For Jennifer Collins, there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done, which is why the mother of
an infant needs a bit of help crossing items off her to-do list.
   “Taking care of a baby doesn’t leave a lot of time for dusting,” jokes Collins, who has used a variety of professional services including a yard maintenance crew, a cleaning service and home grocery delivery. “It is definitely worth the money
to hire people to help out, because the payback is in time.”
   A bevy of professional service businesses aimed at clients who are willing to pay for time and convenience are cropping up around the city. Taking on tasks ranging from housework and food preparation to running errands and home organization, companies such as White Hat Catering and Restoring Order, a personal organizer, are seeing their client lists grow and profits soar.
   “Service businesses are doing very well, especially personal services like personal shoppers and personal chefs,” says
Kent Smith, co-chairman of the Portland chapter of the
Service Corps of Retired Executives, or SCORE, a nonprofit organization that offers business counseling to entrepreneurs. “There is a certain element of the population who can afford it and are taking advantage of the convenience.”
   Convenience is the key for Collins, who says that hiring professionals not only saves her time, it makes her life run smoothly.
   “Hiring someone to take care of the things that I don’t have time for on a day-to-day basis is a lifesaver,” she says. “It
gives me a lot of extra time to spend with my family.”
   Business has been busy from the beginning for Laura
Flintoff, who used her culinary training to start a personal chef service in 1994.
   “In the beginning, most of my clients were friends and friends of friends,” says Flintoff, who owns White Hat Catering. “It just grew from there.”
   Today Flintoff is preparing a variety of fresh and frozen entrees for clients, whose orders range from single suppers to meals that will last for several weeks.
   “Our regular customers range from people who work Monday through Friday, to stay-at-home moms with small children, to singles who don’t like to cook,” Flintoff says. “A lot of families use the personal chef service as a backup; they bring their kids home from soccer practice at 8 and know
there is something quick and healthy in the freezer.”
   Lasagna, meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, and chile relleno casserole are a few of the 13 frozen entrees that her customers can choose from, along with a selection of fresh side dishes. Clients in the Portland area can have their orders delivered or pick them up at Flintoff’s kitchen in Sellwood.
   “People are paying for convenience,” says Flintoff, noting that the cost includes shopping, preparation and delivery.
“Our lives are moving faster and faster; people just don’t have the time to prepare good food, but everybody has to eat.”
   Even those who enjoy cooking at home can benefit from services designed to simplify mealtime by taking advantage of online grocery shopping and home delivery services. Albertson’s and Safeway offer home delivery service in the Northwest through the Web sites www.albertsons.com and www.safeway.com.
   The home delivery service “has grown exponentially,” says Danielle Killpack, public affairs director for Albertson’s Northwest Division. “Everything we carry in the store can be purchased online; customers can spend as much or as little
time shopping online as they want to without having to walk
 the aisles at the store.”
   For a small charge, shoppers can have their groceries — from a single item to an entire week’s worth of food — delivered to their front door. “People have busy lives and
don’t have time to spend shopping,” Killpack says. “This is
one way we can make our customers’ lives easier.”
   A lack of time is not the only challenge that businesses are addressing: Professional organizers tackle clutter to improve clients’ quality of life.
   “Organizing gives people the freedom to invest (their time)
in the things that really matter,” says Vicki Norris, the
president of Restoring Order. “A mom who is organized will
be able to pay her bills on time and make it to her child’s soccer game.”
   While most clients recognize the connection between clutter and chaos and a diminished quality of life, Norris says, “A lot of people are overwhelmed by organizing; they don’t have a system or a protocol for how to approach it.”
   She works with clients over a series of appointments to determine their needs and priorities and develop a system for approaching the task at hand, whether it’s a single closet or
an entire house. About 60 percent of Norris’ business comes from residential clients, who pay $85 per hour for
professional organizing services.
   “Some people consider (organizing) a luxury service,” says Norris, who hosts a regular segment on KATU (2)’s “AM Northwest.” “I consider it an essential service; people are investing in professional organizers because they want to take control of their lives.”
   For corporate clients, getting organized is a matter of professional survival,” she says. “The professional perception of someone who meets deadlines and tracks paperwork is much different than a person who is losing papers and missing deadlines.”
   Both corporate and residential clients have the same key issues: “Paper management and time management are, bar none, the biggest challenges my clients are facing,” Norris
says. “Everyone has too much paper and not enough time.”
   At SCORE, counselors frequently work with entrepreneurs who are launching professional services businesses, and Smith thinks the popularity is due in large part to low startup costs and minimal licensing requirements.
   “Most of these businesses can be started with a very
minimal investment,” he says.


© 2004 THE PORTLAND TRIBUNE