70 hours so leisure time is in short supply.

"People are becoming more and more comfortable passing along their household chores," Vaag says.

Lifestyle managers can tackle just about any task asked of them – from 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 usually booked in 15-minute increments.

The costs of special projects such as organising a wedding can be worked out ahead of time.

Vaag says the most common tasks people request of lifestyle managers are errands such as picking up dry cleaning and buying groceries and gifts.

"We also get a lot of requests from people wanting help relocating – it's a huge job and it's very stressful."

Vaag says clients also employ her to track down unusual gifts such as rare bottles of wine or collector's items.

And personal chefs can be arranged for a one-off occasion or to prepare a home-cooked meal ready for a client's return from travelling.

It isn't just wealthy executives and celebrities who use personal concierges. Vaag says working mothers are increasingly using the service.

"They are saying they can't be superwoman anymore," she says.

Owner of Adelaide-based Lifestyle Elements and ICEA vice-president Abbie Martin says many of her clients are executive business women 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."

Martin says people are realising that outsourcing errands and time-consuming tasks is not a luxury but a necessity.

A major benefit in having a one-stop-shop for outsourcing chores is the relationship clients develop with their lifestyle managers.

"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.

Martin started her business at the beginning of this year but the idea was born when she worked as a nanny during her university years.

Martin's employer used her as a run-around person as well as a nanny and the seeds for an errand business were planted.

Now that Lifestyle Elements is up and running, Martin says her long-term plan is to franchise the business across Adelaide and possibly Australia.

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

But to start such a business you need the right personality.

Vaag says personal concierges must be able to make a client feel like they are the most important person in the world.

They must also have these attributes:

Strong organisational skills
Multi-tasking ability
People skills
Cultural awareness
Vaag recommends deciding what your niche will be before opening your doors.

"Will you cater for corporate clients or offer more broad-based services?"

Start-up costs are relatively low – $2500–$5000, according to a recent ICEA study.

For more information on how to become a lifestyle manager, visit www.busylifestyle.com.au or contact Catharina Vaag on 0403 77 17 37.