Help Claire Create 10 Jobs
Help Claire Build a Cleaning Business and Create 10 Jobs
Sometimes an opportunity comes along at exactly the moment when you feel you have nowhere else to turn.
Hello, my name is Matthias.
I have been living with my partner Claire for more than ten years. Claire is originally from the Philippines. We have an eight-year-old daughter together and have built a happy family life over many years.
Claire was a manager in my staffing company for many years. We had a good life, were financially independent and were able to support our family ourselves.
Then came 2023.
The economic consequences of the pandemic hit my company hard. Eventually, I had to file for insolvency. Almost 20 employees lost their jobs virtually overnight. I am still dealing with the consequences and the winding-up of the company today.
While most of the employees had access to support and transition arrangements, Claire suddenly found herself without a professional future of her own.
But she did not give up.
Claire Simply Started Again
Instead of waiting for help, Claire started a small cleaning business together with a friend.
She began cleaning apartments, houses and offices – often doing the toilets and the jobs that many other people would rather not do.
She worked.
She learned.
She found customers.
And she began building something she could be proud of.
At the same time, Claire worked as an HR specialist for a real estate company to help cover our family’s living expenses.
But then another difficult situation arose.
She was asked to take on responsibilities involving workers whose employment status, in her view, raised serious legal concerns. Claire did not want to be involved.
She said no.
Shortly afterwards, she received her termination with immediate effect.
Once again, that income was suddenly gone.
And Then This Opportunity Came
We were desperate.
We calculated, planned, reconsidered and started over again.
And we prayed.
A lot.
Giving up was never really an option.
Then something happened that we had not expected:
A major hotel chain approached Claire about potentially working with her cleaning company.
For a young business, this is an enormous opportunity.
But it also presents a major challenge.
We cannot take on this contract with the resources we currently have.
A hotel needs reliable staff. Employees have to be hired, trained, equipped and paid. Wages, social security contributions, insurance, work clothing, professional cleaning equipment, materials and transportation all have to be financed – before the first substantial payments from the customer arrive.
That is why we are asking for your help.
Our goal is to raise €50,000 in start-up funding.
This would allow Claire to take the next step and turn her small cleaning business into a stable employer.
What We Want to Achieve
Our goal is not simply to raise money for a business.
We want to create jobs.
We want to employ around 10 people initially and give them regular, fairly paid employment.
We particularly want to work with cleaning professionals from the Philippines.
Claire knows the situation of many Filipinos who come to Germany hoping to build a better future. Some arrive with great promises and expectations, only to discover that reality can be very different.
We want to do things differently.
We want to provide jobs where people are treated with respect, paid fairly and given a genuine opportunity to build a better life.
A job should be more than simply a way to survive until the end of the month.
It should be a foundation for a better future.
What Will the €50,000 Be Used For?
The funds will be used to finance the necessary start-up costs, including:
- wages and social security contributions for the first employees
- professional cleaning machines and supplies
- work clothing and protective equipment
- transportation and a reliable vehicle
- insurance and essential operating costs
- marketing and customer acquisition
- bridging the first few months until customer invoices are paid
We want to be as transparent as possible.
Those who support us should be able to see what their support makes possible.
We want to share updates about the development of the business, our employees, new contracts and the next steps.
Why Are We Asking for Help?
We never imagined that one day we would have to ask other people for help.
We have worked for many years, built businesses and always tried to provide for ourselves.
The insolvency of my former company has nevertheless hit our family hard.
But Claire still did not give up.
She built something new from almost nothing.
Now she has an opportunity that could take her small business to an entirely new level.
We do not want to lose this opportunity simply because we lack the start-up capital.
We are Christians, and over the past months we have prayed a great deal. We do not know exactly where this journey will lead.
But we believe this door has opened for a reason.
Perhaps we can build something that reaches far beyond our own family.
Perhaps it will create ten jobs.
Perhaps those ten jobs will eventually become twenty.
And perhaps people who currently have little hope of building a secure future in Germany will find a genuine opportunity through this company.
This is why we are asking:
If you would like to help Claire take this next step, we would be deeply grateful for your support.
Our goal is €50,000.
But €20, €50 or €100 can also help us take the first steps.
And if you are not in a position to donate, you can still help:
Share this campaign.
Perhaps you know someone looking for a reliable cleaning company for hotels, offices or properties.
Perhaps you know an entrepreneur or investor who could help us find another solution.
Perhaps a partnership could develop from this.
We are open to ideas.
We do not want to depend on government support. We want to create jobs.
We want to work.
We want to give people work.
And we want to show that a business can be economically successful without exploiting the people who work for it.
If you would like to accompany us on this journey, you are very welcome.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story.
Claire, our family and the people whose jobs may come from this opportunity thank you from the bottom of our hearts.