Clare and Jordan Kadlosvki had wanted to work for themselves for a while. It was the pandemic and accompanying shutdowns that gave the couple the extra incentive to start up KADS Home and Cottage Services, a full-service home care company, last fall.
“We thought, well there’s uncertainty in every job, we might as well give it a go,” Jordan said.
It also gave them a chance to dream about how they could use their skills to create something new.
“For a while it was back of mind. We wanted to do our own thing and create our own schedule,” added Clare.
Now they’re on the road every day, offering everything from lawn care to cottage checks to stocking up kitchens with a weekend’s worth of groceries.
“We try to incorporate as many things as possible. We offer to a broad range of clients,” Clare said.
And they’re doing it as a family. Their two young sons, Carter and Harper, often come along to jobs, especially since COVID-19 meant schools were closed.
“We’ve also been trying to juggle and manage that as well,” explained Jordan.
The Kadlovskis said demand for their services has sometimes been “overwhelming.”
“Now to think we have a steady clientele base already, it’s unbelievable,” Clare said.
They said much of that could be because of the increase in tourism and interest in real estate in the County. Construction activity in the area is reaching all-time highs: in each municipality build values are nearly, if not more than, double amounts seen in 2020. That’s mirrored in a steady uptick in tourism and many people finding short-term escapes from urban centres in the Highlands.
Their services cater to those markets: whether preparing cottages for short-term rentals, or maintaining and keeping a careful eye on properties while their owners might be elsewhere. The majority of their clients, Jordan said, reside outside the County.
With a brisk start to business right out of the gate, Jordan said KADS’ top challenge has been the logistics of running a mobile business. He and Clare, as well as another full-time employee and a couple of parttime workers, spend each day driving from place to place performing different jobs for property owners. That means balancing long-term jobs such as seasonal deep cleaning and short order tasks such as emergency checks and small repairs.
“It’s just trying to manage that time and access the properties at different times,” he said.
Jordan said they’re proud to be a sort of “one-stop shop” for homeowners. “People really like the idea of going to one person, one company and getting a high quality of service.”
