Day in the life: Clean and healthy for Dubai entrepreneur

Aya Jaber, co-founder of The Healthy Home, divides her day between her indoor deep cleaning and sanitising business and her young family.

Aya Jaber markets her deep-cleaning business by reaching out to parents, schools, bloggers, nurses and paediatricians. Pawan Singh / The National

Aya Jaber, the co-founder and public relations manager of The Healthy Home, is a Lebanese entrepreneur living in Dubai with her husband and their two children, Kareem, three, and Jad, nine months. Ms Jaber, 26, worked in journalism for several years before launching her company, in collaboration with her husband and brother-in-law. The company specialises in indoor deep cleaning and sanitising. Ms Jaber says her service has helped Kareem’s mild asthma and hay fever.

7am

On a typical day we start the daily routine of getting ready for nursery and having breakfast. I always try to introduce healthy habits and foods into my kids’ lifestyle and diet, and ensure they eat lots vegetables in addition to fruits, oats, and honey.

7.40am

I usually prepare my coffee mug to get my morning dose of caffeine, and grab the opportunity to bond with my little one, Jad.

8.10am

I head to the gym for 30 minutes on a daily basis. Working mums should realise that they never have to abandon exercise; they should always take good care of themselves and their bodies. I owe it to my family to take care of myself.

9am

As soon as I arrive at the office, I start checking the emails that I missed in the early morning. I also review the previous day’s jobs and read carefully through the collected client feedback forms to ensure we maintain excellent customer satisfaction.

9.30am

It’s the morning briefing with the team where we discuss the previous day’s agenda and recap on any concerns. We like to see how we can improve day-by-day.

10am

I switch to social media monitoring where I work hand-in-hand with my consultant to set and review the weekly topic plans and messages that we want to share with our followers. We usually include general facts about health, well-being, organic and healthy habits, and work very closely with parents’ group meetings and events to be present in almost every event that there is.

11am

I try to be with the team on site at least three times per week, where I can interact more with clients. I also get direct recommendations from them on what additional treatments they wish us to offer in the future other than the mattresses, sofas, curtains, carpets and surface sanitation we have right now.

12.30pm

I meet some influencers: doctors and pulmonologists, school and nursery directors etc. This is in line with The Healthy Home’s marketing campaign, which is based on reaching out to three streams. The first stream comprises the celebrities and key social influencer mums, and the key bloggers; the second stream focuses on the medical endorsement from paediatrics and experts of the respiratory system. Finally, the third stream includes schools and nurseries, where we try to take part in all the events, exhibitions and green activities.

2.30pm

My working day finishes in principle and I usually head to complete my duties towards my family. It is time to pick up Kareem from his nursery. We then head home to prepare lunch.

4.00pm

Before afternoon activities with the kids, I try to take 30 minutes to answer calls, phone the office and have a look at the schedule we had planned in the morning to see how far we have come. I also check to see if there was any feedback or concerns from clients.

4.30pm

Every day, I try to create a new activity for my kids. I like to spend the afternoon painting, swimming, and going to the park where they can release their excess energy.

6.15pm

We head home. I give my kids their showers and they get ready for dinner. They then can spend some time with their dad before bedtime. At 8pm, it’s story and bedtime – one of my favourite times.

8.30pm

Sometimes I work a little bit with my husband and take his opinion on several plans. Besides his job, he helps me out with my company in managing the operational side of things. At other times we simply choose to stay at home and enjoy a quiet evening. However, I am always on the phone with my team in case of any emergencies. 11.45pm

Lights out, but it all depends on what day of the week it is.

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