Today we’d like to introduce you to Wendy Lang.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Wendy. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
While in college, I worked as a personal assistant to high profile clients in Los Angeles. Once graduated, I moved to Orange County, CA and transitioned into marketing for a communications company. The OC is where I met my husband, Eric. Shortly after we were married, I became a stay-at-home mom to raise our three awesome kids while he pursued his career and an advanced degree. As the kids grew older, schools became a priority. We made the choice to relocate our family to Texas to be closer to the Midwest and east coast were Eric flew almost weekly and for better schools. My husband and I came to visit first and spent a week touring schools and exploring many cities in the Dallas area. We knew right away we wanted to call Southlake, home. We flew back to California, immediately put our house on the market and told the kids we were moving to Texas.
Once in Texas, I put the house in order, focused on getting the kids settled and becoming better acquainted with our new hometown. I also spent my time volunteering and meeting new friends, but discovered that the kids were gone most of the day and I had a lot of time on my hands. I decided that I was ready to pursue work again.
Throughout 2018, I had been asked several times to help plan and set up parties for friends that worked. Those interactions enabled friends to share my information with others and I began receiving requests for party planning and other tasks. Many of those requests came from women that worked full-time and needed help, and not just with party planning. Ultimately, all of these interactions lead to a business idea focused on helping working parents, busy professionals and small business owners.
Of course, I started by talking about the idea with my husband, prayed about it (a bunch), chatted with friends, and interviewed several local businesswomen within the community to find out if there was truly a need for the types of services I wanted to offer. I thought carefully about how to structure and market my business, and took a big leap of faith, and opened Southlake Concierge.
Has it been a smooth road?
For the most part, yes. Once I established the business side of things, I was ready to start taking clients. But, just because I did my due diligence, that didn’t mean I’d have a full calendar of clients the day I opened. I’d say the hard part of starting was the self-inflicted pressure. Like any entrepreneur, I felt the heaviness of doing it all alone; networking, creating social media campaigns on different platforms, researching companies to partner with, keeping up with the books and a plan to grow and expand, and so on.
Along the way, I’ve received some really great advice from other local businesswomen, so when I was feeling discouraged, having their encouragement truly helped me stay focused and motivated. Connecting with other businesswomen in our community has not only been inspiring but empowering. I contribute much of my success to those relationships.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Southlake Concierge – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
Balancing work and a personal life is challenging. I really wanted to focus on providing relief to busy families and working parents, to help them take back their personal time.
So, what does mean? I like to encourage a prospective client to delegate anything that someone else can do for them, the things that are getting in their way of their personal life, or growing their business. My clients hand over their to-do lists, their day-to-day errands, have me refresh their pantries/fridge before the weekend, pickups and deliveries, and ask me maintain their home by scheduling and waiting for repairman/technicians, tradesmen, etc. Clients find relief in having someone else manage the home maintenance schedules and making those appointments.
I also help bring my client’s party ideas to life. They’ll share their vision and I make it happen, from the caterer, decorations, transportation, custom cookies and drinks to ordering or sending the invitations. I’m not a party planner for large events and weddings, but I certainly can assist clients with cocktail parties, birthday parties and such.
I build a relationship with my clients, so as time goes on, the tasks I handle on their behalf grows. My clients feel comfortable and confident entrusting me with a wide range of matters. Honestly, that’s what makes my job so fun, every day and every client’s requests are different. One day, I might run errands, apply decorative decals to the wall in the baby’s room, give my opinion on storage solutions, shop and assemble a gift basket, and the next day I’m getting quotes for pool repair, doing some personal shopping, wrapping gifts and scheduling travel.
I try to set myself apart by the services I offer, the professionalism I provide to every client/task, and making each client feel comfortable. When you’re turning over: home, family, personal and confidential information, as well as, security matters, clients want someone they can trust. I also have an emphasis on privacy. Having worked with high profile clients, I know how important and valued it is.
I’m pleased in the way I structured my company. Hiring Southlake Concierge is cost-effective way to help those that lead busy lives. I keep my time affordable. For my subscription clients, their bundled time never expires, so they can use my services as needed. I think everyone deserves a life less hectic; and by utilizing my services, I’m able to help clients achieve that. I love the feedback I receive. The cutest was while helping a bride on her wedding day, she said I made her feel like a VIP, that still makes me smile.
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
We feel in love with Southlake because of the sense of community, it’s pretty magical. Southlake and the surrounding areas offer everything a big city does but maintains that small-town charm. And, when we’re looking for adventure, live-music and unique dining, Downtown Dallas is so accessible. The only thing that would make our city better, in my opinion, is if it were near the ocean. We do miss the Pacific Ocean and the cool salty breeze, but we’re totally embracing lake-life!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.southlakeconcierge.com
- Phone: 817-984-0605
- Email: wendy@southlakeconcierge.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/southlakeconcierge/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/southlakeconcierge
Image Credit:
Professional photos by Traci Schwomeyer, Metroplex Headshots
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