![]() At Work with Chore Chics
Libby Barsky THE JEWISH STATE March 19, 2010 Name: Chore Chics Type of business: A type of concierge service to do chores or to take your place to await deliveries or tradesmen when you're not available. Address: Central Jersey Telephone: (732) 921-2219 Number of employees: 2 Founded: 2008 Top Officers: Co-partners Mindy Steinman and Carol Henry. How would you describe your business? "We provide many services for people so they don't have to take off from work. Basically, anything that you don't have time for, I can do. I'm the one who will take care of your needs," said Mindy Steinman, co-partner of Chore Chics. "We're you when you can't be there. We will take your place. If you can't do something, you hire us and we will take your place. We'll take the car in for servicing. People are afraid to take off from work to stay home to wait for the cable guy or the plumber to fix a problem. If you can't take off for the day, I'm the one to wait. "If you go on vacation or are out of the country, we will watch and care for your house. We will also dog sit. A lot of our business is based around helping the elderly. We help them with their housework and do light housekeeping or cooking. We take them shopping for food or to the doctor. Often they don't want to wait for the bus, so we act as their chauffeur. Our services also include businesses and corporations where we have purchased gifts and delivered them." What makes your business special? "We're special because there is no one else here doing what we do. We fill every niche, ranging from the 25-year-old who doesn't have any spare time to the 86-year-old who needs someone to change their sheets every week or do their laundry. The people we work for are appreciative of the work we do. The children of the elderly will come up to me and thank me for being there because they don't have the time in their lives to take care of their parents the way they would like to." What goals do you have for the business? "We hope to expand the business and start hiring some people. That's our ultimate goal -- to bring more people on. We are working to achieve this as a fast as we can." How has the business changed? "Our business hasn't really changed. We basically do what the customer wants us to do. Each client is different and we will tweak the job description to fit each individual client. We won't say, 'we can't do that because it's not in our job description.' We will work to fit each individual client and do what needs to be done. After being in business for two years we are doing more but we are not limiting ourselves to specific areas. We do what the client needs us to do." What was your most important deal? "Starting the business was our most important deal. I had retired as a police officer from Rutgers University. My father-in-law was elderly. I was traveling up to Jersey City two or three times a week. We wanted to move him down from Jersey City to North Brunswick so he would be closer. I was taking bat mitzvah classes at Temple B'nai Shalom of East Brunswick and discussed this with Carol, who was also in the class. We moved my father-in-law down here. We packed him, hired the moving van -- we did everything -- cleaning out the apartment and then selling it. Then we started the company. He was our first client." What changes do you expect in your business in the next 10 years? "I expect we will be larger and in 10 years hope to sell the business and retire." What is the most important thing you've learned in your business? "I've learned to be flexible, especially to the client's needs." What advice would you give to someone considering your line of work? "Put your business cards out there. Keep working your contacts and eventually you will get clients." Is there anything else you would rather be doing? "No. This gives me the flexibility to take care of my family, which is my No. 1 priority, and also help my community and build a business."
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