A former waitress who quit her job to become a plasterer says she has a “huge advantage” over her male counterparts. Madi Forrest made the career change after doing a four-day plastering course while on furlough.
Although the 24-year-old initially did the course to brush up on her DIY skills, she began doing odd jobs for friends and family for free. But when she received a surprise payment of £150 she realised she could make a business out of it.
Now Madi, from Chester, realises she has a unique selling point in a male-dominated industry, with single parents and elderly customers preferring to have a tradeswoman in the house. She said: "Before I set up my business She Plasters, I thought that people, men in particular, would doubt my ability to plaster.
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“But to my wonderful surprise, the majority of people have been extremely supportive and complimentary. I get the odd male tradie who thinks I can’t do my job, but in my opinion they are just jealous that the women in trade are smashing it!”
"I face a few challenges being a woman in this job. It doesn’t happen often. But I get the odd customer who doesn’t take me seriously, or assumes that I wouldn’t be capable of doing the job, but they are soon proven wrong.
"I think I have a huge advantage being a woman in this industry. First off, it’s different, and people like different. I also get a lot of elderly customers, along with single parents.
"I think they just feel more comfortable with a female being around the house, I know I would.”
One thing which Madi does find tough is how physically demanding plastering is. But the perks of running her own business make it worth it.
She added: "Carrying bags of plaster is a job and a half in itself. The job itself is very tiring - so I tend to aim to finish my day by 2 pm, most plasterers do the same.
"It’s a difficult job, but sometimes when I need to get the job done on a deadline I do end up working into the early evening. Plasterers, along with all other trades really, make a very decent wage.
"The flexibility of having my own business is great - knowing I don’t need to request holidays etc. With anyone who has their own business, you can work quite literally whenever you want."
Madi cites her grandad for her knack at DIY, as he influenced her growing up. She added: "If you had told me a few years ago that I would have my own plastering company today, I never would have believed yo.! My grandad, before passing, had his own home improvements business. I would sometimes work with him when I was much younger; removing tiles and wallpaper, painting etc.
"His hard work rubbed off on my mum who is also very handy around the house, always making new things and upcycling.I guess that got passed down to me.”
Three and a half years into being a plasterer, Madi hasn’t looked back and loves meeting different people through her work. She said: "I’ve met some lovely people from different backgrounds and stories. My customers are usually very amazed and complimentary when they see what I do, it’s such a confidence booster.
"I would love to expand my business in the future. I have a few ideas in mind.Since starting my plastering journey, I have met many other female tradies along the way.
"I actually have a group chat with a bunch of other female plasterers, we are all very supportive of one another and love seeing each other doing well."
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