Kiran, the co-founder of Nooks and Crannies in Dubai.
Dubai - Kiran and Fatima established Nooks and Crannies to fill a market gap for quality house helps in Dubai
Published: Sat 7 May 2016, 12:00 AM
Last updated: Sun 8 May 2016, 7:58 PM
Sometimes inspiration strikes in the most ordinary places. It could be as mundane as in between doing household chores.
It certainly was so for Kiran and Fatima, co-founders of Nooks and Crannies, a housekeeping company in Dubai. The need for some zen sanity amid chaotic work weeks involving cooking, school runs, grocery shopping and doing other odd errands triggered the entrepreneurial spirit in the duo.
Families are main support system
Kiran and Fatima attribute the success of their business to their respective sets of parents.
Says Kiran: "My parents moved to Dubai in the very early 80s - they both worked hard, taught us the meaning of hard work, sacrificed their youth to give us the best education and taught us the importance of upholding moral values and always giving one's very best."
The entrepreneurs swear by the life motto: "Work hard, play hard."
Always one to count her blessings, Kiran credits the trait to her father: "He would always say that no matter what life hurls at you, one should always be thankful for what one has."
The entrepreneurs are also thankful to their mothers for the values instilled in them. "My mother lives in the same city and we call her for our most basic questions/needs. She is our source of light," adds Kiran.
And last, but not the least, the women are thankful to their husbands for believing and supporting them in the most trying times.
- deepthi@khaleejtimes.com |
Recalls Kiran: "I just had my firstborn and needed part-time house help in the afternoons. This merely meant playing with a five-month-old; despite this, we couldn't find any service in Dubai. Either the timings were not right, or the agency was fully booked, or we needed to drop off the staff member to their accommodation or we were being sent different girls in the span of a week. Apart from all this, we ended up with the kind of house help that we could only joke about."
The dearth of quality house helps made Kiran and her good friend Fatima brainstorm for an alternative to mechanical and cut-throat agencies.
That's how the idea of Nooks and Crannies came about. Funds were raised from personal resources.
"We started the business in the middle of 2015 and opened doors to the public in August 2015," says Fatima.
The company employs eight employees and sources staff from the Philippines, Nepal, India and Pakistan. They offer housekeeping services in all areas of Dubai, but primarily in Dubai Marina, the Meadows, Jumeirah and Arabian Ranches.
The staff are trained by a five-star hotel supervisor who goes into the details of professional bed making, spot cleaning, time management and personal attire.
Trust women to go the extra mile and add a personal touch.
"Fatima and I then go into even more detail with a chore list per room of how we would want our homes cleaned. It is all very practical and many weeks are dedicated to this style of cleaning before any worker is added on to the schedule ready for her new assignment," shares Kiran.
Another unique selling proposition of the business is that the staff uses only non-toxic materials for cleaning, such as lime, salt, soda, vinegar, etc, unless clients request otherwise.
"We make our own natural cleaning materials. We do not compromise on quality of cleaning and make sure service is on time. We adopt a back-to-basics approach," says Fatima.
"Our business is very simply all about the upkeep of a clean, hygienic home," her friend chips in.
Nooks and Crannies offers monthly cleaning packages which offer competitive hourly rates. One-off cleaning rates (per hour) are also available. Appointments can be booked on the website.
Other services offered include ironing, pick-up and drop of flowers, gifts, tailor, home repair work, official documents, car registration and car service.
The business actively uses technology and social media to support growth.
"We attract most of our clients from our Instagram and Facebook pages. We also have a blog which is updated periodically," says Kiran.
Nooks and Crannies also recently launched an app where the client gets a notification each time a helper enters/exits a unit for service. "This is very useful for working women who might not always be home during service hours. We are also preparing to go paperless by sending out invoices/receipts through this app," Fatima says.
The two friends look up to Nail Spa founder Shabana Karim and Symmetry Gym founders Alexandra Causton and Amir Siddiqui as their role models.
After tasting success in the house help service industry, retail, health and tourism are other sectors the duo have set their sights on.
For women who are still sitting on the fence, undecided to take the plunge into entrepreneurship, Kiran has some advice: "Make up your mind and heart and dive in. Positive energy is required throughout, no matter how dismal things might look."
Fatima shares her secret to success: "Make a weekly list and tick off points one day at a time. It's frustrating when your timeline is played around with by uncontrollable factors but keep calm."
- deepthi@khaleejtimes.com
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