Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year succeeds in the cleaning sector

Ruslana Kuisma came from Ukraine to Finland in 1997 at the age of 17, initially to visit her mother in Kirkkonummi.

Before moving to Finland, she attended comprehensive school in her home country.

“We always had large potato and vegetable fields, and I looked after them – as well as my little sister and little brother.”

Her mother had been working in Russia and had met a Finnish man whom she later married.

The visit to her mother turned into something more: she ended up staying permanently.

At first she worked as a cleaner at Prisma and in other locations, and gradually advanced to supervisory roles and then to service manager. She married a Finnish man, and they had two children.

In 2017, Ruslana Kuisma founded her own cleaning business, RVK Palvelut, first as a sole trader and soon after as a limited company.

Competitive tenders brought growth

Right from the beginning, the company bid in several tenders, and success in those tenders brought a large number of clients quickly.

“On the 1st of January 2018 we already had one hundred housing companies as clients.”

The company focuses on stairwell cleaning, office cleaning and final cleanings, but does not currently provide home-cleaning services.

Its success is based on successful tenders, a broad client base and excellent client feedback.

“Good staff and good supervisors who have trained the staff well. Employees enjoy their work and are proud of it. We always give small rewards, such as bottles of sparkling wine or boxes of chocolates. And otherwise too — for example, when an employee comes to collect keys, we always give them something. At our office you can have coffee and eat something sweet.”

Employees and their children also always receive Christmas presents, which the entrepreneur buys and wraps herself, with help from the supervisors when needed. She chooses the gifts based on the child’s age.

“Giving gifts brings joy to both me and the employees and their families.”

No need to advertise

Ruslana Kuisma currently has slightly over 60 employees. Employees come from Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Moldova, and they speak Ukrainian, Russian, Estonian, English and Finnish.

“It is easy to find employees because there are many Ukrainians here. We can always train new staff in their own language.”

The client base consists mainly of housing companies in Uusimaa, especially in Kirkkonummi, Espoo, Helsinki and Tuusula.

New clients have largely come through recommendations and a strong reputation.

“We get work when a property manager knows us. If another property manager asks who handles their cleaning, they say our name, and then we get work. So there is no need for big advertisements, no spending money or promoting ourselves otherwise.”

In tenders, Ruslana Kuisma has considered it essential for the company not to take jobs at excessively low prices, even if it means losing some areas. She says she has refused cleaning contracts where the price would have been so low that quality and employee well-being would have been compromised. The company also does not act as a subcontractor for other cleaning businesses; all services are provided in-house.

Kuisma says that gratitude and recommendations from clients have continuously brought in new assignments. The company uses a WhatsApp group where supervisors and employees share client feedback and praise, which motivates the staff.

Customer feedback has also mentioned that the company’s workers speak multiple languages and fulfil residents’ wishes. This has been particularly important in multicultural housing companies.

Kuisma says that high-quality work, personal service and employee well-being are the cornerstones of the company.

Several of Ruslana Kuisma’s siblings now also live in Finland, and some of her cousins have moved to Finland since the war began.

“Some relatives have come to work in my company on a work visa because of the war.”

The prize sum for Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year is €15,000, made possible by the pension provider Elo.

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