An interview with Kyle Domes of Tidybase.
Describe your business.
Tidybase provides high quality, thorough and hassle-free residential cleaning
services. We designed an online booking platform which allows customers to
easily book and manage their home cleanings. Our company helps busy families
schedule their bookings whenever and wherever they like. We have some of the
best cleaners in the region and we pride ourselves on paying a livable wage.
What brought you to the region?
As a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, I have spent most of my military career in Eastern Ontario. I first came to the Bay of Quinte region in 2013 for training at both CFB Kingston and CFB Trenton. In 2016 I moved to the region permanently. My family loves the area and we find it to be the perfect fit for our lifestyle. We love backpacking in the nearby provincial parks, taking day trips into the County, and riding the trails at Batawa Ski Hill.
What makes the Bay of Quinte a good fit for your business?
The Bay of Quinte is a fantastic region for our business. While the area maintains a rural feel, the number of potential customers in the Bay of Quinte region is surprisingly large. Having a large customer base in a rural and mixed urban
region is perfect for our business’s needs. We couldn’t ask for a better fit for our
family’s lifestyle and business ventures.
What was the hardest thing about starting a business?
The hardest thing about starting a business also happens to be the most interesting, and that thing is marketing. Getting the word out that your business exists is not an easy task. We are still working on this problem and are striving to find innovative ways to let potential customers know who we are and what our company can offer them.
Honourable mention goes to the myriad of other skills I’ve had to develop since our inception. It seems like just when I feel confident in a newly-acquired ability, a curveball comes along and I have to further educate myself. While learning these new skills is a challenge, it is incredibly fulfilling.
What advice do you have for entrepreneurs in the area?
The world is your oyster. There has never been an easier time to start a business.
Things that previously required highly-specialized knowledge and training are now becoming easier. There are so many resources and tools entrepreneurs can
access for little or no money.
On any given day I am required to be a web developer, graphic designer, digital marketer, salesperson, accountant, and strategic planner. In the past, all of these areas required specialized training or large amounts of capital. Today, with the help of online tutorials and software-as-a-service companies, a single person can take care of nearly everything a small business requires, especially if your business is primarily online.
What surprised you about starting a business in a smaller community?
I grew up in a small town in Alberta so I am familiar with living and working in
smaller communities. The Bay of Quinte region provides a small town feel with
the population base of a much larger metro area. The one thing I found surprising is how quickly members of the community adapt to new technologies. Tidybase focuses on providing a high-tech solution to a low tech industry and residents have been very quick to embrace our service.
How have you changed your operations during the pandemic?
With the ongoing pandemic, we have been forced to approach things from a hands-off and online approach. This has actually been beneficial as it has allowed us to implement remote business procedures we may have overlooked. Many of these procedures make things easier and more efficient for our customers and employees. The implementation of these technologies has shown us that we are not limited to regional operations and that quickly scaling our business will be possible.
What is something good that has come from this difficult situation (the
pandemic)?
We are all going through this situation together. Because of this, I think our
community and the rest of the world will emerge better off. It may not be easy to
envision the post-pandemic future right now but you can see glimpses of the
positive changes which are taking place. The continuing integration of digital
technologies into our lives is accelerating and this will have many positive
outcomes.
If you were to have one word tattooed on you, what would it be?
Breath. This might not sound like it’s related to entrepreneurship, but I find it helps in every aspect our lives. Things can get overwhelming and stressful and by focusing on breathing slowly and rhythmically we can calm our mind and make better decisions.
Check back with us as we discover more BoQ Young Entrepreneurs.
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