Christina Kotseas is the founder of Kotseas Concierge and cofounder/advisor at Duckbill. With 15+ years in hospitality, Christina's journey began as a yacht stewardess, progressed to organizing events for the Boston Red Sox, and led to the establishment of her own company. Her wealth of experience now shapes exceptional experiences for our customers. Based in Boston's South End, you'll find Christina enjoying family life with her husband and two young boys.
As a personal concierge, what are your tips for someone who doesn’t have experience delegating?
1. Give yourself permission to delegate and remember that it’s meant to allow you more time to do the things you love with the people you love. It’s about remembering the “why”.
2. Assess upcoming needs and gain clarity on what it is you want done. Take an audit of your time and decide what you can offload and what you want to keep on your plate.
3. Accept that things might not be completed the exact way you want them to but in the end you will be far more productive than having it all on your own plate.
In general, how do you advise people to make the most of Duckbill?
For starters, get the app and put it on your phone's home screen. Start the habit! You’ll experience the magic and the value and it will organically become a part of your day to day. You won’t know how you ever survived without it.
Entering the holiday season, what are your best words of wisdom to stay on top of your to-do’s and minimize stress?
Take a deep breath. The more you can have fun with the holidays (isn’t that what it’s SUPPOSED to be?) the easier your tasks will feel. Getting ahead is key. Having a plan in place - i.e. what Duckbill will conquer for you - will allow you to get it out of your head and onto paper.
What are some tasks that people can “duck” during and/or leading up to the holiday season?
There are too many to list, but here is my number one. Send Duckbill your shopping list! I have a client who sends me who she’s shopping for, age, and interests and I give her 2-3 gift options per person and she gives the thumbs up or down to purchase.
What are the biggest surprises you’ve learned as a personal concierge?
It still surprises me how diverse the asks are and keeps me on my toes! In one day I can get a request for a private helicopter to NYC for lunch to setting up a surprise indoor glamping experience for a birthday celebration.
What would be in the Christina Kotseas Duckbill bundle of tasks?
Here are the top tasks I help my clients with over the holidays!
Take my contact list and craft our family holiday card.
Send me items I can design my holiday tablescape with.
Set up a chef or catering order for dinner drop off.
Help me complete my shopping list for family and friends.
Send some family friendly activities so we aren’t sitting on the couch over the holiday break!
What’s your favorite part about this work?
I love what I do because I see how much happier and healthier my clients are when we partner together. I help them spend more time with their loved ones in ways they never imagined before and they find more time for their passions and favorite hobbies. That’s why my clients and I feel like family. Delegating may seem intimidating at first, but the value you get out of it is life changing!
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