We had the good fortune of connecting with Lori Feist and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lori, every day, we about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
I came up with the idea of my business, Executive LifeStyle Concierge, LLC, after helping take care of my father, along side other family members, however, my brother and sister-in-law, were his primary live-in angels, going above and beyond to make sure he was living his best life. When they would travel, I would fly in from SoCal to NorCal to “take my turn” helping with the day-to-day living needs. Although my father was still very independent, he no longer drove, and secretly, I think he loved being “chauffeured” around and being doted on . I tried finding a service to assist us with intermittent day-to-day needs; ie: picking up prescriptions, post-office runs, doctor appointments, airport rides, or simply just sight-seeing and finding the best strawberry stand, as all of his remaining eight children were gainfully employed. I wasn’t able to find this type of service, but more importantly, someone we could trust and my Dad would feel comfortable being with.

In January, 2019, it was my turn to help cover a “traveling to Cabo” shift. Unfortunately we lost Dad, February 13, 2019. I was devastated to say the least and decided to heal through volunteering. Shortly after loosing him I began volunteering at the local food bank, in the front office, as a receptionist and in-take volunteer. It wasn’t long thereafter that Covid-19 hit and the food bank became inundated with people in need of life surviving amenities. There was a mandate that the elderly not leave their homes. The food bank created an incredible program to deliver food to our seniors who were not able to come and receive their food. It was through this that I adopted five families that I personally gathered food from the food bank and purchased little extras and delivered these “care packages” dropping them at the front door.

In 2020 I decided to move to Scottsdale Arizona and create a life here, I called it my “new beginning”. This is were this small town girl from North Dakota began the journey of helping those in need. I put pen-to-paper, in a notebook, called “2019” writing down my ideations of how I could help the every day person gain “peace of mind” in a world of chaos, and created a business plan. It took me a couple years to actually put the pen-and-paper notes into a licensed business. I quit my job, jumped in with both feet, and on October 1, 2021 it was official. I was now a business owner, scared out of her ever-living mind. I feel blessed beyond measure that Scottsdale Arizona has welcomed me with such warm and welcoming arms.

What should our readers know about your business?
Everyone is so busy these days, and more than that, they are stressed out. I am a middle child, so I am used to being ‘the helper” and always wanted to make things better. I am still that way today. Executive LifeStyle Concierge is a boutique concierge business that I founded after listening to the needs of people around me. It started off as a hobby of helping and then quickly turned into a business plan of personal assistant, private drives and errand services. Everything about my business is confidentiality based. I pride myself on respecting my clients, their privacy and their needs. I proudly service the Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills Arizona resident who has an active personal, business and/or social lifestyle – any individual wanting to regain control of their time and focus on and enjoy the more important things in life. Executive LifeStyle Concierge, LLC provides trustworthy, confidential, detail orientated professional services ensuring peace of mind.

What sets me apart from others? It truly is me being of the “old school” mentality of treat others as you would like to be treated. I was raised by two amazing parents who instilled in me the power of respect and kindness. Some people think kindness is a weakness, I think kindness is an intangible skill that can go a long way in developing a relationship with a client for a lifetime.

My biggest challenge right now, is finding help, other women, who are of the same mindset; integrity, honesty, dependable, reliable detail-oriented and professional, who I can trust to treat my clients with the same level of professionalism that I do.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Since I am newer to Scottsdale, this question is a little bit more difficult for me to answer, however, I can give you the places that I have visited and have had a “fabulous” time. I personally would eat, drink, visit and hang at Sanctuary if it was a small intimate group, Jade Bar, and for fine dinning, Elements. I think Grayhawk has an absolutely amazing view of the golf course with a fantastic patio to enjoy live music while sipping cocktails and conversation. Mountain Shadow Resort – Hearth 61 has a wonderful lounge area outside with firepits and a beautiful indoor lounge next to the bar. Omni, El Chorro, Canopy (Hilton) in Old Town Scottsdale is beautiful as well to watch the sunset. Hyatt Gainey Resort is absolutely fantastic and hits every fun, interesting and exciting prerequisite; one of 10 swimming pools (beach and swim up bar service), 20 fountains, 45 waterfalls, live music, several restaurants and impeccable resort staff.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be as successful as I am today, in only six months, without the support of Scottsdale Living! I owe my gratitude to John Doering. He shared my “The Errand Lady” post to his page, Scottsdale Living, and it truly has taken off from there. I owe a huge amount of gratitude to my girlfriends, and the members of my Facebook page, Scottsdale Business Babes, a page I created for other female business owners to have a safe platform where they could feel comfortable sharing their stories, their thoughts and opinions and promote themselves as female business owners in today’s day-and-age; trials, tribulations, successes, and accomplishments.

I am six months into this journey, and although it can be full of “character building” days, I have learned so much. I meet total strangers who will say to me, “Oh My God, I recognize you, you’re the girl that gets s**t done”. The first time someone said that to me I thought, “wow” this is the most amazing feeling on the planet, or like most of my female clients; they will always end it with, “Can I give you a hug – you made me feel so safe”. Last, and not least, my family, who thought I was absolutely crazy, but didn’t want to tell me, that my idea was completely inequitably ridiculous, but graciously smiled as I told them my ideation. I thank them each and every day for being my silent partners through their words of “you’ve got this”! I also give credit to total strangers, who heard of me, believed in me, hired me, and continue to be my reoccurring clients.

I also would like to thank Monica Hershaft for recommending me to Shoutout Arizona. She has given me the voice to share my story with you.

Website: www.executivelifestyleconcierge.com

Facebook: Executive LifeStyle Concierge, LLC and https://www.facebook.com/lori.feist.7

Office Phone: 602-515-1245

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