Greetings!    

I just hired a concierge of my own! YAY! Someone to help ME. She's fantastic too, by the way, but the way we hired her was a bit unorthodox.  

I've talked before about how entrepreneurial businesses are becoming the backbone of the middle class, even more so than they ever have, except for maybe the wild west where every small town and village was full of entrepreneurs - the livery, the grocer, the doc, the barber - all independently owned and operated.  

When you're an entrepreneur, especially when first starting out, you generally have a small cash position and thus have to be extremely conscious of your budgetary constraints and keeping your overhead to a minimum. You have to carefully pick and choose where to put your advertising and marketing dollars, how much non-billable expense you can incur, and how/when to budget for large capital purchases like new printers or computers.

At some point in an entrepreneurs' growth, you reach the realization you can't do it all yourself, especially not if you want to be out there going to events, marketing and networking, and dredging up new opportunities.  

When it suddenly dawned on me one day that we've been so busy I hadn't handed out a single business card in at least six months, I realized we'd reached that point.

So I looked at our available non-billable time and decided I was willing to spend about 8 hours per week on a concierge for myself.  

Anyone looking for paying work is not going to settle for only 8 hours per week. At least not someone of the caliber we were looking to hire. So, what did we do? We called one of our service providers whose own business is growing at about the same pace as ours and one we knew was just about ready for some office help.

We shared our candidate's resume and they set up an interview. Immediately they loved her and together we hired someone to help in our respective offices. We coordinate schedules through her and together we give her enough hours to satisfy her needs.

Is it unconventional to actively find a second (or third) job for a candidate so you create a whole position for them? Maybe... but you know - it's time all businesses started to think 'out of the box'.  

We wanted this person in our company. She is smart, quick to learn, Type A and detail oriented. I barely have to explain what I want her to do and already she is doing it. I wasn't about to let a little thing like insufficient work hours deter me from having such a valuable employee.

The time has come for more businesses - the big conglomerates especially - to start thinking out of the box too. Have you tried to advertise in this town? So many publications are crying for revenue and many are on the verge of dissolution because they can't get enough advertisers. It's not surprising when a decent ad costs thousands of dollars and/or the publication wants you to make a long term commitment.

These publications are missing a whole huge demographic. If they would reduce their rates or offer a special rate to companies with ten employees or less, they would be rolling in advertising dollars. Seriously. And this is true for any number of other businesses.

For example: Want more accounting work? Companies with ten or less employees only need a few hours per month of support, but often can't afford $100 or more per hour. Why not offer something less costly and get 10 or 15 small companies? You'll make the same money, have the flexibility to schedule them in the gaps of your big clients and you'll be helping a lot of businesses grow.

Or might you need legal support? We understand why an attorney charges $300 per hour, but that's totally out of the realm of reason for a small business owner. Yes, there are plenty of 'do it yourself' legal companies but most of them require a monthly commitment, once again, adding to your overhead. Why couldn't an attorney dedicate a portion of his paralegal's month to small business owners, and, just like the accountant, fill in the gaps of his big clients with smaller ones?

These are just a few examples and truly, the one that has the biggest impact for small business owners is advertising. A billboard is anywhere from $1000 to $2500 per month or more depending on location. A front or back page magazine ad can be as much as $4000 for just one printing. For the entrepreneur, any ad copy bigger than a business card is generally too costly.

In order for advertising to be effective, you need repetition; but multiply the costs and for many entrepreneurs, it's just not feasible.  How are we supposed to build our companies long term without some form of advertising? My only point here is to think creatively people!  

Need to hire someone part-time? Can you share them with another company who has the same values and needs as you? Want a billboard? Maybe you can put more than one company on the vinyl or split the time to share the cost.  

Need legal expertise? Consider writing up the bulk of whatever it is you're trying to get reviewed and negotiate for a paralegal to do the work instead of the actual attorney (he/she is going to review the paralegal's work anyway).

There are a lot of dollars available to spend; they just come in small (entrepreneurial) bundles. Can you imagine how much healthier the economy could be if the whole entrepreneur demographic was properly leveraged?  

Just like a village, there are many components to building a company and when it comes to the non-billable support 'villagers', it would be ever so helpful if, instead of responding with 'nope, that's just not possible', they would instead think 'how can we get this done?' and offer a creative solution.....

Our Favorite Things... Clementine Gourmet Marketplace & Cafe' 

Right down the street is our own little village - El Paseo Village - and we've just discovered a little slice of heaven  at the cross section of Monterey and El Paseo - Clementine's Gourmet Marketplace and Café.

 

Inside this gorgeous location are delicious breakfasts, unique lunches and specialty gifts.   It's a café, patisserie, deli and carry out location. There are imported foods, gorgeous retail items and a whole range of beer and wine.

  

The atmosphere is relaxed, the food is great and when you first walk in the door your eyes are immediately drawn to an amazing display case brimming with the most delectable pastries around. Should you be feeling creative, there's a pasta bar so you can design your own special dish.

  

We love the 'one of a kind' diner, drive in or dive. Technically, Clementine's is much classier than any of those descriptors, but it is different than many of our other little bistro-type locations. Perhaps the reason we especially love it are all the Mediterranean influences. We are definitely partial to that part of the world.

  

Please take a moment and visit Clementine's website and you'll see what we mean www.clementineshop.com or for more info 760.834.8814 or info@clementineshop.com

 

Clementine's Gourmet Marketplace and Café.... one of Our Favorite Places!

 

["Our Favorite Things" gives us an opportunity to share people, places, events and things that we truly love and that you might too.  We have no business affiliation with any company or individual featured here.  We just want to share good things with you and if our recommendations help build business for someone else or saves you time or money, GREAT!!!]

Recently, the community of Rancho Las Palmas adopted a new rule (paraphrased) that requires all vendors who perform work at any unit that may impact areas maintained by the Association to carry the appropriate license and liability insurance for their particular trade.

One of our clients in this community forwarded the Association's Board Approved Rule Change and asked if we are in compliance and if our vendors also comply.

The answer is a resounding YES. Not only are we properly licensed and insured for Concierge services, but we also carry a General B Contractor's license - required by the State of California for anyone quoting projects valued at $500 or more.  

Furthermore, every service provider (vendor) in our network carries a minimum of $1M in liability insurance and names us additionally insured.  

When we told our client this info, his response was "that makes Executive Errands® even more valuable than we originally thought".

Your community may or may not yet have a similar rule, but more and more Associations are proposing and/or adopting these types of rules especially in light of the rash of burglaries and compromised projects so many homeowners have faced in the last few years.  

Homeowners assume unnecessary risk if/when they opt for the lowest priced bidder instead of insisting on the proper insurance for any given job. That's not to say that the low bidder never has insurance, but it's a pretty safe bet. Properly insured people have to charge more.

Furthermore, if an uninsured service provider is injured at your home, he can sue YOU. And of course there are tons of horror stories where homeowners have made down payments on uninsured work only for the service provider to take the money and run without doing some or any of the jobs in question.

In the end, there is great value in engaging a company who has your interest at heart; one who will properly vet the vendors, make sure they are properly insured, and assist with project oversight. Executive Errands® is just that company. We do everything in our power to mitigate liability for you at every turn.  

When you need quality, insured services, give us a call. Our service provider network is available to all people, whether they are actually a client or not. Referrals are free.

Or, if you need work done when you're not here, Executive Errands® can take care of that for you, arranging for quote of the services, providing a bid, facilitating the work and processing payment. All for you with little to no fuss or worry.

Executive Errands® - with one simple call, we'll arrange anything you need. www.executive-errands.com 760.898.9604

In any village, it is the elderly that offer the most wisdom and are often the most revered. When it's time to provide medical assistance or simplify living arrangements it is critical that each elderly or infirm person is treated so as to maintain their dignity and to respect their life experiences.

Here at Executive Errands® we do not provide convalescent care or medical support services of any kind, but we do have a service provider who does.

If you or someone you know is in need of temporary post op or a long term care giver, we would be happy to provide a referral.  Our in-home caregiver service provider offers a complimentary assessment, bills insurance companies and works with custodial and trust accounts.

Like all our service providers, they are properly licensed, insured and bonded.  They offer state-of-the art technology that allows all family members the transparency and remote capabilities to monitor their loved ones' care.

Each of their caregivers are carefully selected and trained to provide assistance with bathing, dressing, medication reminders, incontinence issues and companionship.

Should you have a family member that is ready to downsize and move into a simpler or assisted living environment, we can refer you to a home location specialist who focuses on elder care.

Once new living accommodations and care-giving is arranged, Executive Errands® can assist the family with the downsizing effort - help with packing, donations to charity, haul away of trash, readying the property for sale or new occupation, maintenance issues and the like.  

Executive Errands® is a true lifestyle manager, whether you're just starting out, are a busy professional or have reached the twilight of your years.   

For more information or to request a referral, please contact us at 760.898.9604 or www.executive-errands.com