As busy Westporters know, one of the most valuable commodities we have is our time. Sometimes it feels like to stay afloat, we need to duplicate ourselves! Finding the right support to help you manage your home or business can be a game-changer. That's where The Calendar Group comes in. They’re a Westport-based household and corporate staffing firm and real estate service, spearheaded by dynamic husband-and-wife team Nathalie and Steven Laitmon. Specializing in providing top-tier household staff—ranging from housekeepers to executive assistants to private chefs—the company's name reflects its mission to free up your time (even if they can't add days to the month).
We sat down with the couple to find out more about how they got started and what they've learned.
Westport Lifestyle: The Calendar Group is a marriage of your talents. How did it originate?
Steven Laitmon: We were living in New York City. I was an entertainment attorney in the music business and Nathalie had been working as a human resources consultant. We had a friend who was a full-time gift buyer for a high-net-worth family in Beverly Hills. We started helping out with requests like: Do you know a personal shopper at Bergdorf? Can you plan a dinner party for his niece? My principal wants to buy a Picasso. As time progressed, we found Nathalie and I had complementary skill sets. Long story short, we realized there was a Ritz-Carlton client base being serviced with a Motel 6 mentality within the private service industry. The Calendar Group was born.
Nathalie Laitmon: The Calendar Group was our first baby, and we’ve since raised three amazing kids and five dogs together. Helping other families grow is truly our mission.
WL: What are your most frequent requests?
SL: On the staffing front, the most common request we get is “family assistant,” a hybrid role that is part housekeeper, part child-care, part assistant, part cook. We also place a lot of “C-level” executive personal assistants, as well as chefs, housekeepers, and nannies. When company executives are looking for an important role, they often come to us. We had a Goldman Sachs partner who we found a nanny for, and then were tasked with finding his chief of staff.
WL: What's the main hurdle people face when trying to find staffing?
SL: The biggest challenge is finding a person who meshes well with their family or business, not just from a skill set perspective, but someone who is a personality and cultural fit.
WL: What should readers think about when hiring staff to work in their homes?
NL: Your home is your sanctuary. Accountability and training are okay. Micromanaging or avoiding communication with your staff is not. We have found that a great fit between client and candidate can only evolve into a long-lasting relationship if boundaries, communications, and expectations are all established early on. That’s probably true of most relationships!
WL: In 2021, Steven joined Compass as a licensed real estate agent. How does this work with running a staffing agency?
SL: This past summer, I had the opportunity to work with the buyer of a historic Sasco Hill estate. Being involved with such an important purchase for a family is incredibly rewarding.
NL: When your clients are comfortable calling you in the middle of the night and discussing their most personal details, you realize the amount of discretion and compassion involved in being a trusted advisor is symbiotic with real estate.
WL: What do you both like to do for fun around town?
NL: Road trips along the coast, concerts, Compo Beach, walking our large, comical dogs around town, and popping into new shops. I write women’s contemporary fiction and am represented by literary agency The Book Group. Getting my novel published would be a dream, but I’ve learned to write for myself first. Westport is endlessly creative and filled with people who move and inspire me.
SL: Free time? Our kids span from 17 to 11, so there’s always someone around who needs their Daddy Uber or their Mommy time. Nathalie and I like to joke that we are their personal assistant and butler.
For more information on The Calendar Group’s services, visit thecalendargroup.com.
"Start with looking at how you are spending your time. It’s not sustainable to think you can fire on all cylinders and still have quality downtime," - Steven
"A great fit between client and candidate evolves into a lasting relationship if boundaries, communications, and expectations are established early on," - Nathalie