Handywomen take on construction

When it comes to building or renovating homes or office spaces, consumers in the UK can now opt to forgo the handyman and call in a team of handywomen instead. A Woman’s Touch offers property maintenance and building services such as decorating, plastering, tiling, plumbing, electrical work and carpentry executed by a team of highly qualified, highly reliable and highly courteous tradespeople, who happen to be of the fairer sex—a detail the company hopes will keep “the cowboys quivering in their boots!” Many female customers feel more comfortable having women work in their home, and clients praise their efficiency, punctuality and cleanliness. A Woman’s Touch can provide a full range of services to see almost any construction or decorating project through from inception to completion, so there’s no need for customers to juggle multiple contractors for a single space. When other professionals do need to be sourced for a job, A Woman’s Touch can handle project management to coordinate contractors and materials and monitor quality on a customer’s behalf. And customers who want the satisfaction of their own hands-on project will soon have the option of learning the tricks of the trade through A Woman’s Touch DIY Training Courses. The company was founded by Kerrie Keeling, a former investment banker who decided she’d had enough of corporate banking. A Woman’s Touch now has a turnover of GBP 1.2 million, and Keeling is preparing her company for franchising. An all-female team taking on the competition in a predominantly male profession definitely shakes things up. Considering women make the bulk of consumer spending decisions, sisterhood could be kind to them—and inspiring to fellow female entrepreneurs with bright ideas for taking on the cowboys in other ventures. For much more on catering to female consumers, check out our sister site trendwatching.com’s Female Fever briefing.