I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s booked a tradesperson and had one — male — arrive and only speak to my husband. It’s a problem that Anna Moynihan, co-founder of TaskHer, experienced firsthand in 2020.

When she and her husband needed work on their kitchen done, Anna initially contacted tradespeople via phone and WhatsApp. Yet when two male tradesmen arrived, they directed their attention solely to her husband. This everyday bias spurred Anna and her husband Paul to create TaskHer — a platform that ensures tradeswomen get the opportunities they deserve while homeowners receive reliable, high-quality service.

I spoke to Anna Moynihan to learn all about it. 

Breaking barriers in UK skilled trades

In the UK’s £56 billion trade services market, women account for just 5 per cent of the workforce, not due to a lack of skill but because systemic barriers — such as lack of visibility, bias, and stereotyping — continue to hinder their progress.

Yet many are independent contractors working as qualified electricians, plumbers, heating & gas engineers and painter decorators.

TaskHer has developed a platform that streamlines the process of booking tradeswomen. Customers choose the service they need, detail the job required, receive a quote, and once confirmed,  can communicate with their assigned tradeswoman directly via TaskHer’s messaging system.

Payments are held securely by TaskHer and only processed once the job is completed to the customer’s satisfaction, ensuring a trustworthy transaction for both parties.

Tradeswomen provide proof of their qualifications, insurance, and ID and then join the platform for free. It ensures they gain bookings from customers who want to support women in trade, and the use of the platform also helps increase women’s safety on the job as users must submit their address, contact and payment details.

Facilitating fair pay and community building

According to Moynihan, the platform also reflects a broader aim of making the trade industries more accessible to women:

“Our platform not only ensures that clients receive skilled professionals who communicate effectively, but it also fosters collaboration with tradeswomen to set market-leading rates.

These rates truly reflect their skills and expertise, ultimately helping them increase their wages.”

Tradeswomen on TaskHer have access to a network of peers, fostering a sense of camaraderie and support in a historically male-dominated industry.

It’s also part of a bigger movement to increase the number of women becoming skilled tradeswomen. 

The UK is currently experiencing a shortage of 166,000 tradespeople, with vacancy levels for many trades nearing record highs. A significant contributing factor to this shortfall is the lack of sustained recruitment efforts, particularly to attract more individuals — especially women — into the industry. 

Little focus has been on highlighting the benefits of a career in skilled trades, which has undoubtedly exacerbated the shortage.

Moynihan explains: “We partner with businesses, associations, and charities and work to encourage more women to enter skilled trades, and help women access mentors and support.”

TaskHer operates on a marketplace model, taking a 25 per cent commission on each booking while tradeswomen retain the rest. 

The company has already seen a 79 per cent increase in revenue over the last financial year and is now expanding its reach to B2B bookings to boost margins further.

One key feature that sets TaskHer apart from other platforms is the ability to provide bespoke estimates instantly. 

Moynihan shared: 

“We’ve recently introduced estimates for larger or more complex jobs, allowing customers to get a clear idea of costs without the time-consuming process of arranging an in-person assessment.”

Having previously raised £350,000 in Pre-Seed funding from Bethnal Green Ventures, Ufi Ventures and Resolution Ventures as well as a number of angels, TaskHer recently launched a crowdfunding campaign via Crowdcube to raise an additional £300,000. 

These funds will support expansion into new cities, including Bristol, Brighton, and Manchester — where TaskHer has already built strong communities of tradeswomen ready to hit the ground running.

Moynihan is quietly hopeful: 

“We’re incredibly proud to have turned a negative experience into a business that not only fills a market gap but also empowers and positively impacts the people who use it.”

Taskher’s crowdfunding campaign is closing in just over a week. 

Lead image: Taskher. Photo: uncredited.