 In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kenia was forced to close her beauty bar business in Toronto due to health and safety concerns. With a background in finance and business, Kenia knew she wanted to start another small business, but she was wary about what kind of business and services she would offer. "When I moved [to St. Thomas] in 2022, I wanted to have a different type of business," Kenia explained. "I was looking for something that if another pandemic happened, the business would still thrive." Kenia grew up being her grandmother's caregiver (and she still is today); helping her with cleaning, cooking, and other household tasks. "My grandmother was always telling me that I did a really good job because I would have more attention to detail with the way I'd clean," Kenia said with a smile. "She told me this could be a business idea. And we would joke around and call it something like 'Ken's Clean and Go', because I would come and clean then go home". After moving to St. Thomas, Kenia revisited her potential business ideas, and the cleaning company popped back up in her mind. "I thought back to that moment when I was helping my grandmother when I was like 10," said Kenia. "I thought ok, this cleaning thing could actually work, I just have to make sure I create my business plan properly." "It just kind of worked out as well because it allows me the flexibility to still be her caregiver and be with her most of the time," Kenia smiled. "I also wanted to have a business where I would be able to provide jobs to other people that maybe wouldn't work well in a corporate environment; maybe they are very introverted and they just like to do their work and go home. The ultimate goal is to be able to help as many people as I can, and that goes for my team, clients, and community." In November of 2023, Kenia officially started Klean N Go Inc., a play on the original name brainstormed by her and her grandmother. Despite being introverted herself, Kenia took a leap of faith and started the business, and she has been growing her team and clientele ever since. After about 6 months of running her business, Kenia began to learn about the different small business resources available to her in St. Thomas. "I kind of already knew how to start my business, but I learned about the grants and networking opportunities through [previous SBEC advisor] Elle when she was working at the SBEC," Kenia explained. "I didn't know anything about the St. Thomas and District Chamber of Commerce, or YEI, or Business After Five. In my first business I didn't use any grants, and then with this business I was like, wait, there's grants available to me?" Through connecting with the SBEC, Kenia learned more about the different grants and programs available to support small businesses, and she was able to utilize different resources and services because of advisors and supports. From her previous employment experiences, Kenia has seen many different cleaning companies come and go, and she understands first hand the unique relationship businesses need to navigate. "There's a lot of trust involved in that relationship," Kenia explained. "Letting people into your space (whether it be your home or business) requires trust." Kenia is proud to say that Klean N Go Inc. thoroughly trains their employees not just in how to properly clean a space, but also in how to behave and conduct themselves in a professional and secure manner. All Klean N Go Inc. employees go through a vetting process including criminal background checks before being fully onboarded, training around not handing or moving any sensitive documents, and signing an NDA non-disclosure clause to ensure that whatever their customers have or say stays within their business. Whether their clients are property managers, realtors, banks, lawyers, or other businesses, Kenia takes their privacy and security very seriously. While doing her market research, Kenia noticed the one thing the commercial cleaning industry lacks is seamless communication, especially around pricing. "If a customer wants a quote, they have to fill out a form and then wait two business days to get a response," said Kenia. Kenia didn't want Klean N Go Inc. to do the same, so she ensured that her website would provide potential customers with live pricing. "They're able to get a quote immediately, so they're able to look right away on the website and get everything there; transparent, live pricing and bookings," said Kenia. Through her websites backend, Kenia has also streamlined her company communication, schedules, and bookings, allowing her to dedicate more time and energy to aspects that truly need it. "That way [as a business owner] I don't get burnt out trying to return calls, trying to come up with pricing and play phone tag with people," Kenia explained. "I wanted to save time on both my end and the customer's end. I wanted to figure out how I could bridge that [communication] gap". Another issue Kenia noticed was how many cleaning companies lacked quality assurance. Going back to her high attention to detail noted by her grandmother, Kenia is passionate about ensuring that her customers know exactly what was cleaned and that it was done properly. "We ensure that when we leave the job, the customer knows the scope of work we have done during our visit," Kenia explained. "We make sure we open up the vents, clean the vents, vacuum them out, or the ceiling fan in the washroom, we will take them down and take out all the dust. I would say our quality assurance process makes us unique; it's not just we are here for four hours and we only make the bed and clean the kitchen; we're pulling back your appliances, cleaning behind the fridge, cleaning behind the over, cleaning the hood of the stovetop, stuff like that. We go all in." Klean N Go Inc. also works hard to notice what each customer likes and doesn't like, and can tailor their services to suit; for instance, using non-scented products if customers are sensitive to fragrance. Kenia is also passionate about sustainability, in her business and in her life. Klean N Go Inc. proudly uses sustainable and reusable equipment, like microfiber cloths instead of paper towels, and smart tools like electric brushes which are both ergonomic and time saving for her employees. Kenia strongly values sustainability commitments, to her employees, clients, and communities; through using tools that save their energy and protect their health. They also use a lot of concentrated products, which minimizes the amount of packaging and plastic they go through. Kenia is also very transparent about the greenwashing that happens in commercial cleaning, and she works to be transparent about all her products. "We don't greenwash our products and say we're eco-friendly because products can carry some types of toxicity," said Kenia. "We use Safe Choice products, which are safe for families, pets, kids, and babies; we just make sure we use them properly and ensure there is proper ventilation, versus mixing up a potion with vinegar and essential oils."  Kenia is not only mindful about the products and equipment she uses, but also how she can make positive, sustainable impacts with her communities. Klean N Go Inc. is hosting their first community event this Saturday, June 14, in collaboration with Wish You Would Wear (another incredible local small business and GROW Accelerator graduate) and the St. Thomas Public Library. "We're doing a donation drive, a community clothing swap, for ages 14+ in support of the YWCA and Inn Out of the Cold," Kenia said with a proud smile. "We recognize the cost of living in our current economy, so we are doing a swap that's open to everyone. That way if people need new clothes for work, school, or whatever the case may be, they'll be able to come out to the event and leave with something new to them." They will also be promoting sustainability at the event with things like goodie bags with reusable products and low waste recipe ideas. The library is also having a sustainable workshop on the same day in their lower level; paired perfectly with the community clothing swap. "We want people to have more awareness on consumption, consumerism, and their waste," said Kenia. Klean N Go Inc. proudly offers premium commercial and residential services in St. Thomas, Elgin County, Middlesex County, and Oxford County. As of June 2025, they are open to taking on more clients, both residential and commercial, and they offer services including routine home cleaning, commercial/facility, healthcare facilities, government offices, move-in and move-out cleans, finance/banking facilities, and firms and consulting facilities. They are also a proud member of the St. Thomas Public Library (STPL) Plus Program; where library cardholders in St. Thomas can use code 'STPL15' to get 15% off their first visit on any recurring cleaning package (one-time offer, discount available until July 2025). Visit their website today to learn more about their services and get a live quote! If you go: Community Clothing Swap Event
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