Friday, Jun. 12, 2009

Olathe woman overcoming stereotypes of handyman industry

Laurie Thompson thought she would encounter some resistance as a woman in the handyman industry.

It’s been a male-dominated profession for years, but she was determined to overcome any obstacles or stereotypes.

“I encountered more resistance being a woman engineer in the 1980s than I have as a handyman,” she said.

She has had only one customer say, “I won’t work with a woman,” since she bought the Handyman Matters franchise about 18 months ago. The operation serves Johnson, Miami, Wyandotte, Douglas, Franklin and Jefferson counties.

“I’ve had a good experience so far,” she said.

Thompson worked as an engineer in circuit board manufacturing for 30 years until the company she worked for closed its local office. The company offered to move her out of state, but she wanted to remain in Olathe.

“I’ve always liked building things, working with my hands, doing projects,” she said.

That’s when she heard about Handyman Matters.

Handyman Matters was founded in 1998 by Andy Bell in Denver. Bell wanted the ability to help solve homeowners’ and businesses’ small- and medium-repair problems and wanted to develop and run his own business.

He hoped to change the handyman industry, restore public confidence in the profession and treat its employees with respect.

It was that business model that drew Thompson to the company.

“It’s changed the image of the handyman business,” she said.

Thompson doesn’t ask customers for money upfront and guarantees her business’s work. She employs six craftsmen and a scheduler, all of whom passed background checks, she said.

“You can call us at anytime and we’ll answer,” she said. “I always want to do the right thing.”

She also shares jobs, employees and advertising costs with Handyman Matters franchise owners, David and Karen Pierce, who serve the Missouri side of the Kansas City area.

“That’s the strength of buying into a franchise,” she said.

The combination of good business practices, strong employees and franchise cooperation has helped the business work in a tough economy, she said.

Thompson met her first year’s business plan and is half way to meeting her goals for this year, she said.

What also has helped her business is that people are remodeling their homes instead of buying newer homes because of the current market conditions, she said.

“I think it’s been successful, but you never know what can happen,” she said

She operates Handyman Matters as a licensed general contractor out of her home, which allows her to spend more time with her 10-year-old daughter and cuts down on overhead costs.

She also works more with her husband, Steve, who owns and operates a painting business in Olathe. They’ve been able to combine efforts on a few jobs, and give references to customers for each other’s business.

“I just have a great group of people, which has helped me and this business work,” she said.

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