Halifax entrepreneur Hussain Abdullah believes he has found a gap in the car detailing market for a low cost, mobile offering and is building out his operation quickly on the back of a positive response from early clients.

Hussain is the Founder of SayFaya, an online platform that lets users book car detailing appointments, either with cleaners hired as subcontractors by the company, or alternatively with third-party service providers who sign up to be listed in the system.

The business launched in January, and in its first three months had a little over 70 clients. Hussain said market demand in Halifax would have allowed for that number to be much higher, but he did not yet have employees. That early traction has since led him to on-board three independent cleaners.

He said in an interview that he was inspired to found SayFaya after noticing the cumbersome sales models used by many detailers.

“I saw that there are these mobile detailers listing themselves on (Facebook) Marketplace, and they’re having a hard time scheduling appointments and closing deals on Messenger,” said Hussain. “Because there’s no trust. You wouldn’t call just anyone to your house and hand your car keys to them. Plus, the scheduling of the appointment is very tedious, from a customer’s point of view.”

A lawyer by training, Hussain is also the Founder of AllinBud, which sells its hand-made cannabis boxes in 120 stores across Canada, including the Nova Scotia Liquor Commission. In the past three years, AllinBud has sold more than 5,000 of its boxes at a price range of $45 to $70 apiece.

He is launching SayFaya in Halifax as its beachhead market, while he focuses on building out the company and securing funding, with expansion to come later.

SayFaya's flagship service, dubbed Rapid Auto Care, starts at $39.99 and takes a little under an hour. Customers can also pay extra for pet hair removal.

Cleaners working with SayFaya undergo mandatory training, and their first kit of cleaning equipment and supplies is provided for free.

“(The SayFaya cleaner) is going to come to your house, throw out all the garbage, vacuum the floor, vacuum the seats, clean the door panels, clean the glass interior, wipe off the dashboard and steering area — basically making it good enough for if you want to go on a date, or you have a customer,” said Hussain.

Early signs suggest the potential for growth is substantial, and not just from individual consumers, but also from business clients. As part of his customer discovery work, Hussain spoke with management at each of the car dealerships in Halifax’s Kempt Road area, which is effectively the city’s automotive district.

What he learned was that, while the dealerships employ their own detailers, they also bring in contractors when they need work done quickly or otherwise lack the resources in-house. In fact, some reported spending between $20,000 and $40,000 annually hiring outside detailers. Those same dealers were interested in using Sayfaya.

“The plan now is, one, to roll out an app, and two, onboard professional detailers and connect them with dealerships and other businesses, even truck owners,” said Hussain.