Nick Aubie is looking for a profitable start to the new year with his brand new company, Errands and More.
Aubie is available to do, well, lots of things. Starting out, he plans to take on daily jobs like delivering groceries, picking up prescriptions or checking on homes for absent owners.
But his goals for his new company are larger than that; he sees the full range as being more like a freelance personal assistant.
“It will be an evolving business. I did a lot of research about the errand service business and it is one of the fastest growing small businesses,” said Aubie. “I see a gap out there and I do know people just make do, or they depend on friends and neighbours. A lot of times they don’t really want to, this gives them a choice.”
Beyond pickups and deliveries, Aubie is offering services like business to business referrals.
“When someone is going to be making a major purchase of some sort, I will be like a point person for them,” he said, using hiring a contractor for home repairs as an example. In that case, he said, he would take on the job of getting quotes from reputable companies, something many people are unfamiliar with.
“A lot of times people don’t know that to do or who to call. This will alleviate the buyer from getting involved emotionally,” he said. “I will get them the best possible price and insure they are getting quality as well.”
Aubie said he will be drawing on his skills in the marketplace built up from 16 years experience as a realtor and in specialty sales. He expects his primary market to be seniors.
“There are a lot of seniors that can’t always get out, there are seniors that don’t drive any longer,” he said. “Anything they don’t want or don’t have the ability to do, I can help them to do that.
“As time goes on, if there are other services they want to use through me, I will also offer those services.”
While he admits he will be competing with established delivery services for some of his clientele, Aubie said the range of his services puts Errands and More in a different category.
“Even though it’s called Errands and More, errands is going to stick out, but the more is going to take effect too,” he said. “I am offering a service that goes beyond. I’ll still do the basic errands, because that will be the heart of the business and lead to other things.”
Aubie isn’t putting any limits on what services he might offer in the future; he will do anything within reason as he sees what services are most needed and how his company develops, possibly even offering companionship services to take seniors shopping or just get out of the house.
“I think at the outset it will just be a matter of making contact with people and seeing what they need,” he said.
Aubie can be contacted through his web site, errandsandmore.ca or by phone at 250-809‑3400.
