A Helping Hand: Interview with Valerie Riley of LifeSquire
Sometimes it just feels like there’s not enough time in the day. With work, errands, and everyday tasks, we could all use an extra hand (or two) these days. Now, there’s a reasonable solution to the overflowing to-do lists that often consume our minds.
LifeSquire is the relief for busy and overwhelmed people, offering part-time or full-time help through curated assistant processes. Think your own personal assistant without the hassle of scheduling and managing along the way.
Here, we chat with LifeSquire owner, Valerie Riley about services offered, how to know it’s time to hire an assistant, and the advantages of using LifeSquire.
What are some common myths or assumptions people make about having an assistant?
People feel guilty for needing help. They think having an assistant is only for the elite. The reality is that we are all busy, and we are only getting busier. A wise use of your time and resources is to outsource the things that no longer serve you. LifeSquire is a practical solution to the elusive idea of “having it all.”
Are LifeSquire assistants your employees or contractors?
They are all our employees, so they are covered by our insurance and workers comp. This also means we manage them; you just get the benefit of help without the headache of managing another person.
How are you handling concerns about COVID? What precautions are you taking?
As a company, we have our staff meetings via Zoom, so we limit exposure amongst assistants and clients. Further, all assistants are required to wear masks and practice social distancing when running errands. If anyone shows any signs of being sick, they are required to take a COVID test and quarantine as necessary. Luckily for our clients, because we are a team, we always have a backup assistant available!
What are some of the most common ways people use LifeSquire?
This is always such a hard question to answer because everyone’s to-do list looks a bit different. We help with laundry, animal and childcare, administrative tasks for our business owner clients, car maintenance, meeting service providers and a slew of other things that get stuck on your list.
How do you know when it’s time to hire an assistant?
We have a little hack to figure this out. Try to think of what your hourly rate is if you charged that way. Then look at a typical week of to-do’s that you either are procrastinating doing or don’t have time to get to, and add up how much time that would take you. Then decide how much more money or time you could be creating for yourself by not doing that list. You get to be a brilliant business owner, a wonderful parent, an attentive child – you don’t have to worry about your laundry anymore.
Why would someone use a service verses hiring their own employee?
The biggest reason is that we manage your assistant. You are allowed the freedom of just creating a to-do list and being relieved when it’s done. You never have to worry about being without help – you’ll always have a backup assistant. Lastly, we developed proprietary technology that allows all of your communication to be done through our app. You will see when your assistant clocks in and out, what tasks they’ve completed, and what’s on the list for the next day. Also, all of our assistants have access to a LifeSquire company credit card, so you never have to worry about exchanging money of any kind with your assistant.
What is your favorite thing someone has said about the service?
Recently a client told us that we are the first service she used that focused on making her feel special, without attaching any guilt to that feeling. We care deeply for our clients and that was music to our ears!