Tick Tock Opportunity Knocks
When Janet first came to Business Link over eight years ago, I immediately knew I was in the presence of a genuine entrepreneur. It was a combination of her inquisitive nature, optimistic attitude, desire to help people, strong work ethic, and drive to do something new that encapsulated the spirit of what it truly takes to be a successful small business owner.
Fast forward to today, and I still see Janet beaming with confidence, pride, and enthusiasm every time I see her. Janet is the owner of Time Squared—a professional concierge and errand service business based out of Edmonton. The idea for her business came after she had been running a gift basket business for a number of years, but was looking for ways to expand to a service-based business that wouldn’t be quite as seasonal. That’s when she heard about the concept of a concierge service in Calgary and thought that might be something she could do here!
Many factors helped contribute to Janet’s assertion that she could run a concierge service—including having been a school teacher, raising teenagers, being a highly organized person with excellent time management skills, and a love for working with people.
Janet inherently recognized the value of time and that many people simply didn’t have enough of it. Those people often sacrificed essential aspects of their life—like spending time with their family and friends or taking care of their health and well-being.
“I really wanted to help busy professionals get the balance back in their life,” she says.
Clients, Contacts & Connections
Business Link helped Janet with her business. She accessed many of our services including market research, help designing a survey to determine market demand, connections to networking organizations and events, and addressing licensing requirements. She still uses the same graphic designer that she met at one of our networking events back when she first connected with us! Also, Janet joined a local BNI Chapter, which has been a huge win for her as she gets referrals from a great cross-section of local professionals.
Janet works extremely hard to build close relationships with her clients and draws upon her diverse life experiences to relate to them. One of Janet’s most striking skillsets is her ability to communicate in a calm and orderly manner, helping anyone with anxiety feel more relaxed.
The venture has taken a lot of time to develop, but Janet knew this would be the case because her business is entirely trust-based. It’s also imperative that she portrays a high-degree of professionalism. A lot of her business is referral-based, so credibility is huge and many of her clients are repeats.
“It’s exciting to see when people can rediscover balance in their life and are able to delegate tasks to someone else.”
Janet recalls a time when one of her clients was particularly overwhelmed. She instructed her to take a few days to write everything out. When she finished the “to-do” list and handed it over to Janet, she was immediately overcome with tears of joy. “She felt like this huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.” And Janet was there to provide assurance, a sense of calm, and help to get things done. It’s moments like this that Janet finds the most rewarding.
Services to Save You Time
Time Squared’s services include everything from personal shopping, meal prep, and home organization to corporate gifts, relocation services, event planning, and contractor coordination. Janet is also now certified as a home staging and redesign professional and has plans to take some property management courses in the future. With the Christmas and holiday season approaching, you can imagine that there are tons of gifts that need to be purchased, wrapped, and delivered for both individuals and businesses. People are often surprised to learn that Janet makes her living by doing other people’s shopping.
Over the years, Janet has done work for everyone—including professional athletes, politicians, and media personalities. Other unique things that Janet has done include planning golf getaways, behind-the-scenes dinner party preparation, and transportation/support services for clients with disabilities.
Love What You Do
Although Janet is the very image of serenity, she is always working hard behind the scenes to make things happen. “I kind of see myself like a duck elegantly gliding along the water, but what you can’t see are the feet fervently paddling underneath.”
One powerful quote that has a lot of meaning for Janet is: “Do what you love in the service of people who love what you do” by Steve Farber.
That’s her life. She does what she loves, and people ABSOLUTELY love her for it.
“It’s a ton of work to eat, sleep, and breathe your business, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Get in touch with Janet today!
