We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Hannah Venema a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Hannah thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

It was during the tail end of lockdown, 2020, and I had just been cleared to go back to my accounting desk job after about 6 months of being able to work on our home projects and landscaping. I had felt so free and fulfilled by all the remodeling I was FINALLY able to finish up after they had been dragged out over months (and some years) now given the time, that I was subconsciously formulating a new design for my future without me even realizing it.

I decided that no matter what, I wasn’t going back into my previous work environment due to the toxicity it fueled in my life, and that I needed to choose another route. At first, I thought I would try finding a low pressure/low pay job until I found something that made me happy, but every job interview I went into changed into an on the spot managerial position that I hadn’t applied for and I wasn’t wanting to go back into retail to that extent again.

I have a Bachelors in Fine Arts Painting. I grew up working in my father’s hardware store for 17 years. I managed retail for nearly a decade. I left management and took a job at Sherwin Williams paint store. After that I did accounting for a commercial printing company. I needed to break free of it all.

During lockdown, I had many friends reaching out to help them with their home projects and repairs. This lead me to think about how happy I was during that time and how maybe, I should find a way to get paid doing the things I loved. Duh!

After my latest interview, knowing I would regret getting back into retail, I told my nearest and dearest that I was thinking about starting my own Handywoman business. I got immediate support and within three days I had come up with a business name and registered it on our state’s licensing site, bought a URL and created social media accounts to start getting the word out.

I have been fortunate enough to have had full time work with my career choice ever since that day and have never been happier!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I started my business as an all around handywoman. Having grown up in our family hardware store and accomplishing a Bachelors in Fine Arts Painting, I now see that owning my own home beautification business was inevitable. I just thought I needed to follow career paths that required climbing the corporate ladder – but now I know the only ladder I want to climb is my step ladder.

What I realized was that there really weren’t women in this field in our area and that especially with the fear of Covid-19, that many people were in need of feeling safe, and that was something that I could bring to the table. I masked up and I was a solo person that you could trust in your home. I love animals and was a calm voice for all the new and older pets in homes. I am honest and easy to talk to. I listen and work to show that I hear my clients’ inspirations and concerns. I can confidently offer detailed work and be very proud of my output. I am for all peoples.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

After 3 years as a Handywoman, I had found that my scope of work was narrowing down to my favorite passions of interior painting and wallpaper installation, so I rebranded from The Handywoman Eclectic to Walls and Whatnot. It was a great decision that helped me to better represent my refined expertise. This allows me focus my trade as well as streamline many aspects in the job including my time on the computer doing quotes, which is the least fun part, making my communication turnaround much quicker and the process less stressful.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to unlearn saying “Yes” to every job. I have always been a people pleaser and when you are starting your own company and worried about turning away any potential jobs, it’s easy to fall under that category. What I learned was that clients would rather know up front if something is out of your wheelhouse so they aren’t left with an abandoned job halfway through a project because their contractor doesn’t know what they are doing. Fortunately, I learned to be honest with myself as well as clients pretty quickly so they wouldn’t have to have that experience at least with me. It has all and all been a very positive experience.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.WallsAndWhatnot.com
• Instagram: WallsAndWhatnot
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WallsWhatnot
• Linkedin: Hannah Venema