Buzzing Around in See Me Section of Savvy.mn 02/2011
By Sara Glassman
Do you hear that buzzing? Is it the sound of your impossible to-do list of grocery shopping, laundry drop-off and a long-overdue oil change?
Quiet the craziness with help from Mary Pokluda of Bumblebee Personal Assistants, bumblebeepa.com.
She and her team are your on-call, errand running team.
With a gift for hosting and household management, “queen bee” Mary will take care of whatever you have on your agenda. Organize a dinner party? Check. Wait for the cable guy? Check. Send out Valentine’s? Check. “We can run errands, go grocery shopping, offer administrative assistance and helo organize a home office,” Mary said. “Whatever capacity you need that extra hand or assistance, we’re there to help.” She’s well aware of the unique challenges facing women. “It’s very difficult to get it all done because your spouse, children household and pets pull you in 20 different directions” she said.
If Mary can’t do something (say it involves plumbing or electrical issues), she can point you to someone who can. Prices start at $30 an hour with a 3-hour minimum.
Here are some of her expert tips for being more efficient:
• Create a household calendar: Take a calendar and plug in everyone’s schedules. Plug in dates they have off, parent/teacher conferences, trips, haircuts, dentist appointments, grocery shopping. When you get chaos in order, then you’re able to function better
• Establish an errand center: This is where you keep library books, clothing in the dry cleaning bag, foldable reuseable bags and anything else that needs to be accessible. Try using a mud room or another area that’s on the way to the garage.
• Plan your daily trips: Sometimes you do the furthest first, but sometimes it makes more sense to do closer. Think about how you’re going to process the errands.
• Be efficient about groceries: Make sure you have a list for grocery shopping. There’s an app for iPhone and Droid where you can connect your list with your husband. So, if you go to the store together or separately, you can cross things off both lists and be more efficient. It also organizes your list for you by departments so you pick up all of your dairy in one swoop. Mary will sometimes sync up to her clients’ lists so she can grab items for them as well. If you stick to your list, you won’t end up with items you don’t need.
• Live for lists: Always keep a list with you, whether it’s on your cell phone or a piece of paper. If you’re getting low on dog food, put it on the list and pick it up when you’re out and about instead of waiting for the last minute. Be proactive with your to-dos.
• Use notes: Find a way to give yourself reminders. The free internet download Evernotes (www.evernote.com) posts little Post-it like reminders on all of your platforms (computer, cell phone and iPad) so that you can always keep ttrack of what you have to do.
Get more of Mary Pokluda’s efficiency tips on Savvy.mn
Revisiting Bumblebee in the "Open for Business" section of the St Paul Pioneer Press 09/12/2010
Business: Bumblebee Personal Assistants
Contact Information: (612) 532 - 6152
Website: www.bumblebeepa.com
Location: Twin Cities Metro
Owner: Mary Pokluda
Originally featured in Open for Business on: July 13, 2008
What does your business do? We help people who don’t have time to take care of everyday tasks. We give you your free time back. Make a list and consider it done. Our goal is to make your life easier by dong the simple things for you — from grocery shopping to event planning, anywhere in the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs.
How’s business? Amazing! I am in the process of hiring my third and fourth employees and am looking into franchising throughout the United States.
What have been the biggest changes? Finding the specific markets we service on a weekly basis. When you offer so many services, narrowing it down can be tough, but since doing that, business has exploded.
Do you have any advice for others launching a business? Do it right from the start. Naming and branding are huge — and the biggest expense. I honestly feel that if I hadn’t worked with Pollywog Inc., who created my name and logo with me, I would not have as strong a presence in the Twin Cities or the ability to franchise.
Bumblebee was featured in the “Open for Business” section of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on 07/13/2008
Business Name: Bumblebee Personal Assistants
Owner: Mary Pokluda
Type of Business: Personal assistant
Number of Employees: 3
Location: White Bear Lake
Contact Information: (612) 532 - 6152
Website: www.bumblebeepa.com
Tell us what your business does. Bumblebee Personal Assistants helps busy people with their to-do lists, everything from personal to professional tasks. Other than cleaning and childcare, Bumblebee will do it all. If the kids have practice, there’s dry cleaning to pick up, the dog needs to be walked, you have to buy a gift, the library books and movies are due, you want to send flowers to a friend and you have to prepare for a dinner party, our personal assistants can help. For those who have home offices or businesses, we can assist with organization, do computer work, handle mailing services or give people a chance for a day off.
Why are you launching it now? I enjoy doing things for people so they have just a little bit more time to enjoy life.
Where did you get the idea for your business? This is something I’ve just always done. Why not turn it into a business?
How did you develop your business plan? With the world at my fingertips (the Internet), I had access to scores of resources that helped me build a solid plan.
How are you financing your business? No financing as of yet. But growth is something I’d like to see happen in the near future, so financing will become a reality, too.
How do you see current economic conditions affecting your business? More than ever, people need to do whatever it takes to make ends meet. This usually means taking on a second or third job or working more hours, which means less time for life. That’s where we come in.
What makes your business unique? Our services have a broad range: organizing, running errands, assisting people with special needs, data entry, etc. Also, we can provide recommendations for services we don’t provide.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome to get this business going? Convincing my parents that I wasn’t off my rocker.
How did you overcome this obstacle? I did it anyway and call them with every success story.
What will tell you the business is successful? When you can pick up the phone in every major city and reach a Bumblebee personal assistant.