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Don’t you wish that, like Santa, you had a legion of elves to sweep in and take care of all those tedious little details?
Your wish may soon be granted. Katy Schermann, a Norwalk-based entrepreneur, aims to reduce stress and make life a little easier for busy families with her personal assistant service, Katy & Co., that does everything from scouring local shops for the perfect gift for your difficult-to-buy-for aunt to lining up contractors for last minute home repairs.
Schermann began her career as a nanny-turned-personal-assistant for a Rowayton family before working for executives at Bridgewater Associates in Westport and a Greenwich hedge fund. There, she saw first-hand the challenges they faced in balancing work and life while still having time for family and fun.
"The reality is that people everywhere are busy and they need a resource that they can rely upon and trust. The value of time is immeasurable and I help people to create a balance," Schermann said.
Katy & Co. launched in 2007, and has since been providing busy Fairfield County, Long Island, and New York City residents with peace of mind that those everyday tasks, big and small, will be taken care of professionally, quickly, and with utmost privacy.
Schermann says that being a personal assistant is her "passion" and the relationships that she has cultivated with her clients are paramount. "The relationship aspect is really important. It's the reason that I have so many long-term clients. Being a P.A. is very personal, you're trusted with a lot of information and you can't put a dollar amount on that. My clients know that they can hand me a project and feel confident that they can trust me to do an outstanding job - and that's immeasurable," she explains.
With a staff of 15 professionals across a number of specialties (personal assistant, bookkeeping, graphic design, professional chef, babysitting, handyman, housekeeping), she's ready to tackle endeavors large and small.
All her employees and contractors are insured, bonded, and undergo a thorough background check prior to being hired.
"People say it's easier to work for the CIA," Schermann says only half-joking. She takes her clients privacy very seriously; even having her staff sign non-disclosure forms to ensure the privacy of her clients.
And, if you think that this is only a service for the very wealthy or big-wig executives, you're wrong – Schermann said her typical client is, "the average working person who's just trying to keep their head above water." Just the thing when you’re swimming in a sea of holiday gifts.
To find out more, visit the company website at katyandco.com
Ann Quasarano is a Westport-based freelance writer and the author Fairfieldista.
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