As entrepreneurs, we all know how difficult it can be to balance work and life commitments, and when it comes to managing household chores such as laundry, it can be difficult without help. That’s where Destello Laundry Cleaning Services comes in, helping Nairobi’s busy professionals and families to deal with the chore of doing laundry each week.
LoA found out more about this niche business enterprise from founder Gaceri Kirimi this month.
What does your company do?
Destello Laundry Cleaning Services is an on-demand wash and fold laundry service in Nairobi that offers timely and quality laundry services to young professionals with active social lives, as well as families and small business. Our greatest emphasis is on giving our clients a superior customer experience and as we say, "Once you experience the Destello Sparkle, you never go back!"
"Destello Laundry was born out of a need to provide superior professional laundry services to the upwardly mobile, young professionals in Nairobi."
What inspired you to start your company?
Destello Laundry was born out of a need to provide superior professional laundry services to the upwardly mobile, young professionals in Nairobi, a more orderly and seamless service as opposed to getting a "Mama Safi “ (Cleaning Lady) who are often unreliable and not keen on knowing how to launder clothes properly.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We guarantee 99.9% customer satisfaction; we take extra precaution to ensure timelines are met, clothes are laundered as per care instructions, and we stay true to our tag line of adding a sparkle to your laundry. We truly do take away the hassle of doing laundry, and at very affordable rates. We love your clothes as much as you do!
Tell us a little about your team.
Our team is composed of our founders Gaceri Kirimi and Muthoni Okuthe. Muthoni Okuthe, a HR and Admin Specialist, has since left the running of Destello on a day to day basis to Gaceri, a teacher and accountant by training, and one who is not afraid to get her hands dirty in order to get the job done. Gaceri handles most of the business aspects with the help of the company’s very able laundry assistant, Sarah.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
The entrepreneurial bug must have hit me whilst I was quite small, seeing my parents venture into wholesale of mitumba (second hand clothes), open a supermarket in our rural town, to having a matatu business (public service transport). It was therefore only a matter of time before I too saw myself in various ventures in my early twenties. In college, I had mobilised my friends to start a catering business but that did not quite go as planned. After graduating from University and a year into my first job, I quit to go and start an agribusiness complete with a greenhouse, selling my wares from the boot of the car and from door to door. Then came Destello Laundry, still growing one sparkle at a time.
"Our greatest emphasis is on giving our clients a superior customer experience and as we say, "Once you experience the Destello Sparkle, you never go back!"
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
To see Destello Laundry become the preferred on-demand Laundry service provider, increasing capacity to be able to handle even more orders daily, and seeing our employees thrive and being able to do more for the community. In 2017, we were able to help fundraise for Angel Centre for abandoned children in Nairobi. We hope to give back more to the society. I believe that however small one's contribution is, it does make a difference.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
The feedback from our clients focuses on how the service is a life saver and how satisfied they are. This gives me hope that we are doing something right. From learning and growing from our mistakes, to celebrating our small wins and seeing our client base grow, I find myself saying," WOW! How far we have come, look at where we are now, and the greater things will do!"
What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
You must start, however small or big! You must start and believe in your brand and dream! If I told you we started Destello Laundry with one household machine and no drier, hardly making enough in the first few months to pay for our bills … you would say no way! Yet, here we are!
Contact or follow Destello Laundry Cleaning Services
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL gacerikirimi@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it….
Successful entrepreneurs are those who see a need and then provide a solution to fill that need. In Nairobi, Kenya, Gaceri Kirimi identified a need from young professionals and families for a superior laundry service that would take away the hassle of doing laundry at home. Today, her growing list of customers are enjoying the freedom of doing what they need to do at home and work, rather than housework. --- Melanie Hawken, founder and editor-in-chief of Lionesses of Africa