"Have you ever tried to find a house cleaner in Shanghai when you can’t speak mandarin?"
"I believe that giving individuals time for the more meaningful, and important things in life is a goal worth having."
This is one of several humbling questions posed to me during a recent interview with Melanie Grenier, a Montreal native who last week threw the switch on her new website and business, Boston Lifestyle Concierge.
A self-described compulsive problem-solver, Grenier has spent more than 20 years traveling the world. Everywhere she went, everyday issues arose that would require more time and energy than she had to spare.
Too often she "experienced similar frustrations everywhere when looking for services like dog walkers, real estate agents, vacation rental agents, people to run last minute errands or to make a couple appointments during that 9-5 time when I was busy," she told me. Existing concierge services felt stuffy and awkward and disconnected, too much like a business transaction than someone who genuinely wanted to help streamline her day.
"I came to the conclusion that what I needed was a lifestyle service, or a concierge on call," she said. "I believe that giving individuals time for the more meaningful, and important things in life is a goal worth having."
Solving problems seems to be in Grenier's DNA.
Family and friends have long leaned on her to help sort out some of the crazier aspects of their lives. Now that Boston Lifestyle Concierge is a business, the requests are already rolling in. For example, Grenier has helped a group of six women coordinate a yearlong yoga getaway, including a breakdown of dates, ticket costs, accommodations and approximate flight costs for the different Wanderlust festivals across the country; she's mapped rental properties on the Cape for a family eyeing a vacation in 2016; and she's curated a list of breeders in Massachusetts and surrounding states for high quality French bulldogs with planned litter dates, availability and pricing.
Grenier and Boston Lifestyle Concierge can be as little or as big a part of your routine as you need. Pricing depends on the scope of each request, determined via a free consultation with each customer, but projects range from one-off ŕ la carte projects like Christmas shopping and finding the best local dog walker to monthly packages involving specific hours and tasks. The cost per hour for concierge services is $85, with a minimum charge of one hour.
"Nothing is too ordinary or extraordinary," said Grenier. "I always loved a challenge and if I can’t do it, I will make sure to get you options."
Grenier is a licensed real estate agent, meaning she can represent buyers and sellers in transactions, a major boon for someone doing what she's doing in the Boston market. Often, she said, customers coming through for a real estate service end up asking about related projects, like house sitting, contractor management or sourcing the best kindergartens in the area. From there, a long-term relationship is born.
"On the other hand," she said, "if you are looking to for a dog walker in your neighborhood, I may find you the best dog walker but I will not likely be walking your dog!"
Though she's a seasoned traveler, Grenier is happy to be in Boston – both for herself and her business.
"I came to Boston in 2012 and it really felt like home," she said. "After a stint in Asia, I decided to come back to the East Coast and put my bags down. Boston really feels like a small big town to me with a lot of cool stuff constantly happening. I like that innovation is a big deal in Boston, there is always a kind of excitement and hype for new ideas and projects."
So, money may not be able to buy happiness, but in the case of Boston Lifestyle Concierge, it can buy you time. And heading into the thick of holiday season seems like the perfect time to push it live.
"I have a feeling I will be getting numerous calls [this] week for last-minute holiday planning, emergency gift trips, and house/pet sitting!"
And that's music to this compulsive problem-solver's ears.
Image via Boston Lifestyle Concierge
