For nearly a decade, Mounira Zahr gradually grew her custodial and facility cleaning company, MMM Cleaning.
Then the 2024 NFL Draft called.
In a matter of months, Mounira and her team of 12 to 15 employees went from limited events with about 2,000 attendees to cleaning up after more than 750,000 fans. The contract with the NFL entailed cleaning activation sites hosted by the Detroit Lions, Little Caesars Arena, and other business, civic, and community groups across the city. The size of the project forced Mounira out of her comfort zone of local homes, restaurants, and smaller commercial spaces.
After successfully tidying up nearly 20 sites across the city throughout the draft, other opportunities emerged, including large-scale construction sites and manufacturing facilities requiring cleanings five or seven days a week.
“I always knew that one day it was going to happen, but I kind of pinch myself every day at how it’s just all falling together,” she said.
Like many small businesses, MMM Cleaning, was successful through its owner’s hard work and determination, but needed support to scale and take its company to the next level. In fact, it was the MENA American Chamber of Commerce who put MMM Cleaning on the NFL’s radar as it sought local women- and minority-owned businesses to work during the draft. Then supported her through securing the contract.
Since then, Mounira has tapped into other elements of metro Detroit’s small business network she previously did not know existed, including with New Economy Initiative (NEI) grantees: Michigan Women Forward and the Arab American Women’s Business Council.
She also recently participated in the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council (GLWBC) Business Growth Program, which as an NEI-grantee plugged her into a network that is helping her learn and grow professionally as president of the company. That network is designed to help small businesses of all sizes through all stages of their growth.
“It gives me safety that if I ever run into a hiccup or a problem where I can’t figure out the solution, then I can just reach out to the Business Growth Program or anyone at the GLWBC, and they can help and direct me,” said Mounira. “That is huge for any business owner, let alone a woman-owned and minority-owned business.”
“I never had time to grow and prosper outside of the day-to-day work. The NFL Draft is what actually pushed me to get out of working in the business and start working on it — and to take on that president role,” said Mounira Zahr, Founder and Owner of MMM Cleaning.