HELP IS AT HAND!

You don’t have to be Richard Branson or Alan Sugar to wish for more hours in the day. For the friend who has everything, how about a lifestyle management package for Christmas?

We all wish for more time to do the things we love, rather than the things we don’t. Until now, life management services have only been accessible to the rich and famous, but help@hand is an innovative service set up to be a practical and affordable lifestyle management service. For an annual payment members have unlimited access to the Help@Hand team.  There is no limit to the complexity of the job, how long it takes, or the number of requests you make in a year – the £99 membership covers everything.

Founder, Jane Lowther, wanted to change her life after a near fatal car accident...

“It was a ‘Sliding Doors’ experience for me. My legs were damaged beyond belief. I was told that I would probably never walk again. I spent three months in a wheelchair. I didn’t marry the man who I was engaged to, or take the place at University that I had been offered. The experience turned my life inside out. It made me realise what I really wanted to do “

Where did you get the inspiration for Time & Knowledge and Help@Hand?

"I worked for Barclays for 7 years, managing one of their call centres. During my time there I became increasingly disillusioned. I was tired of office politics, and frustrated with the managers. So, I decided to leave and start afresh at a lifestyle management company, ten(uk).

There, I was responsible for setting up a new department called ten(24). This was a more affordable option geared towards everyday people, rather than the usual so-called ‘VIP’ service. It was a huge success, but I found myself surrounded by the pretentious environment usually associated with luxury lifestyle management providers.

I had a vision of a high volume, lower cost lifestyle management service, free of pretentiousness…so I created Time & Knowledge."

Who uses Help@Hand?

Different people use it for different things:

• Under 25 - Tracking down the new 'hot' gadget or getting names on to guest lists for clubs, or sourcing tickets for sold-out events.   
• 25 - 35 - This is the period in most peoples' lives when they encounter the most change. They are establishing themselves in their chosen career. Travel is still important and many try adventure/long haul travel. Status is important. We help plan trips and events, and do product research.
• 35 - 45 - This is really the key group for our service. Although, at this point people tend to have a larger income, they also have more responsibility and less free time.
  This group tends to appreciate the actual service we provide. We can help them sort out their 'to do' list and give them more free time to do the things they enjoy doing.
• 45 - 55 - This group tends to be more settled. The emphasis is on making their home environment more comfortable with home improvements. There tends to be a bigger budget to be spent on cars and holidays. This group is harder to please, as they have more fixed ideas regarding budget and requirements.
• 55 plus - Trust and value for money are the key points for this age group. The home service tends to be most used for minor improvements and emergency jobs. The selling point is the trustworthiness of our suppliers. We can put the customer in touch with a vetted supplier.

What does an annual subscription to Help@Hand provide?

• Unlimited access to our Lifestyle Management service
• Car Breakdown service including home, rescue and recovery
• Domestic emergency service with all call out charges paid
• Free legal helpline
• Annual check of utility bills 

What is the biggest advantage of having a lifestyle management service?

"Being able to off load your stress, having a helping hand in the background, support to help you get your “to do” list sorted out and give you more free time to do the things you enjoy doing."

How does Help@Hand differ from other similar services?

"We are the Marks & Spencer to their Harvey Nicks! We are pioneers in lifestyle management, and we want to change people’s perception of lifestyle management by making it more accessible to everyone regardless of income and position. We can do posh - but we can also do ordinary, it is important to us that someone with a £200 budget gets the same level of service as someone with a £2000 budget."

Any particularly strange requests?

"T&K helped a client to organise a very romantic proposal of marriage! We suggested picking the lady up in her favourite car (A pink Rolls Royce), full of her favourite flowers. The pair went on to a spa where they took part in a mud & rainwater ritual! The question was popped in her favourite restaurant, at which point T&K were on standby, should she say yes, to call close friends to ask them to join the happy couple for a celebration at their the local pub!"

We've also

• Found homeless charities in France
• Organised pottery classes for a hen weekend – where drinking could also be involved!
• Found gun shot sounds that could be used to train a horse as preparation for taking part in military games
• Located a ‘Pupitre’. (Old machinery that was used for making champagne)
• Sourced eye surgeons for a dog
• Advised on where someone could have the puncture in their wheelbarrow repaired!
• Found DJ tapes from a club which closed down 10 years ago ...