Owned by the Somali Centre for Family Services, Daalo is a social enterprise which transforms communities by creating meaningful employment opportunities for job seekers from diverse backgrounds.
As part of CSED’s SE Spotlight Series, we recently sat down with Bille Abdalla, Daalo’s executive director, to learn more about the social enterprise, his leadership journey, and his advice for those looking to drive meaningful change.
What does your social enterprise do?
Daalo is a social enterprise workforce agency that is committed to transforming communities by creating meaningful employment opportunities for job seekers from diverse backgrounds (primarily newcomers).
What is Daalo’s origin story—when and why did it start?
Daalo was founded in 2018 through the collaborative efforts of the Somali Centre for Family Services (SCFS), the Ottawa Community Foundation, the City of Ottawa, and CSED. The partners came together to launch a pilot project with SCFS to explore whether social enterprises could be a sustainable solution for addressing community employment challenges. SCFS recognized that creating a social enterprise was key to securing financial stability for the future while providing meaningful employment opportunities for marginalized individuals in the community.
Who are your main customers, and how do they typically find you?
Our primary clients are the City of Ottawa and Ottawa Community Housing (OCH). Since our pilot, we have expanded our services for both organizations and successfully navigated the procurement process to secure additional contracts. Additionally, we work with Kiewit, a relationship that was established through our work with the City of Ottawa. Most of our clients discover us through word-of-mouth referrals, a testament to the quality and reliability of our services.
What does your typical workday look like?
Since I wear multiple hats in my organization, no two workdays are the same. I typically start by reviewing my emails and schedule to plan for any meetings or engagements. A key part of my role is building and strengthening our workforce—recruiting and training talent to meet the needs of our clients. I ensure that our staff are well-prepared, equipped with the necessary resources, and set up for success in their roles. When challenges arise, I take the lead in resolving them, implementing solutions, and refining processes to prevent similar issues in the future.
Beyond daily operations, I oversee logistics, maintain strong client relationships, and drive strategic growth by forging new partnerships, enhancing service offerings, and identifying expansion opportunities. My role demands adaptability, problem-solving, and a proactive approach to keeping everything running efficiently.
What’s the biggest insight or lesson learned since stepping into the leadership role?
The biggest lesson we’ve learned is that holistic, strategic solutions can be created through collaboration. I was pleasantly surprised to see how our workforce solution for OCH not only generated business for our social enterprise but also created meaningful employment opportunities for our staff. OCH needed a more efficient way to deliver notices to residents, as their professional tradespeople were spending valuable hours on this task—essentially earning tradesperson wages for non-specialized work. We provided a dedicated team to handle notice deliveries reliably and at a reasonable rate, ultimately saving OCH money while allowing their maintenance staff to focus on their core responsibilities.
What makes you most proud?
I am most proud of the opportunities we create for our diverse workforce, many of whom are newcomers. One of our staff members, who started with no prior experience, worked full-time for six years on the OCH notice delivery contract. Through this opportunity, he built a strong foundation—eventually getting married, starting a family, and securing a full-time position with Canada Post. His journey is a testament to the power of strategic, well-designed solutions in transforming lives and creating lasting impact for both individuals and businesses.
What keeps you up at night?
Our biggest concern is the sustainability of Daalo if we don’t secure more contracts. As a social enterprise, we often struggle to attract new clients and win bids. During the procurement process, we receive little consideration or additional points for being a social enterprise, which puts us at a disadvantage. Because we operate across multiple areas rather than specializing in a single field, we are often seen as a “jack of all trades, master of none.” As a result, we frequently lose contracts to more specialized and experienced contractors, making it even more challenging to grow and sustain our impact.
How has your involvement with CSED helped you?
CSED played a crucial role in our pilot project as one of our strategic partners. Their Social Enterprise Boot Camp was instrumental in preparing us for our launch, providing valuable insights and guidance. Additionally, CSED’s Unleashed Conference offered us numerous opportunities for learning, discussion, and networking, further enhancing our growth and development.
What advice do you have for someone who is developing their own social enterprise or social purpose business?
Starting a social enterprise can be challenging but rewarding. My advice is:
- Leverage Partnerships—collaborate with organizations like CSED for valuable resources and networking opportunities to strengthen your foundation and prepare for growth.
- Focus on Impact and Sustainability— create meaningful opportunities for your workforce, especially underrepresented groups, while ensuring long-term sustainability.
- Identify Your Niche—while flexibility is important, focus on where your skills can add the most value and meet real needs.
- Navigate Procurement—competing with larger, specialized contractors can be tough, but emphasize the unique value you offer, like community impact and long-term employment creation.
- Start Small—begin with smaller contracts to build credibility, experience, and momentum for bigger opportunities.
- Stay Adaptable—keep refining your approach and solutions to stay relevant and responsive to market needs.
By staying focused on your mission and adapting as needed, you can create a lasting impact and sustain your enterprise.
What’s next for Daalo?
What’s next for Daalo is an exciting new chapter as we expand into IT services through our strategic partnership with DiverTek Solutions. This collaboration allows us to leverage DiverTek’s expertise and extensive database of qualified IT specialists, broadening our service offerings and opening up new revenue streams. By incorporating IT solutions into our portfolio, we can reduce our reliance on traditional labour contracts while also strengthening our position for government contracts, an effort we’re already pursuing with DiverTek’s support.
The partnership aligns with Daalo’s mission to support newcomers and racialized individuals, with DiverTek’s focus on training in IT further complementing our social impact goals. This collaboration not only enhances our versatility but also increases our competitiveness, positioning Daalo as a service provider that can meet a wide range of client needs—combining essential labor services with skilled IT support.
