Aanchal Kohli's day begins at 5:30 am. After meditation and breakfast, she sits at the table and makes a to-do list. On the day we spoke, her list included getting fresh amaranth flour delivered, organizing her walk-in closet, getting her clothes dry-cleaned, fixing the drawing room fan, finding a caterer to prepare sattvic food for an upcoming puja, and preparing a healthy party menu for a girls' house party.
None of these are personal tasks. These are requests from the five clients Kohli manages 24/7. “My main job is to remove minor stress so that my clients can focus on more important things like their work. I'm basically a PA (personal assistant), but I work behind the scenes,” says Kohli, 27, who works as a lifestyle manager at Gurugram-based lifestyle management company Pinch. The company was founded in 2021 with the philosophy of “bringing comfort and convenience to the daily household chores of families.”
“For example, amaranth flour. This client is on a strict diet and can only eat fresh flour (as recommended by a nutritionist), so I have to make sure that fresh organic flour is delivered to her house every two to three days. Another client wants to color coordinate her wardrobe so that she doesn't have to wake up thinking, 'what am I going to wear?' Next, I have to organize her bag closet. In a way, I'm making decisions for them based on who they are and what they want.”
There's been a slow but steady rise in platforms that help the wealthy make decisions for themselves, from the mundane to the bizarre. These are essentially concierge services packaged as lifestyle companies, with the promise that you just have to say what you want and it will happen.
Want a private jet to take you to Sting's concert at Wembley Stadium in the UK in a VVIP box? Need someone to unpack your suitcases after your holiday? Planning to gift your partner a Himalayan Birkin that's no longer made? Need a nanny for your twins? Want the Pope's blessing before you get married? Flying to New York and want Indian masala delivered to your apartment before you arrive? Can't decide what to watch on Netflix? These platforms can do it all for you. “As long as you don't ask them to do something illegal,” laughs Nitin Mohan Srivastava, co-founder of Pinch. Pinch has a client base of over 100 high net worth individuals (HNIs) across the National Capital Region (NCR) and Mumbai. Monthly fees start at Rs 30,000 (shared lifestyle manager) and go up to Rs 100,000 (fully dedicated lifestyle manager), and customers are charged separately for external services like buying bags and hiring a mechanic.
“Despite our efforts, there have been cases where we were unable to deliver. Recently, we had a customer ask for a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, which were discontinued in 2012. We ended up sending someone to the Essilor Luxottica (manufacturer) factory in Europe to see if we had them in stock. They didn't. This is the more premium side, but we also focus on the day-to-day things – the idea is to take away the immense pressure of making decisions every day.”
It's all about service
Srivastava's belief stems from the phenomenon of “decision fatigue,” which is said to be crippling the productivity of today's workers, masses and elites alike. Studies show that the average person has made over 35,000 decisions by the time they go to bed, including what to eat, what to wear, what to watch/read, where to buy groceries, and more. All of this can cause anxiety and low energy levels. Moreover, people, especially the wealthy, don't want to waste their time queuing or surfing the web in search of the cheapest business class ticket.
“Even the rich want discounts,” says Manoj Adlakha, founder of Red Beryl Lifestyle Services, a year-old luxury lifestyle management company that helps the rich live the good life without lifting a finger. The company has partnered with five-star hotels, clubs, spas and restaurants across India to enable them to offer discounts to customers seeking dining, ticket bookings and hotel stay offers.
Adlakha, who was senior vice president and international marketing head at American Express for more than 30 years, wouldn't disclose the number of clients, but said the company has more than 20 lifestyle managers, each of whom looks after at least 10 clients in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.Red Beryl's Red Card, which offers more discounts and access to exclusive events, costs Rs 690,000 (inclusive of GST) for the first year and Rs 190,000 plus GST from each subsequent year.The Black Card costs Rs 240,000 plus GST for the first year and Rs 90,000 plus GST from each subsequent year.
Like Pinch, Red Beryl's clientele is high net worth individuals aged over 40. “I was surprised to see that the younger generation is demanding this kind of service. It's not a new concept. There have been such services in the West, but it's relatively new in India,” says Adlaka. “High net worth individuals have always had someone to cater to their needs, but what's different about having a lifestyle manager is that this person understands your preferences and caters to your requests accordingly. A lifestyle manager not only gives you what you want, but also a couple more options depending on your taste. Plus, it's accessible without you having to move a step. And great service. There's a different kind of appeal there.”
For example, one of RedBeryl's clients asked the lifestyle manager to secure a vintage car from the 1960s. “The deal was done within 72 hours. You know, having a luncheon in New York tomorrow with the most unusual wines is not a big deal for us. But cases like this (requesting a vintage car) pose a challenge for us,” Adlakha says. “And that's a good thing because it helps us get better and expand our network.”
That's the driving force behind lifestyle managers. “We get to know so many people and see a lifestyle that we'll probably never experience,” says Pinch's Aanchal Kohli. “It's not that they can't order their own groceries online; for them it's a matter of priorities. They'd rather spend that time in meetings and going over contracts. They want peace of mind. A lifestyle manager gives them that – managing their life 24/7, the way they want it, invisibly.”
