AWE Awards nominees are recognized for their resilience, innovation, and leadership in their communities. Though we’ve had to postpone our 2020 AWE Awards celebration, we’ve taken this opportunity to talk to nominees, exploring their journeys and the challenges they’ve overcome to build successful businesses in Alberta.
Lorephil Aguinaldo founded her residential and commercial cleaning company, CanaJan Inc., in 2016. It’s hard to imagine that five years prior to her business’ launch, she didn’t speak any English and had limited financial resources.
“When I was 16, it was my dream to come here. I am a visionary woman. I have very big dreams.”
In 2011, Lorephil came as a foreign worker from the Philippines and began working as a shift supervisor in a restaurant. When she left her home, she left behind her two children; her daughter was two years old at the time, and her son, who she was still breastfeeding, was only 11 months old.
“I was always crying and homesick — that affected me a lot.” At the suggestion of a friend, she began cleaning houses as a second job. It was something to keep her mind occupied.
“While I was cleaning houses, I was imagining that my kids were here with me and they're sitting on the couch and we're laughing and hugging each other. It helped with my anxiety and homesickness. It was really hard as a mom to be apart from your kids.”
Lorephil was separated from her family for four years. “My only focus at that time was to get my family.”
A regular client was the one who inspired her to turn cleaning into a full-time business. He saw the potential she had and encouraged her to go out on her own. Not knowing where to start, he provided mentorship and guidance for her along the way.
“He referred me and asked me to do some networking. At that time, I was really shy, and it was hard for me to communicate — it’s hard for others to understand me. But I embrace it!” she says, laughing.
As an immigrant entrepreneur, Lorephil had to overcome many challenges, starting with learning English. She attended English classes and studied hard. She also had the challenge of finding the financing she needed to open her business, but she says that is all part of the journey.
“My biggest achievement is becoming well-known in Canada — and my Filipino community is proud of what I have done. I started with no money. I achieved all my dreams without money, just a passion and drive. That's the only investment that I had.”
Lorephil was pleasantly surprised when she found out a client of hers had nominated her for an AWE award. “I'm very close with my clients. They're usually the one pushing me to do something.”
In sharing her advice to other women looking to take the leap into entrepreneurship, she says, “For me, everything is possible. If you dream big, you can achieve it. I grew up in a family that has lots of limiting beliefs — I surpassed those limiting beliefs. You should explore more and see that there are lots of opportunities and I trust that.”
Right now, she is focused on spending more time on networking and spreading the word about CanaJan Inc, which has been expanding into the greater Edmonton area.
Lorephil and her family were reunited in 2015. She says the sacrifices she had to make were worth the pay off: “They are my "big why," the reason why I keep going and never quit no matter what happens. I didn’t quit for the first four years I came here. I said, ‘This is for my family, that's why I need to do this.’”
