Recent Graduate Success Stories – Jeunesse Ali and Amy Inglefield of TimeSquared Featured in The Trinidad Guardian

By Michelle Loubon of The Trinidad Guardian
Published: 2 Jul 2009

Budding businesswomen Jeunesse Ali, left, and
Amy Inglefield share their expertise on image
consultancy and concierge services.
PHOTO: KARLA RAMOO

Tick! Tock! The clock on the wall is reminding you have to go shopping for groceries or rush to the nearest mall for an outfit for a special function. As the hours close in, you realise you haven’t finished preparing dinner. You’re so overwhelmed and you utter a silent prayer wishing there was a helping hand. Hope looms on the horizon. It comes in the form of 23-year-old young women Amy Inglefield and Jeunesse Ali. They have come to the rescue with a novel concept of offering that much-in-need, prayed-for helping hand.

In February, the duo started a business which twinned image consultancy and concierge services (TimeSquared Ltd). At the Guardian’s office on Monday, Inglefield and Ali spoke about the genesis of their business. They met when they were students at Maple Leaf International School in Petit Valley. Their friendship blossomed and today they are business partners. Inglefield said, “The concept is about helping busy people to have more time to themselves. I would always have to do errands for my parents. So I decided I would start my own business. I am more focused on the image consultancy.”

Ali, who has a diploma in event planning from Brown College, Toronto, Canada, chimed in, “You can get a number of services at a hotel. I don’t think we have anything quite like that available normally. I decided I would team up with Amy.” “The bottom line is we want people to have extra time to themselves. That’s why we called it TimeSquared,” added Inglefield. Although they are testing the waters, Ali said, “Although there is a downturn on, we are doing pretty good. Things are looking up, even though we are relatively new kids on the block.” Sounding like an ad, Inglefield said, “As long as there are things we can do, we’ll do it.” Along the way, they are developing marketing skills, building their client base and developing business acumen.

Inglefield on image consultancy
Inglefield’s face lit up when she outlined the most exciting thing which falls under her portfolio—shopping. Tugging at the butterflies on her necklace, she said, “I love to shop for myself. I love to go shopping for others. I loved helping my friends with what they should wear and shouldn’t wear. It is like my dream job. I am really enjoying it.” She also assists people with personal style evaluation which can range from traditional to romantic. “We look at body type, dress, colours, personal style. We might go through your wardrobe and put things together, so it’s easy to find clothes when you need it. Things you might need from day-to-day. We might tell you what not to wear, but we are not insulting in how we do it,” Inglefield said.

“We can go shopping for people and economise for them. You don’t need to have a tonne of money to look good. It’s about how you shop.” Inglefield goes shopping online for her customers and visits the malls and boutiques. She even flips through her trusty booklet, which is classified according to subjects to assist her and make her job easier. “I might pre-select something. So I just take the customer there. We try it on and go. They don’t have to go through the hassle of going through racks of clothing. Sometimes we might go shopping with a group of women. About four of them might gather at a friend’s house. They might have a tea party. Everybody is so excited and happy to go shopping.

Ali on concierge
When Ali makes the trek to the grocery to purchase staples, dairy products or meats for her clients, she is confident in the knowledge her client has more time to themselves. “The bottom line is we want them to have more time to do the things that they need to focus on. The things that are more important to their lives.” Ali is even willing to go the extra mile. “We might do a bit of banking services. We do a bit of corporate service. A little photocopying. We deliver packages.” Other services include baby sitting, reminder services, house management, acting as a liaison to vendors, event planning, computer research and travel arrangements.

At the same time, the young women are cognisant of the precarious state of affairs in the country. “We make sure what we are doing is legal and above board. We try to tie up things around 6 pm,” Ali said. But the overwhelming feeling is the customer satisfaction when they retire to their respective homes in the Diego Martin area. “We want our customers to feel satisfied and happy. We want them to focus on their lives and getting their things done,” Ali said. Quizzed on whether they consider themselves Good Samaritans, Inglefield said, “You could say we’re a bit like of that. We just love to help.” “Girls just wanna help,” Ali joked.

Read Amy Inglefield’s Rave Review on the Sterling Style Academy Fan Page on Facebook

Hey Sterling Style Academy!

I just wanted to give you all an update on our business (TimeSquared Ltd)!

We’ve been doing so well! We’re getting great reviews and have been very well received!
Thank you again for making this all possible (and making my personal dream a reality!) I’m doing what I love thanks to Sterling Style Academy!

I strongly suggest taking their courses as it’s the best and so much fun!  Hi to Michelle for me!

With love
Amy – May 18, 2009

A Message from the Sterling Style Academy

Jeunesse Ali and Amy Inglefield graduated from the Sterling Style Academy Miami in January 2009. They are great, young female entrepreneur role models who demonstrate that with skill, determination and perseverance even those who are young can succeed in a tough economy. We hope these youthful ladies can inspire others to pursue their goals and dreams as well. The duo had their first group session in May and are now featured in The Trinidad Guardian. Congratulations, Ladies! Michelle T. Sterling, Training Director of Sterling Style Academy, is proud to have trained these ladies and help them to successfully launch their career in the image consultancy industry.