Case Study Women's Business Centre

Client: Waffa Kaissi

Waffa Kaissi has a zeal for cleaning. It's not so much that she wants to do it – in fact as a busy working mother with two small children, and a physical disability that she has had since a child – she probably has less time for cleaning than most.

"I want to change the status of cleaning. The image of cleaners is dreadful – they're practically invisible. They don't get any proper training and there's no sense of a career structure. The MRSA virus affecting hospitals is an example of what can happen when you have ineffective cleaning."

Waffa took her idea to the Women's Business Centre at Newham College. She received positive feedback and was given a Business Adviser. "He really helped me turn my ideas into reality. I did several courses and was introduced to Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) which I loved! It's about confidence – what you think and what you believe."
 
As well as running workshops on cleaning, Waffa met with the advisers at the Women's Business Centre and is now planning to launch a related enterprise matching up employers to people looking for work through an online bureau. "It's a similar concept to online dating. You enable companies and individuals to create their profiles and then introduce them to each other. My website is called 'iboffin' and I launched it a few months ago."

Waffa has an 'incubator unit' at the Women's Business Centre. "I pay a modest rent and have an office space in their lovely bright and modern unit. But it's not just about the space. It's having the support of a friendly team of people. There's always someone around to help fix problems. Having the incubator has linked me with all sorts of people. I've become part of the family."