Lauren Hajjar of Andover started her business, Errands and Events by Lauren, in 2002 when she found herself uninspired by her fledgling teaching career. She had always wanted to start her own business, and a stint at her mother’s real estate business sparked an idea for a new venture.
“One of the things I enjoyed doing was errands for her,” Hajjar says. “I thought I could make a business of doing things for other people.”
Her first chance to get her business off the ground came at a fundraising event that included a silent auction, where she won a one-page ad in a magazine. “I said, ‘This is it. This will help me get on the map,’” she says. Sure enough, soon after, when she set up a booth at the North Shore Night Out event, a woman approached her with the ad in her hand and became her first client.
The client, a high-powered executive pressed for time, soon had Hajjar doing errands like grocery shopping, pet care, and arranging outings with grandchildren. More clients soon followed. And her mother’s entrepreneurial spirit continues to inspires Hajjar.
As her business developed, Hajjar branched out in various new directions. She shifted from a focus on errands to incorporate event planning, home organization, and even office work. Taking on more and more of people’s affairs is a natural progression as clients come to trust her and her work.
“When I start doing errands for people, I build a rapport with [them]; they start to trust me,” says Hajjar. “So doing someone’s errands can then lead to doing a 60th birthday party or even work in their home office.”
She particularly enjoys organizing people’s vacation homes. A client with a house in New Hampshire has Hajjar drive up ahead of planned visits to make preparations like stocking the fridge and putting linens on the beds.
Going such long distances for clients is no problem for this hard-working business owner. “I’m willing to travel pretty much anywhere,” says Hajjar. “I really enjoy the peacefulness I have in the car.” And the help she can offer by going the extra mile—whether literally or in an effort to lighten a client’s load—is what motivates her.
“I think what I really enjoy most is that I get to help people,” she says. “If I can make their day or their event a little bit easier, then that makes me happy.” errandsandeventsbylauren.com