Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy West.
Hi Mandy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I consider Nashville my second hometown! I’m from Bowling Green, KY and throughout my growing up years, I came to Nashville for performances at T-PAC, concerts, shopping and restaurant experiences with my family.
I moved to Nashville in the 90s to go to college and later began my career in the music industry. Across the span of my career, I worked in A&R, Publishing, Business Development and ultimately, in Artist Management.
Even during my career as an executive in the music industry, I found myself helping friends, and friends of friends get organized in their daily lives. It was during this time period that I discovered how much I enjoyed the (relatively quick) process of helping people to declutter and organize into systems that simplified their lives.
When the world slowed down due to the pandemic, it really allowed me to think about potential new pathways in my life. For some time I’d been ready for a career change and in 2021 I left the music business and began putting my career focus on the thing that had been a long-time side project for me, and most importantly, the thing that had always brought me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment… personal organization!
Once I began my organization business, almost immediately an expansion of service needs organically revealed themselves to me.
Things like, packing and unpacking for residential moves, errand service, along with various types of home-front related personal assistance quickly became service offerings- hence the name Mandy West, Home Concierge.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I would say the main struggle has been that this kind of service-oriented business can lend itself to long stretches of steady business, followed by low activity, here and there.
Certain times of year can be more challenging than others. For instance, the winter holiday season can be quieter since, typically most people aren’t focused on an organizing project, or a house move at that time of year.
Especially in this slower season, one of my business goals is to become the company that people think of and call for help with things that might be a bit outside of the box.
I want to be top of mind when people need assistance with things like pulling out the holiday décor and decorating the house, or party planning/set-up assistance, or holiday related errand service!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The services I offer speak to the part of my brain that likes to “check things off the list” and the part of me that loves a BIG, positive result from a short-term project.
Something that distinguishes Mandy West, Home Concierge from many businesses operating in the same space is the personal, one to one nature of my client relationships. As the owner and sole employee of this company, I am the name and I am the brand!
It’s very satisfying to work in a field that consistently sparks joy and appreciation from people. I’ve had more than a couple of clients tear up at the close of a project.
The work I do is personal and where I work, which is in someone’s home, is extremely personal.
I take pride in and honor the trust that my client’s grant to me when they invite me onto a project and into their lives.
My specialties are helping my clients to find peace and reclaim time through decluttering, downsizing, organization, packing and unpacking a move, and errand service.
That said, because I’m the exclusive decision maker, there isn’t any red tape when it comes to deciding what I will and will not offer as a service. I regularly have people ask, “do you help with…xyz?” and the answer is very often, “Sure!”
I had one busy client who was expecting friends for a stay in their guest house. She asked me to buy new bedding and stock the kitchen with snacks and drinks.
Another client had me unpack and style a wall of built-in books shelves.
I worked with an attorney who, after a move, had me unpack and put away her entire kitchen while she was at work.
Another client had me meet her movers to coordinate the loading of her home’s contents onto the truck because she had to leave town ahead of her moving day.
While I’m the person who will return Amazon packages or go the grocery for my clients, it’s important and fair to mention that my services do not include things like child-care, school pickup, or house cleaning . I have some preferred vendors that I can recommend for projects or tasks that do not fall under the umbrella of my services.
Though I find all of the services I offer very satisfying to complete, I have to say that packing and unpacking is (some might say, strangely) one of the most satisfying!
There is no way around the packing and unpacking of a house for a move. It’s physical and often solitary, and often the last thing that people want to do. When busy people are faced with packing and unpacking AND keeping up with regular daily life- job, family, pets and personal commitments, bringing me in to help has often been described as “the best part of my move” and “life-saving.”
Downsizing and decluttering ahead of a move is another area I really enjoy. I will work alongside my clients, independently, or a blend of both. I have tried and true systems that allow me to move through projects for my clients in the ways that best suit their schedules and the time they have.
I’m often downsizing with people, or the families of people, who are making a move to an independent or assisted living community.
Downsizing from a family home that someone has been in for decades, can be particularly emotional. It’s hard for the person who is moving and it’s hard for their loved ones as well. This piece of my business is close to my heart, having done this for my own mother and several of her friends.
When working on organization projects with clients, I am happy to either help them select and purchase storage solutions (baskets, bins, etc) from an extensive library of curated products that I have created, OR I am happy to use the products they already have on hand, as a way to keep spending down!
As far as my time with clients, I have a three-hour minimum and this allows me to work with people at most budget points. I’m happy to work with someone for the day or the afternoon, but if needed, for several weeks if I’m doing both sides of a residential move or an ongoing declutter/organization project.
I’m also happy to be a regularly scheduled part of someone’s life-flow, helping on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I am all about creating custom assistance that caters to the individual needs of individual people and their lifestyles- as opposed to offering a cookie cutter list of services.
What were you like growing up?
In other creative avenues of my life, I am a visual artist, an author, and a participator of improv & sketch comedy. I graduated from the improv program at Third Coast Comedy Club (a Nashville treasure).
I continue to take workshops and intensives with Third Coast and other outlets that offer classes in the areas of comedy, improv, and acting.
I love interior design and styling spaces. I love music and writing words and I love watching great (and bad) television and film.
As the second generation in my family to be voted “Funniest” in my senior class, I love to laugh. My mother is the first generation winner of that title, by the way.
My bestie is a Mini-Schnauzer rescue named, Arthur Pennyrile Lee West. He’s handsome and amazing…and he talks a lot.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.mandy-west.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandy-west-b8a0a2108
- Other: EMAIL: Mandy@Mandy-West.com, Call or text: 270-202-0378 (best and fastest way to reach me!)
