Capital Connections
Capital Connections Podcast
Capital Connections
EP # 8 - Building Community Through Clean Spaces with Hawa Ali of CAYN Cleaning Services
Hawa Ali shares her entrepreneurial journey from pandemic-induced uncertainty to founding CAYN Cleaning Services, highlighting the importance of community impact and professional cleaning standards. Her experiences during COVID-19 shaped her understanding of the need for connection and safety in the workplace.
• Hawa’s early childhood influences and entrepreneurial aspirations
• Transition from various jobs to launching a cleaning business
• The importance of training and expertise in commercial cleaning
• Overcoming feelings of isolation during the pandemic
• Emphasizing community connection and its significance
• Personal hobbies and social life outside of work
• The mission of CAYN Cleaning Services to create safe environments
• Operational details about service areas and hours
• Resources to connect with Hawa and learn more about her business
Cayn Cleaning Services
+13435130202
https://www.facebook.com/cayncleaning
https://cayncleaningservices.ca
Cayn Cleaning Services is a dedicated commercial cleaning company based in Ottawa, Ontario. We pride ourselves on delivering top-notch cleaning solutions tailored to the unique needs of businesses across various industries.
This is the Capital Connections Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Samuel Lowe.
Speaker 2:Yes, welcome to the Capital Connections Podcast. Today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Hawa Ali of AIN Cleaning Services. Hawa, welcome to the podcast.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me, Samuel.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks for joining us today. Maybe we could start and you could share a bit of what you do at InCleaning.
Speaker 3:Yeah, sure. So at InCleaning Services we provide routine janitorial services, we specialize in cleaning offices, medical institutions and we even do post-event cleanings. Our focus is maintaining a sanitized, clean environment to promote health, safety and productivity in the workplace. We keep the Ottawa area clean, making sure our communities is safe and sanitized.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's excellent. Just to distinguish it. So it's commercial cleaning. Do you ever do anybody's homes as well, or is it strictly commercial? It's strictly commercial. Okay, cool. Can you share with our listeners a little bit about your journey, like the how and why you got into business?
Speaker 3:Yeah, sure, it kind of started a little early, like when I was a child. So my mom had like friends that owned like a bunch of clothing shops and they were all women, they owned restaurants and she would just take me there and I thought it was really cool. Like at a young age, I always wanted to own my own shop. I thought like it was like something really really cool and I kind of reconnected with that dream during the pandemic. I just graduated yeah, I just graduated university in December of 2019. And I was selling mattresses to get me through my last term and I was laid off during COVID. When COVID hit and it made me rethink like what I wanted to do with my life, because after I got my bachelor's, I was just thinking like where do I want my life to go? And so I kind of started selling candles online and tote bags like way different than what I'm doing right now.
Speaker 3:And after experiencing like an online business, I didn't feel as fulfilled and I knew I wanted like a local business, connecting with like the community and making a difference here, rather than being like a million online shops even though there's nothing wrong with that, it just wasn't for me. So when the restrictions lifted, I kind of did my own solo cleanings. I would clean like homes, airbnbs. I started off like that.
Speaker 3:And then I also had previous experience, like in my early uni years I'd be cleaning but I was working for a company then and then I never thought of making it like an actual business until I came across this guy like online and he was really killing it, like he had employees, he was doing a really great job with his cleaning business and I thought like I really want to get into this and like I seen that he had a mentor, and I thought like I really want to get into this and like I seen that he had a mentor. So I came across like a mentor and she was a lady and I connected with her and like I took like an accelerator class and like I learned like a bunch of things and that kind of got me to be able to like register my business, get everything together, and I officially registered my business in June 2024, but I started to like get employees like around like September and then I officially opened like my actual and cleaning services October 2024.
Speaker 2:And yeah, yeah, that's a great origin story, iowa, and amazing how the pandemic for many people myself included really really made us all just pause and kind of rethink things.
Speaker 2:The origin of the podcast actually comes. Its origin is with the Good Neighbor podcast that started during the pandemic, so that started in Southwest Florida and now it's it's grown, it's got a couple of different names, but it's still on that same platform, which, uh, and the intent was just kind of revisiting things. And how do we, how do we discover people in our like you, in our community, and uh, how do we, you know, learn about them and uh, um, and work together? So, uh, very cool. Uh, tell me any uh myths or misconceptions that we could clear up regarding, I guess, commercial cleaning services um, that it doesn't require like much knowledge or like expertise.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I think that would be a misconception, like we like. But we invest a lot in training and like knowing the special techniques, um, in order to be a professional cleaning service. So I, and certifications too.
Speaker 2:So I think that's sure conception, yeah, yeah I think and I've met a few people over the years who've had successful cleaning businesses, and one thing they all had in common was, you know just the reliability, their ability to manage a team and to be likable. So it's so. That's great. We've all endured certain hardships and challenges along our journey.
Speaker 3:Can you describe one that you rose above and you could say you're, you're in a better place because of it today, today I would say like I was thinking, I would say like COVID, yeah, I would stick to just COVID, because that was like a really really hard time for everyone, especially like me too. I felt really alone. Yeah, COVID was definitely a really hard space for me. Like I didn't know where, like my life was heading. You know, I had all these like ideas, but once it became reality and like especially the pressure of like the lockdown and everything and having to pause, I really didn't know where to go. But like I'm glad to say that I did rise above that now.
Speaker 2:So unnatural. But you know, what's really cool and I see is, uh, you discovered within yourself the need and the desire to connect with people yeah the online and the isolation is not enough.
Speaker 3:It's not, it's really not, and like I even moved back, like with my mom, and like I feel like it was just like a like a better time, like it's like it's important to be around people than to be alone.
Speaker 2:You know, it's yeah sure very sad for those who didn't have family near and they weren't able to be together because tough time, crazy time, um how uh I outside of work? How do you enjoy spending your time?
Speaker 3:so I mostly hang out with friends or family, like my sister she hosts game nights or like we go watch movies or go to the mall, especially with my niece and nephews. There's always fun activities to do with kids. Like I have fun too.
Speaker 2:So yeah, I'm um, you know, believe it or not recent dad. I've got a two and a half. She's going to be three this week, three and a four and a half year old so amazing.
Speaker 3:Kids are the best, that's great.
Speaker 2:Let me see what's one thing you wish your listeners knew about your business.
Speaker 3:One thing I wish my listeners knew about. My business is at its core in cleaning services is about making like a positive impact to our community. I started it to create a safe, clean space for Ottawa businesses, whether it's offices, clinics, daycares. I want to help businesses thrive and it's about giving people also a peace of mind and contributing to a better, safer community, Because a clean space is very important.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely, you know out of curiosity. So your your area that you do business in. Is it Ottawa proper? Is it a particular neighborhood?
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's actually all over Ottawa.
Speaker 2:All over.
Speaker 3:And the services?
Speaker 2:are they done during the day, or do you come in in the evenings, or how does that work?
Speaker 3:Typically during the evenings.
Speaker 2:Okay, yeah, Super so outside of business typically business hours.
Speaker 3:Yeah, okay, outside of business.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay, great and um. How can listeners learn more about you and reach out and contact you?
Speaker 3:You can learn more about us on our website and cleaning services. Um yeah, yeah. And we have our social media, on Facebook and AIM Cleaning Services as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, excellent. We'll also post some contact information like your phone number and email address in the podcast notes. But, Hiway, it was a pleasure getting to know you today and thank you for connecting and looking forward to seeing you out in the community soon.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Samuel, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the capital connections podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, Go to capital connections podcastcom. That's capital connections podcastcom, or call 803-6268.