We talk to Jo Behari, the entrepreneur behind tradeswoman business Home Jane
DIY women
14 May 2012
Most Londoners have spent the past few weeks moaning about living through the wettest drought on record. But for Jo Behari, the deluge has been very good for business.
Behari is the entrepreneur behind Home Jane, a tradeswoman business that hit revenues of £320,000 last year. And the rain is causing a surge in the number of clients booking her female plumbers to fix leaks and overflowing gutters. “Everyone seems to have leaky houses in London, which is great for business,” she explains.
“We rely on internet advertising, so when it started pouring we changed our Google Adwords from ‘female plumber’ or ‘female electrician’ to ‘roof leaking’ and ‘damp patch appeared’. It means anyone typing that into Google is directed to our plumbers, and business has gone crazy.” Home Jane was born in 2006 when Behari had what she thought was her dream job, working in marketing for an accountancy firm. “I thought it would be amazing, taking me all over the world. But I hated the long hours for very little reward. I became disilusioned and decided to start my own business.”
A few months later, she was having electrical work done on her bathroom. “I had to phone an electrician three times before he came, and when he finally did, he made such a mess in my flat,” she says. “Then he started asking if I lived there alone, and I felt a bit uncomfortable. I started thinking about being in a vulnerable position by inviting strangers into my home to get work done. That’s how I came up with the idea for Home Jane.”
