Doing busy executives’ dirty work
Want to break up with your boyfriend? A concierge can do that for you
Amanda O’Reilly is at the beck and call of many top business people. As a personal concierge, there isn’t much she wouldn’t do for her clients.
Want out of a relationship? She’ll do the dirty work and break up with the boyfriend. Need help assembling Ikea furniture? She’ll hire someone to do it. This jill- of- all- trades is an event planner, private chef, wardrobe consultant, wedding coordinator, gardener and the list goes on.
“As long as the request is legal and ethical, we never say no to anything,” she says. “We take people out of a tailspin and let them breathe while managing their life’s details. Whatever they want, consider it done.”
The personal concierge business is estimated to be a $ 1 billion- a- year industry worldwide. O’Reilly’s Ottawa clients include CEOs, small- business people, doctors and single dads.
“There is no longer a clear line between home and business. Everyone is connected to their BlackBerry and iPhone and is expected to be within reach at all times. People aren’t present in society. We bring balance to their life and work behind the scenes. Even Santa has helpers.”
Six years ago, the plucky 39- year- old walked away from a six- figure income in the high- tech industry to begin Balance InStyle from her home with a mere $ 12,000 in revenue.
Today, she has 120 licensed vendors, more than 350 clients and revenues of more than $ 650,000.
“I have done it all. I started out cleaning toilets and today organize private jets for corporate clients and even write dating profiles for busy executives. I would never send someone into your home that didn’t meet my standards. ”
For her female clients, she’s often called to help out with laundry, yard work, groceries and preparing meals. “As women, we often feel that we have to do it all and if we don’t, we’re failures. ... We work for a number of women doctors who basically don’t have a life.”
In 2009, O’Reilly launched two other companies to complement her brand: Weddings InStyle and Events InStyle. Prices start at $ 300 for five hours and $ 2,500 for 50 hours of service.
O’Reilly and her companies have been garnering a lot of attention lately. One of her biggest coup’s was being hired by IBM to work on their Smarter Cities Challenge project, which will take place in Ottawa from Sept. 8 to 28.
She has to find the IBM team a home, have it outfitted for all their needs, which includes meals, expenses and transportation.
“Right now, I’m looking for a homeowner who has a seven- bedroom home or for a home that’s vacant ... I have to outfit the home right down to the linen and kitchen mixer. When it’s over, I pack up everything and IBM donates all of the stuff to charity.”
O’Reilly says the group will spend 10 days in meetings at City Hall and then retire to the home to write a proposal for the city.
“There’s going to be a lot of drama to find the right home. I expect this to be a 400- hour project.”