Ann Marie Shea
Errand runner
Ann Marie Shea is the owner of A&E Errand Services, based in Merrimack.
Explain your job.
I run an errand service for people who need an extra set of hands, either at home or within their business. We do a little bit of everything — grocery shopping, walking dogs for someone when they’re on vacation, going to the post office, Christmas shopping, [product] returns, taking cars for inspections and oil changes — anything that would be on someone’s to-do list that they don’t have time to do themselves.
How long have you had this job?
I’m coming up on almost exactly three years.
What led you to this career field and your current job?
It was more of a personal influence than a professional one that led me to this. … After a lot of years pouring myself into a 40-hour-a-week job — I was a teacher for a while, then worked for a big corporation — I just wasn’t satisfied with that rigid 9-to-5 schedule and with working for someone else. … While raising my daughter, I hated how running around in the car always sucked so much time out of the day. I must have thought to myself a thousand times, ‘I wish there was someone I could hire to do all this for me.’ I decided to give [starting an errand service] a try.
What kind of education or training did you need?
For seven-and-a-half years I worked for a corporation in customer service and in de-escalation … and that was the best preparation for this job. … That’s where I realized how tired people are of poor service. All people want is for you to listen to them, show up when you say you will, do what you promised to do and take the job seriously.
What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?
I do a lot of work where I get dirty or am running around, so usually I just wear some shorts and my A&E T-shirt or sweatshirt. If I’m working for a business and I have to go into an office or see their clients, I’ll step it up and wear business casual.
How has your job changed in the last year?
[Covid] was a unique situation for me. … Suddenly, what I did [for work] felt really opportunistic, and I didn’t feel comfortable advertising. … Everyone was being so neighborly toward each other and helping each other out, so I thought I’d just sit on the sidelines for a while. … I don’t think I made it even a week [without working]. … My [business] just took off. Families didn’t want to leave the house, so I was basically doing everything for them that had to be done outside the house. … That summer … was the busiest I’ve ever been. … [Business] has started going back to normal levels again, but I do have a lot of new clients.
What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?
I think that, in the beginning, I undervalued the services we were offering. … I didn’t think there would be a market for what we were doing. … I wish I had trusted my instincts a little more … because I’ve found no other businesses, locally, that do exactly what we do.
What do you wish other people knew about your job?
I think a lot of people underestimate how valuable their time is. I wish they knew how beneficial it would be for them to outsource some things and to pay someone to go do [their errands] so that they don’t have to give up that time and step away from their work or family for three hours.
What was the first job you ever had?
I bagged groceries at Shaws.
What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?
I have two: one is to under-promise and over-deliver, and the other one to try to be the best at what you decide to do or be, no matter what it is.
Five favorites
Favorite book: The Great Gatsby
Favorite movie: Fight Club
Favorite music: Classic rock
Favorite food: Chicken Parmesan
Favorite thing about NH: The ‘Live Free or Die’ mentality
Featured photo: Ann Marie Shea