Female Handyman Service?

[pureindulgence]

A friend of mine is considering setting up as a female handyman, er handy person, handy woman??!

Although she has no formal training, she refurbished her whole house herself, and she has a mutual friend who is considering going into it with her for safety (another female), is not scared of good hard graft, and will only take on jobs she feels 100% confident with.

I personally think it could swing 2 ways, some people wouldn't like a woman doing what they may consider to be a "mans" job, on the other hand other women would probably feel safer with a woman.

So what do you guys think?

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[SBOnline]

I have tried to find a handy person to complete small jobs in my home on several occasions, but don't feel confident using someone unless they are from a reputable company or can prove in some other way they are trustworthy.

As this would be a start-up they might want to look at getting CRB checked for peace of mind for their customers as well as getting reccommendations from their first clients to make it easier to get new ones.

Good luck to them though - it sounds like a great idea.

 

[MyAccountantOnline]

A friend of mine is considering setting up as a female handyman, er handy person, handy woman??!

Although she has no formal training, she refurbished her whole house herself, and she has a mutual friend who is considering going into it with her for safety (another female), is not scared of good hard graft, and will only take on jobs she feels 100% confident with.

I personally think it could swing 2 ways, some people wouldn't like a woman doing what they may consider to be a "mans" job, on the other hand other women would probably feel safer with a woman.

So what do you guys think?

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

Super idea - I know from some of our clients that it does work well

 

[davezzr]

Weather a man or woman to be a handy whatever takes more than ' done my own house' mentality.To have tiled one bathroom reasonably doesnt make you a tiler as is changing one rediator valve doesnt make a plumber.
Ive spent a lifetime honing my skills and learning from mistakes to become efficient and give a fast proffessional service.
The first hurdle to overcome is that two ladies want to go together,straight away halving the money taken for whatever job just to feel safe!. If your not comfortable going into a strangers home then handyperson isnt the way to go. Just a point to mention the majority of customers at home are ladies,so that shouldnt be too big a hurdle for a one girl band.Virtually all my dealings are with women and repeat work too
Its also very naive to think that women would rather have a woman in their home doing the work. If a customer uses a reputable know workman with a good track record of good work and fair prices then there is unlikely to be any issues.If your friend wants to start up on her own and pull the sex card then she and her friend will be sorely dissapointed with the work or lack of work they will get.
Its hard enough as it is getting work when we are up against eastern europeans undercutting on prices ( and quality of work)

 

[Deleted member 61074]

From a personal point of view I only engage tradesmen who are recommended to me, so it doesn't matter which sex they are. Networking and word of mouth has to be your priority.

 

[Officey]

My handy person is female and she's better than anyone else I've used. You pick someone for their abilities rather than any certificates they may have, so if she's good, she will do well.
I use Gemma Cossey in Norwich http://www.norwichpainterdecorator.co.uk/

 

[Philip Hoyle]

and will only take on jobs she feels 100% confident with.

I think that's your biggest problem. For any kind of tradesman, repeat business is the key. You really don't want to be spending a fortune on advertising all the time to get a constant steam of new customers. You need to build up a customer bank who'll come to you whenever they need anything doing and in turn recommend you to their friends/family. Trouble is, that unless you're actually going to be able to do virtually everything thrown at you, you'll be spending a lot of time going out to look at jobs to give quotes, only to find that it's something you're "no confident" to do, and you're past customers and their friends/family are soon going to lose interest if they ask you to do something which you refuse because it's outside your comfort zone - they won't call again as they'll have found someone else more amenable.

If you're not going to to the whole "handyman" thing, i.e. a bit of decorating, a bit of plumbing, a bit of electrics, a bit of gardening, replacing a door lock, re-hanging a door, planing the bottom of a door, fitting a new kitchen cupboard, repairing a leaky radiator, replace a leaky gutter, etc., then you're not really going to get a good following as a "handyman". You'd be far better limiting yourself to what you do best, whether it be decorating, or joinery, or whatever, to draw a line in the sand as to what you will and won't do. In my experience, people want a "handyman" to do virtually all the small jobs around the house, in and out - once your customers know that you're the person for the job, you'll get a steady stream of repeat business, meaning less advertising costs, and also you won't be competing with other tradesmen as regular customers tend not to get several quotes if they've got someone they already know/trust, especially for the smaller jobs.

I think you also need to consider quality of work. A lot of people "do up" their own house, to their own standards, but as often seen on TV programs, the standard falls far short of what other people want. I've stayed in a few holiday cottages where the owner has been boasting that they "did it themselves" and they superficially look OK, but then you come to the experience of living in it, i.e. loose taps or loo seat, creaky floors, drawers & cupboards that aren't smooth to open/close, dodgy paintwork round the corners, etc., which all go to prove an amateur job and not something you'd want to live with.

 

[pureindulgence]

Thank you for your points, both good and bad. I shall point her in this direction to read your views.

She was thinking of picking the jobs on my hammer.co.uk that she knew she could do, rather than being a jack of all trades.

 

[oldmanriver]

A friend of mine is considering setting up as a female handyman, er handy person, handy woman??!

Although she has no formal training, she refurbished her whole house herself, and she has a mutual friend who is considering going into it with her for safety (another female), is not scared of good hard graft, and will only take on jobs she feels 100% confident with.

I personally think it could swing 2 ways, some people wouldn't like a woman doing what they may consider to be a "mans" job, on the other hand other women would probably feel safer with a woman.

So what do you guys think?

Many thanks in advance for any advice.

I think a lot of women would prefer to have a female handy person in their home with them during the day instead of a man when the husband is at work.

Depending on quality of work, range of jobs, price and attitude - could eb anice little niche if you have the right location.

 

[webstore]

Sounds a very good idea - a bit like "Candy Cabs" bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yk3dp

 

[cjd]

Handy Mandy report:

Their report shows that female tradesmen - such as plumbers or electricians - still have a long way to go to win the confidence of the public, especially other women.

More than two thirds of women surveyed said they would feel more comfortable letting a male tradesman into their home.

Similarly, three quarters of men would prefer to let a male tradesman into their homes.

Vicky Emmott, senior underwriter at Halifax Home Insurance, said: 'The likes of Linda Barker and Carol Smillie have done a great job inspiring Handy Mandys across the country to their hands dirty and get involved with DIY.

"However, this trend is not reflected in support for female tradesmen.

"It appears Britons still stick traditional perceptions when it comes to tradespeople as the vast majority would still prefer to let a man do the hard work." The most independent female DIYers can be found in the North - 20 per cent of those who live with their boyfriend or husbands do the DIY themselves.

This compares with 16 per cent in the Midlands and 17 per cent in the South.

The study was based on a survey of 1,145 individuals.

 

[nathan@innovateconsulting]

I think businesses like this can be funny.

Like the female cab company mentioned, these are sold on the basis that females are safer/more trustworthy/etc than men. A bit sexist but hey ho.

So why not just get right to the point - untrustworthy trades people are a problem (my neighbour got burgled last week by her roofer). Hiring a woman doesn't solve this, just gives the customer a false sense of security. There is nothing to say a woman wont do anything bad.

Why not just have a trades company that is more highly regulated than a normal one - put in place procedures and measures to prevent problems occurring. And advertise that fact.

I would rather hire from a trades company that said "we regulate all our employees, all are fully trained, we have a good working history with them and positive references" than from a company how hires out women on the basis that we might feel "better" about it.

 

[Mattlock]

Where is she based?

 

[pureindulgence]

Lincolnshire, why?

 

[sak01]

There was a report a little while ago about a female lawn mowing service in the US.

It was pretty expensive but still successful for err...different(imo unethical) reasons.

 

[Miranda]

There's a huge market in the elderly who are no longer able to upkeep - and that market is fuelled by recommendations. I'd suggest card in the post office window - as the elderly still like to visit the PO - to get started.

 

[webstore]

There's a huge market in the elderly who are no longer able to upkeep - and that market is fuelled by recommendations. I'd suggest card in the post office window - as the elderly still like to visit the PO - to get started.

Hand delivered flyers through letter boxes could be best ? Ladies of all ages could be prospective customers for such a service.

 

[davezzr]

Thank you for your points, both good and bad. I shall point her in this direction to read your views.

She was thinking of picking the jobs on my hammer.co.uk that she knew she could do, rather than being a jack of all trades.

If she's going to use myhammer be prepared to put in ridiculously low quotes she will be up against all the lowest of the low just to make a buck. I used myhammer for two years and all began well and winning work with fair quotes.After a while the work was getting less and less because i was being undercut at every turn. seranio: I would charge £55 to change a set of taps(25mins work) 20miles away and would be undercut by someone 80miles away who would do the job for £30. Where would his profit be in that? £10!!!
And this is how it was for the last year,very little work even with a 100% feedback. unless you want to give your services away at cost its not the place to make a living.Just bear in mind the customers who use this site are looking for cheap cheap jobs done so you will need to get 3-4 small fast jobs a day to make a wage,which is what i ended up doing.The real money then comes from repeat work.If you do end up doing cheap work just make sure its done right first time as you dont want to be going back to make good or you will be out of pocket.
One last point: there are now two handymen on every street corner,long gone the days of a handfull in any one town

 

[davezzr]

Thank you for your points, both good and bad. I shall point her in this direction to read your views.

She was thinking of picking the jobs on my hammer.co.uk that she knew she could do, rather than being a jack of all trades.

If she's going to use myhammer be prepared to put in ridiculously low quotes she will be up against all the lowest of the low just to make a buck. I used myhammer for two years and all began well and winning work with fair quotes.After a while the work was getting less and less because i was being undercut at every turn. seranio: I would charge £55 to change a set of taps(25mins work) 20miles away and would be undercut by someone 80miles away who would do the job for £30. Where would his profit be in that? £10!!!
And this is how it was for the last year,very little work even with a 100% feedback. unless you want to give your services away at cost its not the place to make a living.Just bear in mind the customers who use this site are looking for cheap cheap jobs done so you will need to get 3-4 small fast jobs a day to make a wage,which is what i ended up doing.The real money then comes from repeat work.If you do end up doing cheap work just make sure its done right first time as you dont want to be going back to make good or you will be out of pocket.
One last point: there are now two handymen on every street corner,long gone the days of a handfull in any one town

 

[Judge_Joolz]

Have a look at http://www.handygirl.biz/

Local to me, but made it onto Dragons Den looking to Franchise the business model.............

HTH

Best regards

JJ

 

[Consistency]

I think it is pretty awful really and should be illegal. Men would not get away with it, so why should women? Double standards.

Yes I can see that there are women who would rather have a woman, there are a lot of bad handymen about and women can probably do the jobs just as well but a woman should not be allowed to set up something that a man cannot.

It is unfair. Women wanted these rules of equality and should abide by them.

On the positive note, I think what would be fairer is for her to employ men as well but say that women are available. You may end up with more women than men if it is marketed more towards men but at least it is not completely discarding men.

 

[Mattlock]

The reason i asked where is because i was genuinely interested. i'm in Swindon and do Carpentry and Locksmith work. However i would be a bit worried if she went out to a call out at night in some moody areas.

 

[Consistency]

I would think a woman in that situation is quite high maintainance. As good as they may be, if they are a female lone worker, there is indeed extra pressures there.

 

[davezzr]

Getting back to the point we have a lady here who as an idea to set up on her own as a general handy person,proberbly part time and small jobs to begin with.I dont think she has a target audience in mind at this time or the financial backing to set up a SME let alone employing others (men/women).
If she wants to procceed then kudos to her for getting off her backside and wanting to change her life.She will have to make a simple deccission about her advertising as to her primary customer ie female only or drop the whole female only rubbish and get on with the work that comes in.
The important issue is can she be flexible enough to take on any manner of works as a handy person.If not then she must choose the work she is confident doing and advertise accordingly. 'I am a handy person and my services include'.. rather than 'I am a woman handy person and my services include'...or play safe with 'property maintenance services' and no mention of your sex..that will raise an eyebrow when you arrive at the job..
It is true that our mind set expects any workman to be male but over the years i have seen many many women doing what used to be predominantly male work,so its no biggy

Out of curiosity what are her skills? or should i say what types of work is she confident doing to a high standard...ie if she could tile a flat wall well,how confident would she be to tile around a toilet and wash basin

 

[Beachcomber]

The female aspect could be used as an extra selling point - but cannot be relied upon to be the primary selling point. Quiality of service / product along with competitive pricing and reliability are key.

Firstly, you need to know your limitations. Offering basic plumbing services is fine, until you find yourself trying to re-install a sink which has a lead waste pipe or have to make sure pipes are earthed properly etc.

Also, with electrics - much more is notifiable and covered under part P regulations now, and you have to know what you can / can't do.

Even simple jobs like installing some decking - fit some decking which is above 300mm above ground level and you need planning permission!

Tempting though it is to 'have a go' you must always remember that the place to learn new skills is not in a customers house!

Select those areas you are confident in and research the current regs as well as researching techiques / materials etc - is amazing how many times you can come across a new widget or technique that gets the job done faster / cheaper.

As for advertising - flyers are good - only if they are well designed and printed. Use these flyers in shop / post office windows (old hat but still works very well, particularly in smaller towns / villages) Local paper advertising can be expensive so look out for local advertiser magazines / parish mags etc.
Finally, get some stickers made up - give the customer one to stick in their address book, do some work on the kitchen taps and leave a sticker inside the kitchen door etc, etc.

After you have been going 6 months contact your local trading standards dept and apply to join the Buy with Confidence scheme - it's an excellent scheme where trading standards vet you and approve you so you can use their logo (along with 'Trading Standards approved') on your advertising / quotes etc. This process includes the CRB check.

If you want to get your CRB check done sooner, try here:
http://www.disclosurescotland.co.uk/
(not just for residents in Scotland)

Finally - network with other local trades, gas fitters / plumbers / brickies etc ,etc. Not only can you pass on jobs you can't do but they can pass you work that's not for them. This works very well for me.

Good luck.

Thank you for your points, both good and bad. I shall point her in this direction to read your views.

She was thinking of picking the jobs on my hammer.co.uk that she knew she could do, rather than being a jack of all trades.

 

[Philip Hoyle]

The female aspect could be used as an extra selling point - but cannot be relied upon to be the primary selling point.

Agreed, but I don't even think just being female is a selling point at all. Whenever I see an advert or card for "lady decorators" or the like, then as a man, my initial reaction is that they wouldn't want men customers or maybe have a thing against men. I think you really risk alienating male customers.

You can get the message across that you're female in far more subtle ways, i.e. buy being "ABC general maintenace services" followed by "contact Sue on xxxxxxxx (phone number) for details."

Or even better by using the female angle, such as saying something like "get a better finish from a female eye" or something like that, to sell yourself on your female abilities rather than just because you're female.

When you're setting up a business, the last thing you want to do is alienate a group of potential customers. Playing the sex card too much risks doing just that. If you're only going to attract female customers, you'll take twice as long to get enough business as you've effectively halved your customer base. The clever thing to do is attract the female customers at the same time as not putting off the males - that's your challenge!

However i would be a bit worried if she went out to a call out at night in some moody areas.

I don't think anyone should be going out alone in the dead of night to a moody area to be honest. Just because a bloke does it doesn't make it any safer for him or reduce the risk of being attacked.

 

[Consistency]

Men have no choice but to go out on their own into moody areas! A woman wants equality they should do it too.

 

[davezzr]

I dont know of any handyman that goes out at night,unless its down the pub.I think your confusing a handyman with an emergency call out plumber or electrician.Ive been a handyman for over 15years and never been called out at night.I have however had customers call me late at night to see if im available the next day.
We dont yet know what she intends on doing as a handy girl but im sure there isnt much call for an emergency painter and decorator

 

[Consistency]

The point I was making was in relation to someone else saying that they may get called out at night.

I agree that there would not be call outs for painting and decorating but there may be calls for some sections in the industry such as boarding up after broken wondows and making a place secure until the next day after a burglary etc.

 

[Consistency]

There is a definite demand for female driving instructors for example and so I think it is a good thing to have women available but I do not think that women only businesses should be allowed as men only businesses are not allowed.

 

[Parthelan]

I think it is pretty awful really and should be illegal. Men would not get away with it, so why should women? Double standards.

Here's her hiring page:

HandyGirl is hiring

HandyGirl is a fast growing business and there are opportunities to join this passionate, courteous and reliable team.

Are you a friendly, experienced, reliable handyperson?

Are you looking for full time, part time position?

If so, we want to hear from you!

Click here to contact us

We are urgently looking for skilled wallpaperers to join our team.

.......

HandyGirl Will

• Progress a schedule of costings for each element of the project
• Agree these with you
• We will co-ordinate tradesmen / contractors.

Nothing there about employing men only

I agree with this also:

What the public feel a female tradesmen does better than a male tradesman:

· Attention to detail (66%)
· Allows the client to feel safer in the house (54%)
· More reliable/punctual (46%)
· Provide a better service (45%)
· Better ability to multi-task (42%)

http://www.heatingandventilating.net/news/print.asp?id=5607

I dont need handipeople, prefering to do all of my own work at that level, but if I did I'd much prefer to hire a skilled female handiperson than some random bloke.














If nothing else, she can make me a nice cuppa between wallpapering the hallway and doing the ironing.



(I know, I know ... but I couldnt resist it )

 

[Consistency]

Have not seen the advert for until now that you posted above, my responses are in relation to the original post that sounded as though it was that.

 

[MASSEY]

Cinsistency what's your views on these what's wrong with describing the people and the gender of some one operating a service. Most people refer to these people in general as "tradesmen" not "tradeswomen" so technically no one is very pc about this anyway.

 

[Parthelan]

Cinsistency what's your views on these what's wrong with describing the people and the gender of some one operating a service. Most people refer to these people in general as "tradesmen" not "tradeswomen" so technically no one is very pc about this anyway.

LMFAO - you linked him to a gay handipersons website.



I want to buy you a pint

 

[Consistency]

Cinsistency what's your views on these what's wrong with describing the people and the gender of some one operating a service. Most people refer to these people in general as "tradesmen" not "tradeswomen" so technically no one is very pc about this anyway.

My view is that this site should be illegal. I think unless we are allowed to have a "Straight from A-Z" there should not be a "gay to Z".

In terms of gender, I handle dogs. Dogs is the animal. I do not keep on in all my writings or mentionings stating "Dogs and *****es handler" or "good food for working dogs and *****es is...." etc etc. I always simply refer to dogs. When we speak of tigers, we speak of tigers, it is long winded each time to have to keep saying and reading tigers/tigresses.

I proof read a book some years ago and I found it really annoying the amount of times, whereever it said he, it kept saying he/she. I find it grating.

Man is what we are. Women are the females but are still man. A woman is still man. Women can be chairman and I think all this separation is annoyingly distracting. I think there is a place for it but not to such an extent.

Would you be interested in advertising your business on a straight to Z Massey?

 

[Consistency]

In relation to the above post, I have not swore but I have mentioned the word that is the female dog and in the context of a female dog.

 

[pureindulgence]

I didn't realise this was going to have such a divided opinion. My friend is without internet while moving house, so I have been reading her the posts over the phone, and have agreed to help her out doing some flyers, when the time comes. Her plan like I said is to pick the jobs from my hammer, so she only quotes for the ones she is 100% confident doing, then to take some courses in the jobs she isn't so confident about, before leafleting her local area.

Now we have to decide if we go with the female angle, or keep it subtle, I quite like the poster who suggested to go with general handyman services, then say contact Sue on blah blah.

Personally I have had dealings with many tradesmen over the years, some who spent 2 hours of the day sitting in the car reading the paper, who didn't take thier shoes off when coming into the house, who plastered a wall and left bits of plaster all over the floor, were late or didn't turn up at all, left the front door wide open (we have dogs) left bits of carpet all over, I am sure a woman would be slightly more courteous, I am trying not to be sexist here but its true. Or maybe ive just had bad tradesmen!

 

[vvaannmmaann]

As long as your 'friend' turns up when she says she will,does the job for the price she says she will charge,does a good job,and cleans up after herself,she'll be just fine.

 

[Philip Hoyle]

Personally I have had dealings with many tradesmen over the years, some who spent 2 hours of the day sitting in the car reading the paper, who didn't take thier shoes off when coming into the house, who plastered a wall and left bits of plaster all over the floor, were late or didn't turn up at all, left the front door wide open (we have dogs) left bits of carpet all over, I am sure a woman would be slightly more courteous, I am trying not to be sexist here but its true. Or maybe ive just had bad tradesmen!

But what guarantee is there that a woman wouldn't do the same? It's nothing but lazy stereotyping. There are plenty of "house-trained" men as well. When we have tradesmen round to give quotes, we make it quite clear that cleaning/vacuuming after themselves, no smoking, shoes or dogs in the house, taking away the waste etc., is part of the job. You'd be far better, again, to be explicit on your adverts/websites, that you clean up after yourselves - why refer to sex at all?

 

[louisex1]

I would love it. I work from Home and would feel far more comfortable having a female in to do 'handyman' work.
Good Luck with it.