[AT WORK]
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Kevin M. Reiss >> It's 6 a.m. and I've just received my first call of the day. A woman in Kapalua is asking if I can purchase a gift for her husband and do her grocery shopping. Although she is retired, she dreads driving into town and to Kahului due to the traffic. After checking my e-mail I drive to Kapalua to pick up her "To Do" list. By 7:30, I'm on my way to Kahului. Personal shopper
Kevin Reiss says working hard
is easy when you're the bossAs an owner of a personal shopper and errand business I answer all incoming calls and check my e-mail for new orders that are placed through my Web site, www.mauispersonalshopper.com. I also spend five to eight hours a day completing errands for my customers. A typical day for me starts at 6 a.m. and will end at 10 p.m. if I'm lucky. Customers who have purchased a membership have full access to all of our services 24/7 with 30 or 60 minutes advance notice.
It's 8 a.m. and I have just arrived in Kahului. By 10 I have completed her grocery shopping and purchased a watch. At 10:30 a.m. I receive a call from a business in Lahaina requesting a mystery shopper for the following day. After a 30-minute discussion we decide the mystery shopper will arrive at 2 p.m.
At 11 A.M. I decide to get some lunch. As I'm going through the drive-thru window my cell phone rings. It's a hotel guest in Kaanapali requesting that someone pick up his medication at a west side pharmacy as soon as possible. No problem! Within 45 minutes the guest has his medication. As I'm leaving the hotel, the guest says, "mahalo for your quick response." It's comments like this that make everything worth while.
The next two hours are relatively quiet so I retreat to my office to check my e-mail and to watch the remainder of the Xavier-Hawaii basketball game. Since I last checked my e-mail I have received 50 messages. They range from errand requests to a college graduate in Surfers Paradise, Australia, asking questions on how to start her own errand business. I get at least two e-mails a day from people who want to start a business similar to mine.
From 2 to 4 p.m. I catch up on some paperwork, type out a press release and pay my bills. The next five hours are spent finalizing travel plans for two CEOs who will be visiting Maui in the next two weeks. By 9 p.m. all hotel, car, restaurant and activity confirmations have been e-mailed. Over the next hour I devour a pizza that was delivered.
When your an entrepreneur, working 15-hour days is fun, not work. It doesn't get any better than this!
At Work is a weekly feature that shows and tells what people do for a living in their own words. Send comments and submissions to: business@starbulletin.com