There’s a reason there aren’t many original New Year’s resolutions.
The perennial favorites always return in January. Get healthy. Cook more meals at home. Eat out less. Hit the gym. Organize the house.
Why do they keep coming back? Because people don’t ask for help, said LifeSquire director of operations Katie Gibbons.
“Outsourcing your resolutions is a great way to do it,” she said. “Maybe they need someone to come out and do that initial organization. Or maybe they organized a room, but it’ll go back the way it was in two months unless someone has their hands on it.”
Oklahoma City-based LifeSquire, 1630 N. Blackwelder Ave., is a service built on the idea of being the helping hand clients need.
Valerie Riley founded the company in 2009 as The Riley Group.
In 2015, she began franchising the concept of an on-demand personal assistant service.
“We basically do everything,” Gibbons said. “The best description is if you think of what you do on Saturdays, like laundry, grocery shopping or car maintenance; we can take care of that during the week and give you back your Saturday.”
Rippling rewards
Most LifeSquire clients keep the company on a monthly retainer for five-20 hours a week, Gibbons said.
“We do everything from childcare and transportation to administrative roles in offices,” she said. “A big resolution people are asking for help with right now is meal prep.”
In a quest to eat healthier, clients are asking LifeSquires to chop vegetables, start cooking meals before they can arrive home and prepare lunches for the family during the week, Gibbons said.
“It lets you spend more time doing things that make you happy,” she said. “Our clients are just people who are busy and overwhelmed and need some help.”
Relieving stress and giving people more time has a ripple effect on their lives, Gibbons said.
About six months into using the service, the extra time starts to translate in other positive ways.
“We’ve seen some clients who have time to go to the gym in the morning with their spouses or they have time to go to their son’s soccer games after school,” she said. “Sometimes those things don’t feel like a huge resolution to achieve, but they add to their quality of life.”
LifeSquire in Oklahoma City currently has 15 employees, but through franchising, the service has expanded to Edmond, Tulsa and the Gulf Coast of Florida.
Visit lifesquire.com.
Print headline: Squire inspired, LifeSquire founder Valerie Riley’s big tip for achieving New Year’s goals is to ask for help.
