A Pinch of Time Can Help Save the Day

A Pinch of Time Can Help Save the Day

By Leslie VanSant

Even if you’ve never had a personal assistant, you probably have an idea of what a good one can accomplish because of so many examples from the movies and television.

Miss Moneypenny from the James Bond films. Moneypenny is the personal assistant to M, the head of MI-6, has top secret clearance. She always has the details and connections Bond and M need to save the world at her fingertips.

Andy from The Devil Wears Prada fixes Miranda’s life at the office and at home. Whether it’s the latest Harry Potter manuscript for her children, or ensuring that she knows everyone at her gala, Andy has Miranda’s back.

Alfred the stalwart butler-jack-of-all-trades to Bruce Wayne’s Batman. From knowing the exact wine pairing to building the Batmobile, Alfred quietly and effortlessly saves the day.

If this type of service is something you seek, A Pinch of Time, based in South Riding, is definitely worth exploring.

The mother/daughter team of Deborah Lansdowne and Adrienne Torres started A Pinch of Time in 2015. Adrienne had an idea for a concierge and lifestyle management company that she shared with Deborah, who had recently retired as an executive with an IT company.

Deborah Lansdowne

The two understood the value of using a project management approach to manage household and family affairs. Fast-forward to 2022, and the company has grown successfully with offices serving clients in Washington, New York and Scottsdale. And, now they’re also available in the Middleburg area.

Once they started the company, they found a market, people who know and appreciate the value of time. Clients come mostly from referrals. Each client is paired with their own personal assistant who then helps them strategically to manage their households.

“We’re not task rabbits, we help our clients by project managing and providing personal attention,” Deborah said.

Their services vary from client to client to help their lives run smoothly. For some, it might be ensuring bills are paid, or managing contractors and service providers for the house, farm and family events. For others, it’s making sure that homes are managed while they are traveling, and that while traveling, they have what they need.

In some cases, it involves getting a summer home ready with groceries and housecleaning, while ensuring the winter home is closed.

“We make sure people have current passports quite a bit,” she explained. Clients need help making sure the details are covered so they can enjoy their time, whether that is working, traveling or relaxing with family.

For one of her more intriguing recent projects, “I had to help a client assess and then sell a collection of 19 th and 20 th century art,” Deborah said. “This meant working with appraisers to determine the value and then helping to find the correct sales and auctions…. As long as it is legal, moral and ethical, we can help you get it done.”

Deborah and Adrienne love what they do and are exploring opportunities to provide personal concierge service as a corporate benefit, helping companies attract and retain top talent. They also are hiring. They seek people with professional, corporate backgrounds and with strong project management skills. Assistants are given training and support, and able to work flexible schedules based on their and the client’s needs.

Details: apinchoftime.com.