Edge Forum

Ever had a good idea but weren't sure what to do next? Joanna Behari might be the Role Model for you. After dreaming up the concept of an all-female property maintenance company, she followed her instincts and made it a reality, learning some vital lessons along the way.  

Hi Joanna. What do you do?

I run a property maintenance company which provides an all female workforce – we do plumbing, electrics, decorating, carpentry building flat pack furniture, putting up blinds; anything and everything really!

How did you get the idea to do that?

I was frustrated trying to get work done to a standard I was happy with and then the crunch came when I had a bit of an unpleasant experience; I had a guy come round to my house once to do some work and he was asking if I lived alone and if anyone was coming home later, which was pretty creepy. I thought, if I’m supposed to be a strong, independent woman imagine how an elderly woman or a victim of crime would feel with that sort of thing. So next time I needed something done I looked for a woman to do it but there were none, so I thought I’d start my company!

What has your journey been like?

My career path has been a bit ‘loose’! I only got one A level, and then I did go and get a degree in marketing – I didn’t get a good grade – but still, I got the degree! I got out of uni and went into a really good marketing job, which was well respected and paid me a lot –  but while I was there I worked long hours and slaved away over what I wrote, and in the end it felt like, actually, no one read what I wrote or cared how many hours I worked. So when this incident with the plumber happened, I decided to make the change and start my business.

How did you get the guts to start?

My dad helped me a lot and he had his own business, he’s not superhuman and I thought ‘if he can do it, I can too.’ I’ve always been a risk taker, always tried to buck the trends and go against the norm, so I thought I would do that through starting something completely different to what was out there. I was driven a lot by a passion and desire to show other people I could do it. So my dad gave me the practical advice, and I got a lot of support from my friends.

I’ve always been quite handy and I actually did our first job!  A woman rang and said she needed her boiler cupbaord taken out and at the time we only had four tradeswomen, none of whom could do that day, so I went off and did it!

What would you say success is?

Success for me is happiness. When I started my career I thought it was money, but it’s not, because I don’t have any now! For me it’s definitely happiness and fulfilment.

What advice would you give to young people who want to start a business?

I would say if you’re passionate and determined to succeed you will succeed. And something I would like other people to take from my story is: don’t take rejection too badly – if people say 'can’t, can’t, can't', use it to push yourself. There’s always people who are gonna be jealous of what you do, or say you can’t – prove them wrong.

Have you had any major challenges?

In terms of starting the business, simple challenges like raising finance and just thinking how do you start? I spent a whole summer doing research and when people asked I used to say ‘I’m setting up a business’, which is easy – when you’re running it, it’s different!

Personally the challenges have been about positivity and trying to maintain the mindset you need – you can’t take it personally if a client rings up with problems. I’ve spent a lot of time building my ‘business brain’.

What should education be?

It shouldn’t just be about books and dates – a lot of people get on in life from learning from a book but I didn’t work that way. When it came to practical stuff, like experiments in science, that’s when I really thrived. There should be more of a range – you have to show kids there’s more out there you can do – nobody tells you about jobs other than doctors and lawyers

One of the things we promote in the Edge Learner Forum is that there are many paths to success, so it’s good to hear you say that!

It’s true. There are not a lot of young people going into construction and the built environment as a trade, let alone girls, yet it is the biggest industry in the world. I don’t think they teach enough about the built environment at school.

I really don’t think there should be any boundaries, with ‘male’ or ‘female’ jobs; there should be more men in early years training for example – it should be an even keel.

Who gave you the courage to take the first step?

My dad is definitely a huge role model for me – we’ve had our ups and downs like most fathers and daughters, but he has helped me a lot. There’s also a friend of mine who has been running a business for eight years. I looked at her and thought – you’re no different to me, but you’re so successful – maybe I can do it too! So I think she was one of the biggest sources of inspiration.

On the other hand there have been a few people who have perhaps waited for my demise and are secretly jealous; a lot of people really want to start their own business but don’t – or maybe they’re not stupid enough to!

As a woman do you feel you have to put life on hold for a family?

I don’t have one yet, but it does worry me. I think that because I run my own business it will be easier for me to structure my day with a family, unlike a big company where you’re frowned at for taking your kids home early. But I do worry that having a family to concentrate on might take the focus off the business.

Do you have any regrets?

There are tiny little things, but no, I have none really. If I hadn’t started this business, I would have regretted not doing it. When I was considering it, I thought that in ten years I would have thought ‘I wish I’d done that’, which is why I did it.

Finally, do you offer work experience?

We have had a couple of work experience students in the office and if people want to train to work for us, we do work with organisations who train women in construction etc, so we put people in touch. If someone wants work experience they can shadow someone on a job, that’s not a problem.