Self-employment
Parents get helping handYvonne Bradshaw stood outside in the cold for three hours to snatch a good spot at a recent Santa Claus Parade -- for someone else's family. SHARON ASCHAIEK -- Special to the Toronto Sun |
|
 [ 2007-12-05 ] |
To find out, take this test by eCareerFit, the career assessment experts.
Bradshaw is not nuts. Nor does she consider herself a saint, though she does enjoy helping out busy families. The parade gig is just part of what she does as head of My Kiddie Concierge.
"This mother had never taken her two kids to the parade, and had always wanted to, but didn't want to freeze her tootsies off to hold a spot, so she asked if I could do it," Bradshaw says.
That's not all the client asked for: Bradshaw also had to create a winter fantasy picnic the kids could enjoy during the parade, and make dinner reservations for them for afterwards.
It's just one of a growing number of requests Bradshaw has handled since starting her business two years ago. After being downsized from her HR job at Prudential Relocation Services, she took part in a small business program through the government, and became interested in self-employment. But it was her own experiences as a harried mom trying to keep her children entertained that helped her hit on the idea of a kid- and family-oriented concierge service.
"There is so much happening in our daily lives that, wherever possible, to keep our sanity, we have to outsource," she says. "My clients are dealing with so many things that take them away from family time, including aging parents, that they need the extra help."
The wide-ranging help Bradshaw provides to families across the GTA for $35 an hour includes researching and planning family activities, weekly grocery shopping, meal planning and preparation, shopping for birthday presents and organizing home spaces.
Among the jobs she has performed have been planning a northern-Ontario dog-sledding trip for a mom and her 12-year-old son, and finding a much-desired - and regular-priced – Nintendo Wii console for a father's Christmas gift to his son. The system was new and sold out everywhere, so Bradshaw had to tap friends and family across Canada.
"You have to be able to think on your feet, and even though you can't be an expert on everything, you have to know where to go to make something happen," she says.
One of her most popular services is Boredom Busters -- fun makers who come to your home during a family event and entertain the kids so the adults can relax. Bradshaw will interview parents ahead of time to learn the interests of the kids, and then on the day, her team will engage the youngsters in a variety of activities, including arts and crafts, games, puppet theatre, science experiments, storytelling and puzzles.
"One of my clients doesn't have a family, but when she has her two sisters and their kids over for dinner, she calls us," she says. "We set up an area where the kids are entertained, so that the parents can focus on being adults and the kids can focus on playing."
Bradshaw has had to do very little marketing -- her services resonate with so many time-starved parents that her business has mainly grown through word of mouth. Her website, www.mykiddieconcierge.ca, which she built herself, generates the rest of her business.
She's not thrilled about some aspects of managing the business, particularly accounting, but she greatly enjoys the flexibility of being an entrepreneur, which allows her to balance working and caring for her three-year-old daughter.
As the business grows, she's excited about its future direction: she's already had it incorporated, and her goal is to make My Kiddie Concierge the hottest Canadian franchise within five to 10 years.
Mainly, though, she's enjoying the challenge of using her own imagination and resourcefulness to help out busy parents.
Says Bradshaw: "I love dealing with clients' issues -- I have a great time doing it, and when they give me positive feedback, I get a huge feeling of accomplishment."
Would you ever work for a social or charitable enterprise in the third sector?