BY ANDREA ZALE DBJ Contributing Writer

Karen McKay opened her business Secretary By Design in February of this year out of her home in Greenwood. McKay says that “the objective of my business is to ease the pressure of office or personal overload by helping people with their projects.”
McKay is a pleasure to talk with and she is genuinely interested in helping people plan successful events and complete projects. The services that she provides are wide-ranging, and just because something isn’t listed on her extensive brochure doesn’t mean that she wouldn’t be willing to work with clients to help them complete whatever tasks might be necessary for the project at hand.
McKay performs an impressive array of services: she word processes, creates spreadsheets, compiles manuals and coordinates mass mailings. Her work is also creative: she designs brochures, graphs and meeting announcements.
Clients employ McKay for business as well as personal projects. When a business is planning a meeting, McKay can coordinate the R.S.V.P.s and develop other materials that are needed for such one-time occasions. “Often the regular staff doesn’t have time for these extra details,” she says, “and I work with people to help them meet special demands or urgent deadlines.” Impressively, McKay says that her turn-around time on projects is usually just one or two days.
One of McKay’s most recent projects was helping a bride’s mother with wedding announcements. McKay worked closely with the bride’s mother to pinpoint the exact calligraphy design that she wanted. McKay and her husband worked together on this project, addressing the invitations. McKay says that many people, especially if they already have full-time jobs or are otherwise very busy, need help with personal parties and events that really turn into full-time jobs for a brief time.
McKay is easy to reach by phone or her intuitive e-mail address, secretarybydesign@hotmail.com. She says that, “I’ve always wanted to own my own business.” She decided to establish herself now, and hopes that when she starts a family that this will allow her to continue working but still be able to take care of her obligations at home. DBJ