Meet three women breaking the 'men's work' stereotype - Women's Agenda

Meet three women breaking the ‘men’s work’ stereotype

From plumbers to electricians and removals companies, women are thriving in industries and areas once typically dominated by men — and they’re bringing along their own unique ways of doing business.

Below are three such businesswomen running businesses in industries that are heavily dominated by males.  

They’re all Queensland based, with big ambitions to expand nationally in the coming months and years.  

Tara-Jay Rimmer, The Van That Can (pictured far right)  

Tara-Jay Rimmer started the multi million dollar delivery and removals company The Van That Can back in 2013, after she received bad delivery service when she ordered a stand up paddle board.

Coming from a top tier accounting firm meant she had to make a big mental shift moving from corporate offices to managing customers and staff expectations. 

That mental shift also meant accepting she’d be one of very few women leading a business in the transport industry. But standing out, she quickly realised, can could actually help the business thrive. 

Rimmer understands that letting strangers into your home can sometimes be a risky experience, therefore she goes above and beyond in the hiring process. She says her business goes out of the way to deliver a customer-service that takes care of the customer homes they’re entering. 

Rimmer adds that she has experienced some sexism in the industry, but uses the criticism as motivation. She plans on expanding The Van That Can across Australia early next year. 

“Females running businesses or in leadership roles will have a great economical impact,” she says. “We now know that companies that perform the best financially have the greatest number of females in leadership roles.” 

Amanda McCallum, Ezylec (pictured left) 

Amanda McCallum started her electrical services contractor Ezylec 10 years ago, in a bid to make the electrical industry better. 

She noticed that the industry had a reputation for unreliable, unclean and unprofessional electricians and wanted to overhaul what customers expected and experienced from such contractors. 

As the managing director, she is in charge of a team of both men and women and has never had any problem getting the respect she needs at the top. They know she is exceptional at her job and believe that under her guidance they can achieve great things. 

McCallum has also focused on creating a well rounded business model to become a one stop shop for all of her customers needs.

This year, her goal is to improve systems that make jobs easier to price and create efficiencies that she will be able to pass on to her customers.

Helen Yost, Tradettes (pictured centre) 

Helen Yost started Australia’s First Female Only Plumbing Service Tradettes in a bid to prove there’s more to plumbing than “plaid shirts and plumber’s cracks”.

Yost is leading the way as a growing number of female construction workers, builders and other tradies shake off the gender stereotypes and proudly work their way up the career ladder or start their own business.

After years of being surrounded by your stereotypical plumber, she noticed a gap in the market. She knew that women can feel unsafe if they are at home alone with a male tradie, and that her own friendly and approachable personality could immediately put customers at ease. 

Yost believes that women in tradie industries can still be feminine and feel like themselves, “even after spending the day knee deep in bodily fluids”. She plans to to expand the business interstate by 2017.

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