Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Khushali Shah. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Khushali, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

My company has a dual mission. This mission is to both serve the families that need help, by providing them with an easy solution, as well as take care of the employees doing the work. I have always been focused on mission-driven work, which began with my earlier career in the public sector. In starting this company, it was important that we were both filling a gap in the market and mission-driven.

Families these days, especially where both parents are working in busy, demanding jobs, are really overwhelmed with everything on their plate. We talk about the invisible labor that women face and the need for the whole household to engage. However, sometimes, even when both partners are dividing the work, there is still little time for self-care or quality time as a family because of all the household work that needs to be completed. Our company seeks to ease the burden on families by providing them with a way of outsourcing household work, in a flexible, affordable and easy way.

Our model allows the family to choose how many hours a week they want and what day of the week is convenient for them and we handle the rest. Not only are their tasks completed, they don’t need to worry about reference checks, payroll, scheduling ,etc. We do it for them. The employee benefits from working with a number of clients, such that if one family has different needs, they do not lose their entire income. Nor do they need to go out and find clients and cobble together their hours. As employees of our company, we do that for them- the finding, vetting, scheduling. They are also employees, meaning they are paying into Social Security and Medicare and eligible for health insurance. They receive sick pay and paid holidays. This is not generally true when people are hired directly by families.

Khushali, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My background is in public policy. I spent nearly 20 years working in government and non profits, with the majority of my time focused on international development. I chose to leave the space after the birth of my son to explore other ways of making a difference. After having worked with other female founders, both in running a company day-to-day and as an investor, I saw a problem in need of a solution and decided to found my own company.

I started Canopy Families because I saw a gap in services for busy families, but also a broken model for how we employ help for our homes. I know how much families are managing on a day-to-day basis, especially if both parents are working outside the home in demanding jobs. They can hire child care, cleaning, landscaping and pet care (either from individuals or through companies) but there remains a long list of household errands and tasks that must still be completed, even with all of these services.

The traditional/current model is to either hire someone full or part time through an agency, paying a hefty finder’s fee and then having to manage the employment of this individual. Many families neither need nor can afford this model. Another way people are bridging the gap is asking for people to help via a Facebook group or on Care.com. The family then must vet the candidate and manage the schedule and payments on their own.

Our model allows the family to choose how many hours a week they want and what day of the week is convenient for them and we handle the rest. Not only are their tasks completed, they don’t need to worry about reference checks, payroll, scheduling ,etc. We do it for them.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

We have a monthly newsletter that we send to clients, as well as other interested people. The newsletter reminds our readers that they can forward the information to a friend that may be interested, as well as focuses on different things we can do for them. We remind them that we can… help with spring cleaning… organize that playroom… gift wrap holiday presents… be a great gift of time for the family with a newborn… and on and on. While we do a lot of laundry, errands, grocery shopping for our clients, we can help in other ways as well.

We also offer a referral discount to our clients so that they can receive a little gift when they refer someone to our company. Many of our clients are referrals from other clients and we appreciate that so much!

I also check in with new clients the same day as their first appointment to see how things went and solicit feedback. I also check in from time to time to make sure all is going well. I believe in a hands on approach.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I treat my employees as I want to be treated. I want them to take a sick day if they don’t feel well. And we will pay them for that time. I want them to take time off if they have personal issues to address. I find that you will have better employees if they are given space to take care of themselves. I would want someone to understand if I had to do this as well. I treat them as the professionals they are and let them know how grateful I am for them and the work they do, as they are the face of our company to their clients.

I send quarterly updates of what is happening in the organization so that they feel like a part of a larger team. It is easy to be alone when your job is remote, but I want them to feel that they are a part of a bigger organization. I also try to have in person meetings so people can get to know each other. I seek and value their opinions and ideas about what we can do better or how we can market ourselves. I also invite them to help me create content for our social media- showcasing their work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://canopyfamilies.com
• Instagram: @canopy_families

Image Credits

Emma Boucher, Khushali Shah, Ashley Whipp, Gitika Kaul