University Of Mn Duluth

Alter Ego Concierge: It's About Lifestyle Management

Alter Ego Concierge’s website says that the company helps people find staff “just like them – a second self that will be a perfect substitute when you can’t be there.”

But it’s so much more than that.

I admit, when I first learned about Chicago’s domestic staffing agency through an article about finding the perfect tutors, I was intrigued.

A staffing agency that clones its clients personalities? How niche is that?

Its young founder, Caitlin Hofherr, told me that in the Midwest, her agency really is unique.

“We provide full-service lifestyle management,” she said. “Any sort of lifestyle need that they [clients] have, we can fill it.”

Hofherr used to be head of The Right Staff Lifestyle Management LLC’s domestic staffing division . In New York, she said, as well as L.A., they take a more formalized approach to matching staff with clients.

In Chicago, though, where Hofherr grew up, she noticed they were lacking in the “thoroughly vetted domestic staff.” Many agencies don’t realize the importance of being on the books and running very formal background checks on someone who’s going to have such an intimate professional relationship with the client, she said.

“We needed something that’s based in the Midwest,” Hofherr explained.

So she moved home and started Alter Ego Concierge, to offer full-time, part-time or temporary staffing.

They provide:

“At least half of our business is permanent staffing,” she told me.

Going back to the alter ego, I asked her how often the clients and candidates are, in face, exact replicas of each other.

Ultimately, Hofherr said, the motto is, “Meet your alter ego,” and employers often either want a duplicate of themselves, or someone who complements their personality traits.

She said nannies by far are where the alter egos connect.

When it comes to hiring someone to watch your children, she said, “It’s literally almost a mirror image of themselves.”

Parents want someone to provide the same level of structure and discipline as themselves, to maintain that continuity when they’re away.

For example, if the parent has a master’s degree in childhood education, they’re even willing to reimburse the nanny for tuition to further their education in the field.

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