From Cleaning Offices After Hours to Leading Five Companies: Nasima El Bachiri-Ouamar’s Rise
In 2000, Nasima El Bachiri-Ouamar was a secretary in the Netherlands. After office hours, she cleaned her employer’s premises herself. Twenty-four years later, the daughter of Moroccan immigrants was running five companies. She has just been shortlisted for a national award.
It started with poorly cleaned toilets and dusty offices. Nasima was working as an executive secretary when she noticed shortcomings in the cleaning company’s work. She offered to take care of it for her boss after her working hours. He agreed. Every evening, she rolled up her sleeves and cleaned the premises.
People on the floor above noticed her work and offered her a new contract. Her husband Ibrahim joined her full-time less than a year later. The business grew and became B Flex Cleaning, the Dutch media outlet Avanti Almere reports.
On Bladi.net : From Cleaner to Co-Owner: Moroccan Immigrant’s Rise in the Netherlands
Born in the Netherlands, Nasima grew up in a modest family. Her father, who arrived from Morocco in the late 1960s, worked in a chocolate factory. He was deaf and faced bullying from his colleagues, according to his daughter. When she was six, she promised him she would fight to give others more opportunities.
From cleaning to wedding dresses and carpentry
The cleaning company paved the way for other ventures. In May 2024, Wittenborg University listed five companies under her name: B Flex Cleaning, B Flex Jobs, La Novia Boutique, Flevo Timmerfabriek and Boutique Desk, all based in Almere.
One sells wedding dresses, another makes carpentry components. Nasima notably restarted a factory after its previous owner went bankrupt. A mother of five, she says she managed her businesses from home for a long time, sometimes answering clients with a baby in her arms.
On Bladi.net : From Assistant to Entrepreneur: Moroccan-Born Founder Builds Dutch Group With 600 Employees
Her career has now earned her further recognition. Nasima is among the finalists for the Business Women Nederland Award 2026. The winner will be announced on November 25 at a ceremony in Utrecht, where Nadira Ettahiri, another entrepreneur of Moroccan origin, will compete for a separate award.
