Q and A with our Managing Director, Katie Moss of Otium Concierge
Meet our Managing Director, Katie Moss. Katie is the founder of Otium Concierge, and she has given us an insight into what it’s like to build a Lifestyle Concierge business, a little about her and her ambitions, and more importantly, how to grow through a pandemic.
Q1. Firstly, a common question we know you get asked – what really is Lifestyle Concierge and what does a Lifestyle Concierge do?
This is certainly a common question, Lifestyle Concierge isn’t a term or service widely known or used in the UK, so we, therefore, find we need to educate our audience before someone decides this is something they need.
Lifestyle Concierge is a personal service designed to help you balance your schedule in your personal, family, and professional life; meaning a service that supports you in all areas of your lifestyle, which will give you the time back to spend on the things you enjoy.
Whether this is help with the time-absorbing ‘life admin’ or whether you want tickets to see the Six Nations, we have it covered. An excellent Lifestyle Concierge service takes your problems away and gives the feeling of ‘off your desk and onto ours.’
The services a Lifestyle Concierge assist with are not limited, if it is legal, we will help. The most popular types of requests we receive are;
Travel Bookings
Booking Tradespeople
Tickets and Hospitality
Personal Shopping
Events
Utility Research and Comparisons
However, a more detailed list can be found here.
Q2. What made you start a business in Lifestyle Concierge?
Most of my career has been in Banking. I started with Barclays Bank PLC at the age of 17 and worked my way up from a Client Servicing Executive for Small Business to Larger Corporate then into a Relationship Support Manager Role within the Cardiff Corporate Team, leaving when I was 25.
At the age of 24, I lost my father in a motorbike accident and for many reasons this gave me a kick to push myself further. I was headhunted by Duncan Lawrie Private Bank, who had an office in Bristol and they offered me a role as a Private Banker … here is where the concept of Otium Concierge was born.
I worked with football managers, current and past, a Dame, actors, entrepreneurs, families who had inherited monies and so much more… but all my clients had one thing in common – lack of time. They were all juggling their families, social lives, businesses, profession, administration and wealth and regardless of whether they had a PA or not they needed more assistance.
I love organisation, I love my clients and their incredible stories – I find it all so motivating and inspiring to listen to the challenges and highlights of their careers and lives. I understand their complex requirements from a financial perspective, but I get so much joy when I know we have made their lives so much easier.
So, when Duncan Lawrie Private Bank was closed by their owners Camellia PLC in 2017, I decided there was no better time than now to take a risk and go for it. Many of my clients at Duncan Lawrie Private Bank were delighted by my decision and came onboard straight away and I have continued (with the help of my incredible team) to build something very special with big plans.
Q3. You mentioned your father passing, tell us a bit more about your family and your life?
Well for 31 years old I’ve already had a colourful life… I have married and divorced, as you mentioned I have experienced tragedy and heartbreak by losing my absolute hero and at 18 me and my best friend went travelling to Malaysia and Australia – travelling across most of Australia in a campervan watching sunrise from a different beach every few days (an amazing experience).
Now, I live in Sunny South Wales with my partner and our beautiful son, William who is two and full of fun and character, as well as our 3-year-old mischievous maltipoo Teddy
I love nights out and have always been a social butterfly. I love tasty food and wine, hitting the dancefloor, and of course, I am HUGE fan of the Welsh Rugby Team – I absolutely LOVE the rugby. I have an amazing group of friends who I idolise and a loving, crazy family.
Q4. What are your ambitions?
I have many and I am always thinking ahead, but my main ambitions are;
To take Otium Concierge globally and have offices around the World.
To have a big family where I have the flexibility to take my children to and from school every day.
To continue to double turnover YOY.
To create 40/60 Work and Lifestyle Balance.
To have a large holiday home abroad in Barcelona, Dubai or somewhere special when I travel more as soon as restrictions lift.
Q5. What is the most bizarre Lifestyle Concierge request you have received?
This is a tough question, as we really have had some interesting requests, but I think it’s got to be the request for a wheelchair for a dog. Our client’s beautiful dog unfortunately could not use his two back legs, and his owner wanted a new wheelchair for him... and for that wheelchair to have specific Rolls Royce wheels and in the Otium way – we delivered.
Q6. When COVID-19 hit the UK, how did Otium Concierge continue to stay open and retain clients?
There is no doubt that the last 18 months have been challenging. With so much of our work focused around enhancing our clients’ lifestyle and quite often social lives, we have had to focus on how we continue to build through a pandemic and into 2022.
We have successfully grown due to pivoting, instead of focusing and promoting our services that felt had no real indication to when they would resume. We were unable to book requests for our clients such hospitality, events, travel, holidays restaurants etc. So, we decided to focus on an area of our business that was in high-demand – Business Concierge. Our Business Concierge service has gone from strength to strength and has evolved into a solid proposition.
Q7. What do the next 5 years look like for OC?
The next 5 years for Otium totally excite me, I plan for the following each year;
4-8 new team members
300% increase on Corporate Contracts
500% increase on On-Demand clients
400% increase on Private Concierge
300% increase on Business Concierge
The launch of an Otium Concierge App
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