Friends & Family / VIP Assistants
Your Assistant – Your Choice
Ray loves Mary, Sarah loves Paul, Ralph loves his dog, and Carol loves Taylor.
The world is colorful, and everyone should be free to live the life they choose. To me, that’s one of the greatest achievements of Western democracies: freedom.
The freedom to be yourself, to love whom you love, and to make your own choices.
And why should choosing your personal assistant be any different?
I believe everyone should be free to choose an assistant who feels right for them — someone whose personality, character, and charm make their everyday life a little brighter.
Not Everyone Is Family
One of the wonderful things about bootstrapping is that I don’t have investors breathing down my neck, drooling at the sight of a hundred-dollar bill.
Not every decision has to be driven by profit. Sometimes, I can simply do something because I like it.
When I’m looking for VIP Assistant candidates, their advertising potential isn’t my main concern. What matters much more is whether I like the person and whether we’d enjoy working on a little creative project together.
Before anyone becomes a VIP Assistant, I want to meet them personally. Have a conversation, share ideas, laugh a little, and find out whether we actually like each other.
We don’t have to agree on everything. That would be terribly boring. But our personalities and fundamental values should fit together.
Because Friends & Family isn’t about collecting famous faces. It’s about people I genuinely want to work with.
More Than a Pretty Face
A VIP Assistant is a little work of art we create together — designing the character, finding the right look, and carefully choosing the words for all those little phrases the assistant says. Something that reflects the personality, creativity, and humor of the person behind it.
It’s also an opportunity for an artist or celebrity to give their fans something truly special. Something more personal than an autograph or a photograph. A little piece of their world that becomes part of their fans’ everyday lives, making them feel a little closer to someone they admire — and perhaps a little special themselves.
And we’ll have the pleasure of knowing that we’ve brought a little joy into the everyday lives of the people who choose the VIP Assistant we’ve created together.
Neither of us is going to get rich from it. But we might have some fun creating something we’re both a little proud of. A few lovely little scribbles that our descendants might stumble upon one day while clearing out our homes after we’re gone.
A Little Exclusivity
The value of a Hermès handbag isn’t measured by how many lipsticks fit inside, but by how fabulous it makes you look.
I see VIP Assistants in much the same way. They’re not commodities. They’re little works of art, created with care and personality, designed to dress up their owners’ computers with a touch of individuality and charm.
A little affordable luxury for everyday life, available in small numbers.
Let’s Create Something Together
I have a rather ambitious dream: that one day, becoming a Maria & James VIP Assistant will be on someone’s bucket list.
I’m not looking for celebrities to advertise Maria & James. I’m looking for creative people who would enjoy becoming part of it.
The idea is simple: we create a personal assistant together, inspired by the artist’s personality, humor, and creative ideas. I’ll take care of the software and technical side. The artist brings their personality and imagination.
Together, we’ll create a limited edition for their fans.
And when it comes to business, I believe in partnerships on equal footing. We’ll share the proceeds from every VIP Assistant sale 50/50. After all, we’re creating something together, so why shouldn’t we share the rewards?
A Software Developer Meets Show Business
Now, if you ask me whether I have a plan for finding these wonderful people, I’m reminded of a scene from Home Alone, where the cashier asks Kevin if he’s shopping all by himself.
Kevin replies, “I’m eight years old. You think I’d be here alone?”
Well, I’m a software developer. Do you seriously think I have the slightest idea how to approach celebrities?
But I suppose I’ll figure it out. Somehow.
If you’re an artist, musician, actor, or simply someone with a personality worth sharing, and this sounds like something you’d enjoy creating together, I’d love to hear from you. You might even save a slightly clueless software developer from having to figure out how celebrity management works.
Of course, I can’t promise that every meeting will lead to a VIP Assistant. Sometimes the chemistry simply won’t be there. But perhaps we’ll have an interesting conversation, exchange a few ideas, or even make a new friend.
After all, that’s what Friends & Family is supposed to be about.