BizBeat Member Spotlight - March 2014
No Small Job:
Tammy Buchanan’s triumph in the trades
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By Emma Geldart
Tammy Buchanan is a female plumber.
Not only does she work in a trade that is very
much dominated by men, she successfully runs
her own business within it.
In December 2013, Tammy, with the help of her
business partner Sherri, launched Small Jobs
Plumbing. Even though Small Jobs is a new
business in the plumbing industry, Tammy is
thrilled with the enormous amount of positivity
she has received from her clients.
Small Jobs Plumbing has only two employees:
Tammy and her business partner, Sherri.
Tammy is the plumber while Sherri takes
care of the administrative duties, scheduling
clients, updating their social media pages and
establishing marketing initiatives to increase their
client base. Together Tammy and Sherri have
created a strong reputation for Small Jobs, and
have quickly gained many loyal clients.
Tammy hasn’t always been a plumber. After
high school, she went to university and earned
a Bachelor of Science degree. She then worked
an office job for 19 years before admitting to
herself that she wasn’t fully satisfied. At the time,
her brother was looking for an apprentice for his
plumbing business. Knowing she enjoyed handson jobs, Tammy decided to give it a try and she
was instantly hooked.
After testing the waters in the trade, she went to
the Nova Scotia Community College and became
a Red Seal certified plumber. Upon graduation,
she got a full time job working as a plumber, but
that still wasn’t enough. Tammy wanted more,
so she decided to step outside her comfort zone
and start her own plumbing business.
“I’m a person who likes my comfort zone,”
Tammy smiles. “So starting my own business
was a big risk for me. I was nervous, but it didn’t
take long for my fears to be overshadowed by
confidence.”
Although her business is small, Tammy’s work
load is very full. Employed as a full-time plumber
while running Small Jobs on evenings and
weekends, it is not uncommon for Tammy to
work 12-hour days. She recently signed up with
a contracting company that has brought even
more work to Small Jobs Plumbing. With her
business growing rapidly, Tammy has decided
to take the final leap and devote all of her time
to her business. Starting March 7, she will be
working with Small Jobs Plumbing full-time.
For Tammy, breaking into a male dominated
trade was not easy. There were many challenges
that would have turned other people away, but
BizBeat Member Spotlight - March 2014
she wasn’t discouraged. She explains that one of
her toughest challenges has been finding steady
work.
“Plumbing is usually seasonal work,” Tammy
explains. “Many people renovate in the summer,
so we sometimes get laid off during the winter.”
Being a female was another challenge for Tammy.
With only a few females in the trade, it was harder
for her to gain a reputation with her employers
and clients. She worked hard to not only prove
her capability to her clients, but to also gain their
trust and establish a relationship.
“Working as a plumber requires your employer
and clients to have a lot of trust in you,” Tammy
explains. “Since you are entering clients homes
and repairing their plumbing issues, it’s important
to gain their trust and confidence in your
capabilities. It is also equally important for me
to know that I can offer them a level of comfort
working in their home.”
Even though finding work was hard in the
beginning, once Tammy established her
reputation, gaining clients at Small Jobs Plumbing
was much easier. A large part of gaining new
clients and launching her business was because
of the support of her previous clients.
“It’s all in who you know,” she says. “Networking
is very important in any business, but especially
being a woman in the trades. It’s easier for people
to trust me if they feel they know me personally.
People will refer you to their friends if they trust
you and are pleased with your work. I have been
incredibly fortunate to have previous customers
refer me to people they know. That has been a
huge help in getting my business off the ground
and helping me build my reputation.”
As a new member of the Centre for Women in
Business, Tammy’s busy schedule hasn’t given
her the opportunity to take part in many programs
or events hosted by the Centre. Even though
she hasn’t had the opportunity yet, she feels very
welcome and involved with the Centre.
“The Centre acts like a family of support,” she
says. “I already feel like I can open up to the
Centre and other members to get advice and just
share common experiences. Knowing they’re
there for me is very comforting, especially when
I’m just getting started with my business. They
are incredibly helpful and I look forward to
attending their events in the future.”
She hopes to get to a point where she can offer
employment to other females in the trades.
“Ideally, I would like to have two other employees
working with me,” Tammy describes. “I would love
to be able to train and educate another woman
and to mentor someone the way my brother
mentored me.”
When it comes to starting a business, Tammy
encourages people to have a good plan and stay
organized. Developing “good connections and
strong relationships” are also important, and she
emphasizes the value of having someone to talk
to that you trust.
Tammy says she wouldn’t be where she is today
without the passion she has for her work. She
loves what she does and she isn’t afraid to show
it. She overcame all the obstacles and worked
her way into a gendered industry, and that was no
small job.
Centre for Women in Business
Mount Saint Vincent University
Suite 411 - McCain Centre - Halifax, NS - B3M 2J6
902.457.6449 - 1.877.776.9022
[email protected] - centreforwomeninbusiness.ca