A vibrant community needs businesses to stimulate the local economy, and the Odd Job Squad–an entrepreneurial venture based in Strathmore, Alberta–redefines what success looks like when community connection underpins the business foundation. In this article, Vibrant Systems speaks to owners, Adrianna Kiemeny and Michael Ajirireloja, to explore what it means to own a business that cares about the quality of life and connection in the community it is based and how they are weaving their values into the structure of the Odd Job Squad itself.

Introducing The Odd Job Squad of Strathmore, Alberta

The Odd Job Squad was formed on one basic premise. Who do you turn to when you need support and don’t have the social network in place to ask your neighbour for help? 

When Adrianna first started offering her services for odd jobs, she found a need for exactly this kind of service in her hometown of Strathmore. In fact, there was enough need in her local area to fund her mission trip to France. 

This service model likely sounds familiar. Similar to apps like Taskrabbit, what makes it wholly unique is that Adrianna put out feelers for what the community needed, and then filled those needs herself.

When she was still receiving calls and requests for her services on her trip, Adrianna knew she needed to scale up her one-person operation. “I’m only one person… What’s going to happen to all those people who still need help, and there’s nobody to fill in the gaps?” 

In between yet another trip to France, Adrianna set out to turn her personal hustle into something that could stand while she was in another country. That is when her business partner, Michael, came into the picture, bringing with him the technical skills necessary to build a website and app to support the Odd Job Squad in its mission to offer flexible work and community service. 

So what can someone expect if they turn to the services offered by the Odd Job Squad? 

Adrianna shared a variety of jobs she has worked herself, including pet sitting, yard work, offering driving services for appointments, helping learn computer skills, and even baking lasagna. The opportunities are endless, especially as Adrianna and Michael are expanding the Odd Job Squad to include temporary jobs for local businesses. 

And how does the Odd Job Squad work?

Simply, the Posters (people with a job they need done) can post a job on the website/app. Once they have confirmed their ability to pay for the job to be completed, the Odd Jobbers–on a first-come-first-serve basis–sign up to complete that job. 

Both Posters and Odd Jobbers have the opportunity to rate their experience, an important feature to Adrianna and Michael, as it offers incentives to show up with integrity and kindness. 

Building Community One Odd Job At A Time

The value of the Odd Job Squad doesn’t end at connecting people in need of paid work with people in need of services. In fact, that is just the mechanism behind a much larger vision. 

“There used to be a time before we had everything we have, where neighbours didn’t find it hard to ask each other for help. The Odd Job Squad is another way to bring back that kind of community connection, so you know your neighbours well enough to actually love them instead of looking at them from afar and end up hating them,” Michael shares. 

While it’s getting easier to fall into divisive rhetoric, the Odd Job Squad creates tangible opportunities for relationships within a community to grow. In our discussion, Adrianna and Michael both expressed a desire to see this kind of connection flourish. Maybe that means seeing more people you know in the local grocery store. Maybe it means reconnecting with a teacher from the school you used to attend. 

In many ways, the Odd Job Squad reorients our capacity for relationship-building back to the place we live by increasing the ways our lives can cross another person’s. 

Getting More People To Step Outside The Box

The other side of the co-benefits coin is that the Odd Job Squad offers a way for people entering the workforce, students, and those in need of flexible working schedules to connect with opportunities that might be outside of their comfort zone. 

“Our business is set around empowering people to fill in the needs and fill in the gaps, to be able to serve their community better,” Adrianna explains, “[We’re] building something that can empower people to do it on their own time frame and watch it grow.” 

To do it, also, in a way that opens the door to opportunities, experiences, and skill-building that may not be otherwise available. 

Finding a position with a traditional schedule isn’t easy, and the Odd Job Squad offers an alternative pathway to gain “real-world application for your resume”, as well as building confidence, showing integrity, and improving communication skills. 

Rather than denying that our employment landscape is changing, the Odd Job Squad honours that traditional employment simply isn’t feasible for everyone, but that doesn’t mean that everyone doesn’t deserve the opportunity to grow and learn. 

How Community Service Feeds Into Business Goals

“As a business owner in any community,” Michael explains, “It’s impact. If you found a way to do certain things, it would be best to share it with other people, because you rise by lifting others. Impact is a really necessary thing when it comes to community.”

I was thrilled to hear this sentiment echoed by both the Odd Job Squad owners, because it reflects a very real need in community spaces. The reality is that if we want to grow into resilient, sustainable, and sovereign communities, we need to be able to meet the needs of that community. A business owner plays an important role in their community, economically, socially and structurally. By paying attention to what a community needs, businesses can step in to meet that need with grounded, grassroots integrity. Community-building efforts, such as those I support as a Community Mentor, are rarely sustainable if community members aren’t resourced. Local business owners play a unique role in this capacity. 

Adrianna looked forward to her plans for the Odd Job Squad, “I’d love to be able to share the wealth–investing into infrastructure that still helps build the community.”

The Odd Job Squad plans to keep partnering with local, grassroots organizations. This is just one of the ways they hold themselves and their business with integrity.

“If you yourself don’t uphold integrity, then what does it mean for the company to uphold integrity when you don’t?” Adrianna, The Odd Job Squad Founder

Outside The Comfort Zone and Towards Our Neighbours

As we wrapped up the interview, I asked Adrianna and Michael what words they would like to leave my readers with, as business owners seeking to foster a greater sense of community. 

As a young business owner with big goals, Adrianna has been served well by her own advice. “Always be okay with being out of your comfort zone,” Adrianna began, “Your comfort zone is a box–get out of that box. Genuinely, get out of that box. The more you stay in the little bubble and find what’s comfortable, the less you see in the real world expanding what’s comfortable.” 

For many of us, stepping into community connection and relationship with the people we share community with can be uncomfortable. Our capacity to sit with discomfort doesn’t end with us, it extends into how we relate to one another. 

As Michael reminds us, “Your neighbour is just like you. Anything you realistically think of that you will be struggling with, your neighbour probably has something similar. Think of them as human beings rather than their opinions. Opinions can change, people can change, but it’s never going to happen if you treat them like the thing you hate.” 

So whether you’re looking to increase the touch points for connection in your community, stimulate the local economy, or simply explore new ways to meet the needs of those who live near you, the Odd Job Squad serves as a model for what innovation can look like when community is part of the foundation. 

Do You Want To Learn More About The Odd Job Squad?

If you live in Strathmore, Alberta, and would like to learn more about the opportunities and launch of the Odd Job Squad, you can find them on Facebook and Instagram! Or join their waitlist so you get the latest details as soon as they come!

For more grounded, actionable, and impactful ways to support your community connection and growth, you can also sign up for The Vibrant Community monthly newsletter and get stories like this one sent straight to your inbox.

Thanks for reading! Let’s make your story a vibrant one.