From little ideas, big things grow – Myanmar Times

Dont have time to cook? Then just pick up the phone and order a home delivered Kong Pao chicken or Pizza. Cant find a place to manage your work? Just hire a shared office space in the city.

What about work around the home? Dont worry startups can take care of that too.

Many busy professionals dont have enough time to manage their house cleaning, laundry and other homemaking tasks, which is where maids and cleaners come in handy.

Domestic services providers such as MyanAnts, Ayesay Services and Busy Bees have been in the market for the past two years, and have recently started to face more competition as more foreigners come to Myanmar and book their services.

Many service providers offer one type of service, such as for maids or cooks, but a new kind of business has entered the market. As home duties become more varied, some companies offer services that cover a range of different home-related tasks such as moving house, renovations, shopping, as well as the traditional maid-like duties.

Although there is competition in the market, this new kind of business is run by people who have a different idea as to what domestic work really involves, said Jack Phyo Wai Lin, managing director of Ayesay Services.

Ayesay Services is a business that provides about eight kinds of domestic services, including home duties like cooking and cleaning, as well as more manual tasks like decorating and repair work.

I dont know if there will be more competition in the market in the future for all of these services, but it makes sense to have a company that at least offers them all under one roof, said Jack Phyo Wai Lin.

Most businesses focus on their customers without considering the labour-side of things, and the people they employ who perform these services.

We like to find jobs for those at the grassroots level, for competent and good-minded workers. At the same time, we aim to provide solutions for customers, said Ko Aung Paing, CEO and founder of MyanAnts.

MyanAnts provides job opportunities and training services to 40-50 year-old women with low education and few if any qualifications.

Finding domestic labour has also changed over the last decade, with clients making bookings over the internet and through Facebook forums, rather than through agency offices directly.

Some of the companies offer workers who are able to fix things in the house, like plumbers and electrical repairmen. They no longer just provide you with maids do the washing and cleaning the house, said Daw Nu Nu Wai, a frequent customer.

It is like hiring a taxi. If its a taxi thats been endorsed by others, then you feel much safer. When a person has to entrust his/her house to a stranger, people want an accountable service provider, she said.

Available domestic services include full-time and part-time housemaids, cleaners, carpenters, electricians, home decorators, renovators and removalists, among others. Translated

See the rest here:
From little ideas, big things grow - Myanmar Times