Meet Lisa Wells of WMSE – Elite Concierge Services

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Wells.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have a long corporate background and I wanted to do something different for a couple of reasons, one of which was some health challenges I was having at the time that necessitated a more flexible schedule than I had in my corporate job. Secondly, as a single woman in Corporate America, I saw many people with overbooked schedules and the need for assistance to get their tasks done.

My business name, WMSE stands for Wells Mustard Seed Enterprises. The Bible mentions that with just a mustard seed (which is really tiny) of faith, nothing will be impossible for you. I had about a mustard seed of faith that I could start and successfully run my own business. I dipped my toes in the concierge world as a gift shopper, working with HR departments on their years of service awards, and with business owners who needed VIP client gifts.

The change in focus really happened because of the economy and my clients. In 2008, HR departments were spending less on their employees and business owners were working harder to keep the same business as they had in the past. I believe it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in, it’s about the relationships you form, and my clients saw me as a trusted resource. I remember one business owner in particular who said that she knew it wasn’t really what I did for business, but she trusted me, so would I watch her cat while she was out of town?

I had been doing ancillary services anyway, but I started to promote the additional services when I was networking and the response was great so my business morphed into a full array of concierge services. Everyone needs a second set of hands, right?

I quickly got too busy to handle all of the requests on my own and I began to bring contractors with different areas of expertise onto the team on an as-needed basis, and the business has continued to grow. I have a couple of employees who perform regular work on an ongoing basis, and I’m looking at adding more to the WMSE team.

We offer a broad spectrum of services -simple one-off tasks such as feeding the cat, organizing a home or office as well as ongoing tasks like doing bookkeeping, coordinating moves, helping with parties, providing on-site office assistance- the list is quite long and ever expanding!

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
I’m fond of saying that being an entrepreneur is NOT for the faint of heart!

Some important lessons I learned:
1) I realized how many things I had taken for granted at my corporate job, when it became apparent that “I” was the IT department and there would be no more picking up the phone to say “there’s a problem with my computer, so please come down to my office”. (Certainly, there are resources that I use, but it’s not as simple now).

2) Specialty liability insurance can be expensive and complicated (fortunately I have a great insurance broker).

3) It’s great to get the work done and meet/exceed customer expectations. It’s also important to remember to BILL for the job. I learned the hard way to take a deposit up front and to have a card on file for ongoing projects.

Overall, I feel like the struggles have made me more flexible and creative in the way that I approach challenges in all areas of life. The reward and satisfaction I get from knowing that I have helped someone get their tasks done and feel more peaceful because of our help is worth the challenges!

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the WMSE – Elite Concierge Services story. Tell us more about the business.
We provide business and personal services to business owners, busy individuals and seniors. The list of what we do is much longer than what we don’t do – and I think that is what sets us apart. We offer bookkeeping, organization, errands, gift shopping, and many other on-site and remote tasks that help people get relief from overwhelming.

Some projects are done completely virtually, but more often than not, the involvement of myself and my team is of a personal nature helping people in the vulnerable situation of organizing or bringing up to date months or years of bookkeeping or other such sensitive tasks. We stand in a place of trust and I value that highly.

I am most proud of the breadth of our services and the depth of our conviction to please the customer. Not every project turns out 100% perfectly, but my team and I are dedicated to making sure we do a great job, and ultimately leaving the customer satisfied.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have heard it said that luck is when preparation and opportunity meet (I’m not sure who originally said that).

Certainly, I have been blessed with opportunities (and I give the credit of blessings to God) and I have worked very hard to place myself in a position to succeed. It starts with showing up, networking, and being good at follow up, which is not luck. It takes discipline and intention.

My business has been 95% referrals which wouldn’t have happened if my team and I hadn’t done all we could to take good care of the clients we already have, so I don’t believe there’s luck in that. Again, it was very intentional.

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