Wired For Success: Gina York; The Daughter, The Electrician

Part 1 of 2 – In this episode I sat down with my friend Gina York, a self-employed female electrician, who shares her inspiring journey through the electrical trade. Gina opens up about her early experiences on the tools, the challenges of working with different customers, and what it’s really like to be a woman in a male-crowded industry. Gina also reflects on the emotional impact of having her tools stolen and how the supportive trades community rallied around her in response. We discuss the the role of social media in shaping public perception of tradespeople and the negative comments a presence can cause, the importance of comfortable and functional workwear for women on the job, and the realities of running a small electrical business.

Whether you’re a tradesperson, aspiring electrician, or simply interested in stories of resilience and independence, Gina’s story is a powerful look at what it means to build a career and community in the trades…make sure you are following the show so you don’t miss Part 2 next week!!

Key Takeaways

• Gina started her journey in the trade by helping her Dad.
• She initially pursued a career in sports teaching but quickly realized it wasn't for her.
• Being self-employed has its challenges, especially with customer interactions.
• Gina emphasizes the importance of valuing one's work and time.
• She has faced unique challenges as a woman in the trades, including customer biases.
• The emotional impact of theft on tradespeople can be profound.
• Social media can amplify both support and criticism for tradespeople.
• Gina advocates for better workwear options for women in trades.
• Gina's passion for her work shines through despite the difficulties.

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Chapters

00:00 Gina's Journey into Electrical Work

01:21 Challenges of Being Self-Employed

03:57 Customer Interactions and Payment Issues

06:43 The Value of Trades and Pricing

09:42 Advice for Aspiring Electricians

12:28 Experiences as a Female Electrician

15:09 The Impact of Van Break-Ins on Tradespeople

23:16 Processing Trauma and Vulnerability

28:26 The Impact of Theft on Self-Employment

32:52 Public Awareness and Community Support

37:27 Navigating social media and Public Perception

42:18 The Challenges of Female Representation in Trades

46:50 Workwear and Comfort in the Trades

51:20 The Importance of Problem Solving in Electrical Work

Transcript

Laura (00:10)

Today's guest on the show is Gina York, the daughter, electrical. welcome Gina.

Gina (00:18)

Hi, that's me. Hi.

Laura (00:19)

Hi

So Gina, obviously you are an electrician. Yes, you are. And how did you get into your trade? Where did it all start?

Gina (00:24)

I am.

From when I was very little, my dad's been self employed for a long time. And me and my sister used to help him on like summer holidays and stuff. And then when I left school, I was like, so we like knew how to do the basics from a young age anyway, there's another fly flying around anyway. And yeah, so like I liked being on site anyway, and the job and like,

Yeah, that. And then when I left school, I went to college to be a sports teacher because that's what I enjoyed, like, to a sports science. And I was like, that's what I want to do. I enjoy sports. Like, there's nothing else that I want to work at. And then when I got there, I was like, I it. I hated it. Yeah. I did like a month at college and I hated it. And I was like, this is not what I'm supposed to be doing. I shouldn't hate it this much. Like, am I doing having a career in that and not wanting to go to work?

Laura (01:00)

OK.

Mm-hmm.

Really?

wow.

Gina (01:28)

So then the only other thing that I knew was to work with my dad. So I rang him and I was like, dad, can I come work with you? And he was like, yeah. I was like, so my sister is three years older than me and she worked with him when she left school for three years So he was like, oh, I suppose, cause she worked, well, She just.

Laura (01:40)

Okay.

Bye.

Moved on.

Gina (01:50)

It just wasn't

what she wanted to do. She thought that's what she wanted to do and then she changed her mind. Which is fair enough. You're a teenager, at that stage. You don't know what you want to do. And then I put myself through college, went on an apprenticeship with him and yeah, the rest is history.

Laura (01:57)

Okay. Yeah.

Awesome. So you did actually

do it through as school age then Okay. Wow. So how long have you been doing it now?

Gina (02:18)

14 years. 15 years this year. I left school in 2010. yeah.

Laura (02:21)

Wow, fair play, fair play, mate, nice one.

So are you like fully qualified to do all the sign-offs and everything? Absolutely all in, yeah? Sweet, okay.

Gina (02:38)

Yeah, yeah.

self-employed about five years ago. Must be five years ago. Honestly, it feels like a lifetime ago now because it's like, yeah. I love it. I love being self-employed. I love it. And it was the best decision I ever made. But my God, it's a bit stressful. yeah, stressful.

Laura (02:49)

Yeah.

Stress, innit? What would you say

is the hardest part about it?

Gina (03:05)

the customers. Honestly, honestly, not all of them, like you get a handful of them and they're absolutely amazing. Like I have one week a day and she was like, I've, I've moved my car off the drive. So you can park on the drive. But I've had a few, a fair few, like, yeah, awful, awful customers. Like I'm at one at the minute. I did a job about two weeks ago.

Laura (03:06)

Would ya? Oh no

Yeah.

Winning.

Gina (03:34)

And I've messaged him, like, did you get my invoice that I sent? Like, the tenant, so he's a landlord, it's always a landlord. Tenant said you did an amazing job, blah, blah. Still nothing. Still waiting for payment. And it's like, why am I waiting for payment from something that I did two weeks ago? Like, it should be, it drives me mad. And then you get people that are like, um.

Laura (03:42)

is

Yeah.

Yeah.

Gina (04:01)

Well, I've had a customer actually say, I've done a job and then he'll ring me the next day and he'll go, I need that socket that you put in yesterday moving like three mil to the right. Are you actually being serious? What's three mil? Three mil is like, you can't even see that. Like with the naked eye, you can't see three mil. Like that's how picky people are. Because you're running a book store. Because it was a nightmare. It was a nightmare. A plumber.

Laura (04:17)

You can't.

Why would he want that?

⁓

Gina (04:30)

put his foot through the roof and he took 500 quid off my bill and said, you put your foot through the roof. I was like, that was me. That was me, that was a plumber. But yeah, I think it was, that was one of my first jobs being self-employed. And I think it was partly because I was like inexperienced in running my own business and dealing with, like I dealt with customers with my dad, but he was the boss.

Laura (04:38)

The cheek of it! my god!

Yeah.

Yeah.

Gina (04:57)

But then like also being a woman, I think he was taking the piss a bit. And then, yeah, just,

Laura (05:05)

it can be very daunting when you first start if you come up against something like that, can't it? I remember when I first started, goodness, like, I can't even remember when I started. Yeah, pretty much. Oi. I'm not that old. I did some work for a landlord and he basically picked it to pieces.

Gina (05:15)

yes, yes.

Laura (05:26)

and shouted at me down the phone, made me feel about this big. And it was just like, fine, you know, just take off the bill, whatever you want. I can't deal with this. don't, one, I don't want to. Two, I don't know how to because I'm so inexperienced. So I get it. It's, it is tough, especially when it comes to, it's always flipping money, isn't it? It's always invoice and payment related. Yeah.

Gina (05:37)

See you later.

Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. And quotes. I

hate quotes. I hate all admin. I hate quoting. I hate quoting because I always think, it's too much. And then I think, no, because I'm worth that. So I'm quoting that. And then when you come to invoice for something that you've already quoted for that I've accepted, I hate it. I don't know why. I ⁓ don't know if I'm going to get this job because I don't want to be too expensive, but...

Laura (06:03)

Yeah.

It's constant turmoil, innit, when you quote? Yeah.

Gina (06:18)

Also, if I go in a cheaper, I'm not going to earn anything. need to earn a living And then everyone always expects everything cheaper anyway. I had a customer not long ago. Well, I had three quotes in and you're the cheapest. So I thought, am I the cheapest? Okay. Well, if you can do it for this much and I'll give you this much cash, then you can do it. thanks. Thanks for that. Yeah.

Laura (06:21)

That's it.

Yeah.

The old cash

trick, you know?

Gina (06:43)

Yeah,

I'm like, this doesn't help me at all. This doesn't help me. I have to sign this job off. I have to put this through my books. Whether you pay me cash or not, they're going to be like, do you know what mean? I don't know. Everyone wants everything for nothing.

Laura (06:45)

No.

Exactly. Yeah.

quite shocked that people try and barter a trade such as yours because I, yeah, I guess I say that because I've worked with electricians on properties that I've done. And yeah, I have kind of said to him, because he's done work for me before, do think you could kind of come down a little bit? that's because I've done work with him on a long term basis. I would be

Gina (07:04)

Any trade, any trade.

Yeah, yeah.

Laura (07:26)

I find it quite shocking that a new customer barters a price of an electrician because to me, it's, I don't know why, but it seems a trade that you shouldn't barter with maybe because it's dangerous and

Gina (07:41)

I just think any trade, just any trade, like the materials are a set amount. You're not getting those materials for any cheaper. If you charge your customer, if you add nothing onto that and your customer still wants it cheaper, there's no way you can go with that. We all value our time. You're paying for my time. Do know what mean? Whether I'm a skilled trade or not, you're paying for my time and you should be paying any other trade.

Laura (07:43)

Yeah...

Yep.

Gina (08:09)

like they're a human being and that's the time they're a living. You shouldn't be bartering their price. When is the, I don't even know when the right time to barter with someone is because everyone is entitled to their worth. So I don't get it. I don't really.

Laura (08:11)

Yeah.

Absolutely not.

Yeah, it's like

you don't barter in, say you're in a normal job, let's say, you don't say to your boss, I've done more work this week, I think I should have a pay rise just for the bit more money this week or the other way around, your boss doesn't come up to you and say, you've not actually reached your numbers this week, do you know? So you're going to have 200 quid less in your, is that all right?

Gina (08:46)

Yeah!

You know, I've just had to get a solicitor, right? If I said to that woman, oh, can't you do it for 150 quid? She just told me where to go. Do you know what I mean? No one is telling a solicitor or a lawyer or, do you know what I mean? Anyone else to be like, oh, can you do it for a little bit cheaper? No, I can't do it for any cheaper. And why are you not paying me on the day? Why are you not paying me? It baffles me. It really winds me up. Really winds me up. Go to Tesco, buy a meal deal.

Laura (08:59)

Yeah, yeah.

Mm.

No.

Yes, exactly. Yeah.

Gina (09:19)

and they go, can I get, can I get three pound off that? Do you know I mean? Well, can I pay for this next week when I get paid? No! You're eating it now, you're not asking me.

Laura (09:22)

Yeah. Or can I pay you tomorrow?

That is the worst, isn't it? Yeah,

yeah. I'm quite lucky. Like my customers tend to pay on the day, on the evening, as long as I invoice them straight away. mean, sometimes I get back late and I can't be arsed to invoice. So I'll do it on the Saturday morning or whatever.

Gina (09:42)

Yeah, yeah.

But either way, right, if you're invoicing for something that you've done, whether you send it the next day or the day after, you're invoicing for something that you've done, you're invoicing it, and you want payment for what you've done, and they just take the piss. ⁓ that's the worst bit. That's the worst bit.

Laura (09:54)

Yeah.

Yep.

I know. Yeah,

you should not have to chase your customers for payment. Once that invoice has been emailed or however you send it, it should be payment within, I don't know, 12, 24 hours, what have you.

Gina (10:19)

I've put mine on receipt. I know that sounds a bit ruthless but I put it on receipt Why? Why are you not putting it on receipt? Do know what mean? I've done a job, you've accepted a price, you've said, oh, okay, I have enough money in my bank for you to do this job that I want you to do, but then I pay it, but then I invoice you for doing it. I go do it and then I invoice you and you're not paying me. Okay. Yeah, I don't, don't it baffles me, because if I was in that position, I wouldn't do that. If I, you,

Laura (10:20)

Yeah.

Fair play.

Yeah.

Mm. Yeah.

Yeah, I know, know.

It is one of the major pitfalls of being a trade self-employed person, innit? Absolutely. Yeah. So that's obviously one of the biggest challenges we all face. Big rant.

Gina (10:53)

between. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah, Yeah, that's

the worst. That's the worst bit. Every every other aspects of it, I think, like the actual job itself. If you heard that, by the way, that was my ice breaking in my drink. wasn't I poured myself some coke and I put some ice in it. I need some energy because I'm just ran round for 90 minutes. And yeah, my my ice cube is just like

Laura (11:12)

Mm.

I did hear that.

⁓

thought you had a dripping tap.

Gina (11:34)

No. No. Yeah,

I want a plumber, but i'm not gona pay em but yeah.

Laura (11:40)

Do it, well

yeah, that's the thing. Yeah, why would you?

Gina (11:44)

Anyway, so.

Laura (11:47)

If you could give someone one piece of advice was looking to become an electrician, say from teenage years, what path would you, what would you advise them to do?

Gina (12:01)

⁓ that's difficult. It's actually difficult because the education system at the minute, well, like just going to college, even me, like all many moons ago, it was awful. And people that I speak to now is awful. Like the funding that they have for, so bricklaying, great. Plastering, great. Plumbing, electrician, awful.

Laura (12:16)

Really?

Gina (12:28)

that they just don't have the There's like a big debate at the minute with like apprentices over the construction industry anyway, because it's hard because the wage is so high for an apprentice.

Laura (12:28)

Really?

Mm.

Gina (12:46)

bosses are probably gonna employ someone who's already qualified. So they can send them out on their own. So they earn more money, blah, blah. It's hard. If I was to, I don't know if you spoke to Amy yet, Amy the Spark, yeah.

Laura (12:50)

Gotcha.

No, I haven't yet. No.

Gina (13:02)

So she did, she got into it at an older age. So obviously I got funding with mine and I went to college and the government paid for it because I was 16 blah blah blah. But she went when she was 26 or something. So she was obviously out of that bit where the government paid for her.

Laura (13:06)

Okay.

Yeah.

Okay.

Gina (13:28)

But I think it's worth, if you are at that stage, you said a teenager. So I probably won't go for an apprenticeship. Yeah. It took me, so it should have took me three, a three year apprenticeship and I didn't get my actual papers. It must have been six years, seven years because I'll go through.

Laura (13:38)

Really?

Really? Blimey.

Gina (13:54)

your so it's normally year one, year two, year three, and then you're assessed and then you do you AM two and then you do testing and that's it. But because the funding isn't there, they don't have the tutors so that you can't sign your assessments off. My NVQ, my portfolio had to get signed off. didn't like I wasn't in college for that long, but my actual certificates that I got.

Laura (14:10)

Okay.

Gina (14:21)

I had to chase and chase and chase and chase for them because I did my AM2, I did my testing and I passed everything but the actual NVQ, the thing that you do your apprenticeship for, ⁓ your portfolio that they have, you have to get like so many site visits and then they have to sign you off on site visits and then you have to do the in college bit. The bit where they have to come out on site, they couldn't get an assessor.

Laura (14:34)

Yeah.

Gina (14:48)

It took years. Not just me, like the whole group. So was the only woman, but well, the only girl there. But all the lads were the same. Literally, we couldn't get, like I was messaging the lads, like, have you got your certificate yet? Have you got your certificate yet? I think two of them got them because their bosses were chasing. But my dad, do you know what mean? My dad's not going to do that. He's got a business to run. He's too busy to be doing that. These guys.

Laura (14:50)

Wow.

Really? Okay.

Right.

Mm.

Gina (15:17)

One of the guys was working for, is it Bio City in Nottingham? know, the building, so he was ⁓ a maintenance electrician for them. So they was obviously chasing. They were big enough company to do that. My dad, he goes to college and be like, where's the certificate? They're going to just be like, they're coming. Like they're not going to do anything. But yeah, there was quite a few of us that were like chasing for a while for our certificates.

Laura (15:20)

Yeah, yeah.

Mm.

Yeah.

Okay.

Gina (15:44)

If you were to go, I'd probably just go through the, it seems to be better if you just go for level one, level two, level three, and then do everything separate and then go from there. But if you're, again, I think Amy did hers, did Amy do hers? At like a night college maybe. I don't know, I might be wrong. But.

Laura (15:54)

Okay.

Interesting.

Gina (16:09)

If you're older and you want to get into it, think that's probably the best way to go. It costs you a lot more, but yeah.

Laura (16:13)

Yeah, because. ⁓ yeah,

it costs thousands, doesn't it? When you're out of that government age bracket, that's when it becomes expensive, doesn't it? And the.

Gina (16:24)

Yeah, I think

she'd paid like five grand or something. Don't quite know. But I think, I think, and I don't even know, I don't even know what it will cost now. Like that was years ago, so.

Laura (16:28)

I can believe it.

Yeah. Okay, so the apprenticeship route is proving tricky then at the moment.

Gina (16:43)

Yeah,

I mean from like debates and stuff that they're having on, I don't know if you listen to FIX radio and stuff. I've heard that they've had a couple of debates on there about like apprenticeships and like again like going back to bosses actually having like employing people that are already qualified because they're getting more out of that person. If you're a businessman or a businesswoman you're gonna you're gonna do that.

Laura (16:49)

Little bit, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Gina (17:12)

you're going to choose someone. You're not going to pay someone. It sounds horrible, but I understand it because I would. You don't have to pay someone the same amount or a little bit less to have to train that person and go through three, four years of training them up and college and losing them however many times a week when you can just employ someone who's already qualified and you get, you'll you'll get more work out of them.

Laura (17:34)

Yeah.

It's the same across the board really, when you look at it like that, it's like when you, at any age you apply for a job, anywhere, any sector, they typically look for people with experience, don't they? And it's like, it's that whole, how can I get experience if no one employs me type battle, isn't it? Yeah, it's a tough one, but you can understand it from a business point of view as well.

Gina (17:48)

Yes.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Laura (18:05)

what a difficult. Yeah, I wouldn't want to be a kid now.

Gina (18:06)

No, it's hard. ⁓

No, I've had a few, I mean if my dad wasn't a sparkie and he didn't take me on, I wouldn't know. I don't even know if I'd be sat here talking about it today. Like I don't know what I would have done. Because if he wasn't a sparkie I don't know what else I would have done because that's the only other thing I know. Do you know what I mean? I'll even paint my decorating or something.

Laura (18:21)

Okay.

Yeah, yeah, ⁓

Apparently

it's quite an easy trade, you see.

Gina (18:37)

Yeah.

But yeah, it is hard. I honestly, like you say, I wouldn't like to be a kid. Like just coming out of school now because I wouldn't know.

Laura (18:49)

No.

Staying on kind of the difficulties of being in the trades, let's touch upon the whole being a female tradie debate. have you had difficulties in that aspect of being a female?

Gina (19:07)

Just like comments. Comments and I've had a couple creepy customers. But yeah, yeah. But because I was working with my dad for so long, it was kind of like, I was just like, they met my dad before they met me anyway. Do you know what I mean? So when he went to call your job,

Laura (19:09)

Yeah, it-

Have ya?

Yeah.

Okay, yeah.

Gina (19:34)

he'd go quote it and then if I wasn't with him at the time I would just turn up after and then he'd just be like he'd have mentioned that obviously there's sign writing on the van saying and daughter do you know what mean so it's inevitable that a woman is going to be there at some point but like my dad he has had phone calls before saying can you send your daughter and he's just like yeah

Laura (19:59)

Really? Eww.

⁓

Gina (20:02)

They hadn't even seen me, do you know what mean? I would turn up like, hi! It's not you! I've actually been turned away. I've been turned away from my job before. So my dad's organised it and not so much. I've not been like, apart from that first customer with the plumber incident, not so much since I've been self-employed, but with my dad, yeah.

Laura (20:11)

Have ya! why?

Mm.

Gina (20:28)

I went to a job, my dad booked in a job with this guy and then I turned up, it was actually a tenant and I turned up ready to do a safety check and he opened the door and I was like electrician and he was just like no. I was like yeah, do you open the door and he was like you're not doing it. I was like yeah I am, it's booked in, I've got almost my gear and I'm ready to test it and he was just like no. So I rang my dad and he was like just walk away.

He was like, we're not testing it. And I was just like, okay.

Laura (21:00)

yeah exactly, fine then mate, see ya

Gina (21:03)

I don't know why. I don't know why they didn't want me there. Before I went self-employed I looked quite young as well so maybe that

Laura (21:06)

Madness Madness.

if you

stood there in your work gear with your tools and stuff, you know, hello.

Gina (21:18)

Yeah,

I've had someone before my van was signed written and I turned up to a job and they went are you the cleaner? No.

Laura (21:28)

honestly no can you see a mop no not me

Gina (21:31)

Yeah, no. Yeah, not the haha no.

Laura (21:37)

at the beginning of this year, you add, yes, we're going to talk about it if that's all right with you. Yeah, cool.

Gina (21:39)

god. This is gonna go down.

Yeah.

Laura (21:47)

you had your van broken into, didn't you, at the beginning of the year? Tell us, can you tell us what happened?

Gina (21:53)

So,

honestly, the amount of interviews that I did and everyone was like, how did it make you feel? Sad. I felt fucking sad. Do you know what mean? Fucking, I had all my tools stolen out my van. Walk to my van, every tradesperson, I don't know if you have it, you've got paint on your van though, every tradesperson, like, I think has this fear of walking to their van and seeing a hole in it.

Laura (22:02)

Yeah. Can't you see these tears?

I do.

Gina (22:24)

I actually had like an actual fear of seeing it and then I walked to my van and I saw a hole in it. I was like, no, that's not real. That's in my head because it's been in my head for so long. And then I unlocked my van and I opened the door and I was like, everything's gone. Everything's gone. I honestly, I just didn't know what to do. I was like, this is actually happened to me. This has actually happened. It doesn't sink in. And then...

Laura (22:49)

Yeah.

Gina (22:52)

I went to work, I went to work with Amy and luckily we was using, well obviously we was using her tools because I had nothing, went on that job and then after that job that night I got home and I remember sitting down because when you're, I don't know, it's kind of like, I'm not saying that it's the same as losing a family member, right? But...

It needs time to sink in. It's exactly like that. needs. Yeah, it needs. And I did it didn't fully sink in like I was upset. And then when I sat down after work, I went, I got home and sat down. I was like, that's actually just happened to me. What the fuck am I going to do? Like, I don't know what I'm going to do. And then I got myself like worked up and I was speaking to Amy and I was like, I don't know what to do.

Laura (23:18)

Yeah, it's a trauma, isn't it?

Mm.

Gina (23:43)

And then I didn't know, I don't know if you follow them, Stolen Tools UK on Instagram. I didn't actually know that was a thing. And then I just put a post out on Instagram. And I didn't want to be one of those people. I didn't film myself wanting to cry. I was just talking.

Laura (23:48)

Yeah, I do. Yeah. Yeah.

To get attention. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Gina (24:09)

And then I started to cry and I thought I'm going to be one of those people that are crying in their fucking videos. And then I spoke to Amy, she was like, just post it. She was like, you need to make it aware that this is an actual thing. So I posted it and then it just fucking went mad a bit. And I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't expecting that to like have me on fucking East Mid's news. Do you know what mean? That it was mad. And then that sort of...

Laura (24:24)

Yeah.

Gina (24:38)

I guess that sort of helped me through that trauma because I was just like, it was constant and I was constantly doing something, constantly speaking to someone. was like, I was working with Amy and I was just constantly doing stuff. And then every time I was on my own, I just sat there and I was like, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know I'm going to do. But yeah, the support I had was mad. Yeah.

Laura (24:47)

Yeah.

⁓

Yeah, it went mad, didn't

it? Yeah, I mean, posting those videos showing how vulnerable you were, mate, that's really brave. That was really brave of you.

Gina (25:15)

I honestly,

I'll be honest, when I got back I had like one drink, drinks and I was like, there's something about, there's something, something's got to me feel better. Do you know

Laura (25:29)

Yeah,

Gina (25:30)

Honestly, because it was like, because I knew, like people that I'd spoke to and stuff had been done before, like my dad had been done, when I moved to this house, my neighbor had been done twice. And he was like, just be careful of your van here, and I think that's what like made me mentally aware of it. Because my neighbor went, just be careful of your van because I've been done twice here, and they've like got away with all this stuff. I empty my van every night, blah, blah. I thought, that ain't gonna happen to me.

Laura (25:44)

Really?

Gina (25:57)

I mean, I've got cameras up, like it's not going to happen to me. And then yeah, that happened. Honestly, it was, it's like, I saw it and I was like.

I honestly didn't know what to, like can't even explain to you what you feel like when you walk up to your van. and then you blame yourself for not emptying your van. Why do not empty it? And weirdly enough, that day, I thought, I'm gonna take my tester out. I'm gonna take my tester out of my van. I never emptied my van.

Laura (26:19)

Of course you do, yeah.

Yeah?

Gina (26:36)

Now they're empty every day. I've got security locks, I've got alarms, I've got CCTV I've got everything that you could ever need. I've got a constantly running camera on my van now that constantly runs front and back. Like if anybody walks into my van I'd know about it. And then I thought yeah that one day I don't know I just was like gonna take my tester out. Why didn't I take the rest of my tools out? I don't know but I thought I'm gonna take my tester out.

Laura (26:48)

Yeah.

Crazy.

remember seeing your post of the hole on your door with your middle finger up against it. I saw it and I was like, like what? It did not click in my mind that you'd just had your van broken into. And then I saw your next one and you put a plaster over the hole, ain't you? And I was like, even then I was like,

Gina (27:31)

Yeah, yeah. We got, we

got all fucking, like I was so, I was honestly distraught and I was like, I don't know what to do. And then I thought, I just gotta be me, ain't I? Do you know what mean? I gotta make a joke of it because why am I gonna, this was before I made that video and I put that plaster over it. And then I put that plaster over it and thought I need to put that plaster over it in my heart.

Laura (27:38)

Yeah!

Yeah.

Yeah.

Hey!

Gina (27:59)

It's

heartbreaking. Honestly, it's heartbreaking. know, when you've got especially if it, you know, if I, it sounds, it's gonna sound horrible, but you know, if I worked for my dad, if I just still worked for my dad at that time, I wouldn't have cared. Okay. It wouldn't have affected me as much because I could still work and use these tools and I'd be still getting paid. But I know that sounds horrible. I would have still been upset about it because I built those tools up.

Laura (28:15)

Cause he... Yeah. Yeah.

No, I get it though.

Gina (28:26)

since I was an apprentice. Since I first started, I built all those tools up and like even now, I like go to my van and I think, oh, I could just do with, oh, okay, that was in that bag. And it's just like constantly like building everything back up because you can't remember exactly what was in that bag or that bag or that box. But yeah, was like being self-employed and I just didn't.

Laura (28:45)

Yeah.

Gina (28:54)

Lost my mind, I lost the plot. Honestly, I lost my plot. I lost the plot.

Laura (28:58)

Honestly, I I believe you because anyone that's got a van or a workhorse vehicle that they use as a self-employed person, it's like a second home to you, isn't it? For the amount of time that, yeah, exactly. This is it. And it's just like if someone broke into an office and stole everyone's computers, you can't do any work.

Gina (29:11)

Your office? Yeah, yeah, it's your office, yeah. It's your place of work? Yeah.

but I mean Amy was talking after and after it happened obviously we're unloading and loading and offloading and loading our tools every night now and She lives in the first floor flat and it killed her It kills her. She got a bad shoulder down because she has it. She's like

Laura (29:34)

Yeah.

Oof. Ugh.

Gina (29:43)

No, like nobody understands, like these people that work in these offices don't have to cart their fucking computers back every night and put them up and then put them back on and then set them back up in the morning. Why do we have to do that? You know what mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Laura (29:58)

It is such a stress, isn't it? Especially when you've got all

the racking and everything in your van and you've got all your little bits and bobs in there. Are you meant to take all them little things out as well? Like every single screw or every single little tiny bit of wire just in case someone thinks that you've got tools in there. half the bloody loss is obviously the tools. But then you've got to pay for the damage that they've caused to your vehicle as well.

Gina (30:11)

Yeah, some things in there. Yeah.

Laura (30:26)

Like that you might not be able to drive it because the doors won't lock. So you've got to then fork out for another mode of transport. If you haven't got someone else to work with that's got a van, then you've got to find someone to repair it. You might need a new paint job. You know, the list of things to be fixed and replaced is bloody endless in it.

Gina (30:32)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Luckily, I say luckily for me, whoever did my van was a professional at it because they literally, they drilled a 20mm hole in the perfect place, popped it open and that was that. They got everything, shut the door. don't think, did it lock? I don't know if it locked but it's shut. But you see some vans and they're absolutely wrecked.

Laura (31:05)

Wow.

Gina (31:16)

like the doors are peeled, they've got chunks missing out of them and they're like flat sleeping and like we were talking and some guy had the roof cut out of his and they jumped through his roof. I don't know if you've seen the cages that people have been I can't remember the brand, guy, but they're like full on cages in the van.

Laura (31:21)

Yeah.

Whoa.

Yes, I have.

Gina (31:41)

Obviously they don't cover the roof. They'll probably make that a thing now. But they had a cage in and the guy climbed on top, cut a hole like that. It's like a tin opener isn't it? Cut a hole like that. was going to chop the tools out. I don't know how they have the balls to do it, honestly.

Laura (31:50)

Yeah. No way.

I don't

either. mean, for some reason, before I knew you had your van broken into, had it in my head that this kind of thing kind of only happens down in London. It don't happen up here, you know, because a lot of it.

Gina (32:10)

Yeah. Birmingham's

a bad, have you seen the stolen tools thing? A lot of it, it's everywhere now. No matter where you go, it's everywhere. ⁓ London is a big one, obviously, because it's London. But it's bad everywhere. Everywhere you go.

Laura (32:18)

Yes.

Well... Well this is it.

Mm.

And yeah, it's just awful.

Gina (32:35)

Sometimes

I think it's the publicity of it making it worse because a lot of more people are knowing that people... Yeah, and then they're able to make money from this or I don't know, or is it just bad anyway? I don't know.

Laura (32:43)

are getting away with it.

Hmm,

It's so much to think about, innit? I mean, at the same time, like, how do you get the people up there to take any notice that have the effect on the laws and the fines and the, you know, the sentencing of these people that do get caught? Yeah, it's...

Gina (33:13)

Yeah.

I mean, we went, was literally, so there was that protest. That was literally a couple of weeks before they did my van. Yeah. I had all the stickers and everything all over my van. And then it must have been a few days. Cause I kept those stickers on for ages. And then I thought, I'll take them off now. And then I took them off and then I got done. Yeah.

Laura (33:18)

Did you go? Did you?

Huh. Jesus, mate.

Bastard.

Gina (33:42)

I can laugh about it now. Come on now.

Laura (33:44)

Yeah, I can see that, yeah. And how are you now with your tools? Have you managed to build them back up now?

Gina (33:55)

Not all of them, can you hear me? Because I just touched my phone. I touched my phone again. Not all of them. Because it's so many, like most of my power tools, but it's like all the little things that I still need to like get. So the company called On The Tools, you seen On The Tools? Helped me massively with that. Yeah.

Laura (33:57)

Yeah, yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

Amazing

Gina (34:21)

I probably wouldn't be, I wouldn't be, again, I wouldn't be sat here talking about it if it wasn't for them. But I had like a good, what's it called? GoFundMe that my friend set up.

Laura (34:31)

Yes, yeah,

I shared that for you a couple of times.

Gina (34:36)

Thank you.

I know, I felt so awkward about it. I was like, don't do it. Don't do it. I don't want any help. I like, I don't want this attention. Like this is a what? I didn't post that video out there to be like, give me things. Do you know what I mean? I'm doing it. I'm doing it. I was just, I don't know. Like I did it and it made me feel better just recording it. I wasn't even going to post it. And then yeah, like it just.

Laura (34:50)

I know, I know, yeah.

Really? Okay.

Gina (35:05)

Like I still can't get over how much everyone wanted to help me and everyone was like, everyone wants to help you and I was like, I don't want the help and I was like, you're, what's the word? Why can I not think? Insulting them. You're insulting them by not letting them help you because they want to help you. And I was just like, well, I don't like it. I don't want, I don't like, I'm not a charity. Like I don't want people to give me things. I don't want people, and then everyone was like, but they want to.

Laura (35:31)

Yeah.

Gina (35:33)

They want to help you. And I was just like, makes me feel sick.

Laura (35:38)

I know what you mean. I would probably feel uncomfortable as well if I was in your shoes in that situation and I think as I said before the vulnerability that you showed in that video that you did, you could feel that it was real. It wasn't put on, it wasn't for the camera or nothing like that. It was real and like we've said, having the heart of your business removed

Gina (35:44)

Yeah.

Laura (36:06)

without, you know, and then you're stuck. can, people want to help someone in that situation, obviously, and you are really good at your trade. You can see that. You can see that you love it. You've got passion for it. So why wouldn't someone want to help you continue on that path, you know?

Gina (36:11)

Mm.

You say that well.

I've been having a lot of hate lately, but yeah. But yeah, I'm glad you can actually see that. I do love my job, the actual job of doing it. everything else, no. I hate it. I hate it. hate it.

Laura (36:34)

No way.

Yes, hands on. Yeah.

Admin can do one, just give me the tools.

You say you've had a lot of hate recently on you is on your social media. People have been hating on you. Why?

Gina (36:54)

or

Oh my god. Yeah, I've never had

so many people. I don't know. I've been posting a lot more. I got called a boring bitch. I'm not over it. But I got called a boring bitch. A boring bitch. I've been called rough. Let's go through it. I've been called rough. Someone said that if you want to post your work online, then do it properly. Obviously, they don't know me. I'm very precise and particular with what I do in any job that I do.

Laura (37:03)

What are they saying?

Yeah.

No.

Gina (37:27)

You're obviously on day rate. They don't know. ⁓ I got told I was ripping everyone off blind. You're obviously ripping people off blind. A 30 second video of me stripping a cable with a SWA stripper. They've said that I'm ripping someone off blind. How have you got that? How have you got that from a 30 second video? Anyway, I'm over it. I'm not over it. I'm not used to the hate. Do you know what mean? I'm there. I like to work because I like my job.

Laura (37:48)

You

Aww, yeah.

Gina (37:57)

But I also like to make people laugh. The majority of my posts are just stupid. Most of my stuff that I put out there is just stupid. just, even if it makes one person laugh, like my grandad once said to me, oh, don't ever stop doing them videos that you do. Because it really makes my day. And I thought, you know what, I'm gonna do it for my grandad. And then, yeah, people think that I'm being like, stupid.

Laura (38:00)

Absolutely.

Gina (38:24)

I'm being stupid, but people think I'm being serious when I'm being stupid.

Laura (38:28)

Right. You're always going to, you know, people have always got an opinion, haven't they? And yeah, don't let it stop you, though. Screw them. You know, all the the best people on social media get the hate. You know, there's there's a decorator that I've interviewed, Joanne, Joanne Hay. Mate, she gets some trolls on her social media for sure. Like bad. But she turns it around. She makes it into

Gina (38:33)

yeah.

my god.

Laura (38:57)

a joke as in she doesn't make it into a joke. Let me rephrase that. She makes it. She replies with sarcasm. You know, and yeah, you can't let it get to you. It's something that I guess you not fear, but it's always in the back of your mind when you start posting more on social media, and it like getting more eyes on you.

Gina (39:04)

Yeah, yeah,

Yeah, I don't it is.

Yeah, that's what it is. a lot of people, like I spoke to a lot of people, I know a lot of people that use social media, like that use it quite a lot. And they're just like, ⁓ I just ignore it, blah, blah. Like, there's a guy that I spoke to, said that he gets like death threats and stuff. who has got the time to be doing that? Who has got the time to be?

Laura (39:37)

Wow.

Gina (39:41)

He's had like letters sent to his house and stuff. Like that's how bad it's got through social media. And it's just like, who are these people that are doing this? Like...

Laura (39:51)

Yeah.

Like, why have you got this much time to put all this effort into hating someone you do not know?

Gina (39:55)

Why do you have a painting in your head?

Exactly. You don't know them. You don't know them. If you don't like it, scroll. Carry on. Don't get it. Weird.

Laura (40:01)

Yeah.

Exactly.

jeez, honestly. The things you have to go through to try and be a bit successful, you know, and just share what you love to do. Just sharing my love and you hating on me.

Gina (40:14)

Yeah. I know.

Laura (40:19)

I love seeing your videos, mate. You definitely get me giggling along when you throw in the middle finger up at the wires or sort of ridiculous.

Gina (40:27)

I've had like so many like little things that I like carry on and then I stop doing and then carry on and stop doing. I don't know if you followed me when I used to do the big mouth videos. I don't I don't know. Those big mouth videos, where they gone? Those are some of the things that you just thought of like, oh I'm over it like that. I'm over it now. Oh great. I don't do that now.

Laura (40:32)

Yeah.

yeah, I've seen them. ⁓ They are ridiculous.

I'm moving on.

⁓

mate. No.

Gina (40:54)

And then the middle finger,

I got told off for doing that.

Laura (40:58)

Did ya? I did wonder. Yeah.

Gina (41:02)

To be fair, don't have, I actually don't have, I don't work with many brands because one, I'm stupid and they don't want me to do it. And two, I only use brands that I like and the brands that I like don't like me. know what mean? Or they don't, yeah. Anyway, like I've had a couple brands that are like, if you do this, if you do that, then you can do this and that. And I'm just like...

Laura (41:07)

Okay.

I didn't, don't say that.

Gina (41:31)

That's not me.

Laura (41:33)

Yeah, that's the thing, isn't it?

When when you start taking these brand ambassador type roles with people, you don't want it to. Yeah, you don't want it to suppress who you are as a person. You want to kind of work with it, don't you? So it's got to be right.

Gina (41:40)

Yeah. Yeah.

My followers,

yeah, that's it. Your followers follow you for a reason and that's being you. And then if you, I won't speak, I won't name names. I once spoke to another female tradie who's got quite a lot of followers and she was promoting some boots and I messaged to privately like separately and I was just like, are they any good? Cause I'm in the market for some new boots. Are they any good?

Laura (41:54)

Yeah.

Gina (42:18)

blah blah blah and she was like no they're awful they're really uncomfortable but then you like look at her posts and she's like these are the most comfortable boots in the world you should all buy some boots and I'm just like no no no you're lying you told me they weren't so ⁓ yeah still got some really uncomfortable ones

Laura (42:32)

Wow.

are they? ⁓ no. You'll

have to tell me what they are off air, like after the show. So, yeah.

Gina (42:41)

But if you do want

a boot, not that I'm a brand ambassador, but Blue Steel, Steel Blue, what are they called? Oh, they're comfortable. I was actually, I actually was cheeky. The guy that runs it, right? I messaged him and I was like, you're gonna send me some boots or what? Or I put a story on of my old boots and I was like, this wouldn't happen if I had Steel Blues.

Laura (42:47)

I've seen those, yeah.

Gina (43:08)

and he replied to my story and he was just like I'm feeling generous I've had a couple of drinks whats your address and I was like yes! So he sent me some boots! Let me know when you get out so I can get some out. But yeah honestly like I know everyone hacked about it and then I obviously got mine sent to me for being cheekier but they're honestly they're really really good. If like if I was to buy some I'd just buy them again.

Laura (43:16)

Come on!

Epic.

Fair play, mate.

nice. are they Australian? the... yeah I see a lot of stuff. go on then.

Gina (43:52)

Yeah, it did do it though. steel blue. Steel blue. Nice. What was it?

Laura (43:55)

⁓ yeah, I like those. ⁓

side zip. Yeah, yeah.

Gina (44:01)

and like you know the other boots they take forever to get off like you know when you're in a customers house and you're like up and down and you have to your shoes off or if you need a wee and they've only got upstairs loo to just whip off because of the zip but yeah they are good.

Laura (44:07)

Hmm.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Nice. they're, are they Blue Steel or Steel Blue? It's the brand. Steel Blue, okay.

Gina (44:25)

Steel Blue

Australian. Where did I read? Australian... I read it somewhere just a minute ago. Yeah, anyway, they are Australian made. Or Australian standard or whatever. yeah. Have you seen Australians workwear? So much nicer than ours. Australian workwear?

Laura (44:31)

Yeah, I thought they were.

Yeah. Nice. Nice.

Who's what? Yeah,

I was just gonna say, being a female tradie is massive in Australia. They love it. They've got so many bits and bobs and like work wearing stuff specifically for us.

Gina (44:57)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Do you follow that Instagram page? Is it Covergals? Covergals? What's the name? I think it's an Australian. I'm sure they're Australian. It's basically a brand that does women's workwear. I actually, me and my best mate, we're going to set up a company just to do women's workwear. And her mom's a proper business woman. She actually runs.

Laura (45:15)

Possibly.

Yeah?

Gina (45:33)

Listen to this, right? She actually runs one of the UK's leading ghost hunting tours. Yeah. Anyway, haunted happenings, if you want to go on a ghost tour. But, so she's that proper business minded and she was like, it's not going to work. It's not going to work because you, you're only like targeting your audience to women. And I was just like, yeah, but that's what I want to do because I'm a trade woman. Yeah. Yeah.

Laura (45:48)

Okay.

It's like 50 % of the, you know,

I get it. Yeah. I mean, compared, so you've got just women, but then you've got just women in trades, what, sorry, construction. So there's even a smaller market, but you know, well, you've got to start somewhere.

Gina (46:14)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, but this Australian brand is that massive? Because obviously there's loads more tradeswomen over there and the work that they do looks awesome. Yeah, they're quite all like funky colours and stuff. What? They wear like cool shirts and stuff. Yeah, so cool. And we're just stuck with Snickers.

Laura (46:25)

Yeah.

Just in it. Yeah. I need...

Yeah, it's really modern, innit?

I'm not gonna say any of the brands.

Gina (46:44)

and Scruff

and whoever else.

mean, I've never actually tried site stuff, so...

Laura (46:50)

To be fair, I look at it every time I go into like Screwfix or they sell it B &Q. I think I'm not sure. It's quite rigid. There's no flex in it. That is the one thing that I look for in trousers, especially trousers and shorts. I cannot stick with having to pull your trouser legs up just to bend down. Like it should bend with you and flex with you.

Gina (47:15)

Luna.

Laura (47:17)

And being a decorator, I personally as a woman, I'm against wearing whites. I'm sorry. I know it's a thing and I know it's decades old.

Gina (47:27)

weird in it why is that all because people were just painting everything white is that why

Laura (47:31)

Probably, yeah,

I think so. think it's supposed to be less obvious, I think, as well. To be fair, I should probably know the history of why painted decorators wear whites. Let's have a look. Hold on. I'm an Android user, so I'll ask Geminis.

Gina (47:43)

Google it, Google it right now. Hey Siri. ⁓

⁓

hey, Gemini,

Laura (47:53)

Why do decorators wear white?

Let's see what Gemini says. Ooh, hello.

Gina (48:00)

I've not eaten anything since I played football so I'm going to have some cheese balls.

Laura (48:03)

Do it before you play.

Like pasta or summits. Don't ya?

Gina (48:08)

I

had, ⁓ my god, these are I had some porridge today. What was it? I had a pot of jelly as well. Just like at the pot, like squeezing it. And then like the legs, but yeah.

Laura (48:23)

Gemini has come back and said, wearing whites stems from a combination of historical and practical and symbolic reasons. Practical reasons, concealment of white materials used by decorators, cork, paint, primer, et cetera. Temperature, keeps us cool because it reflects the sunlight.

Gina (48:42)

Right, what and no other trade wants to be cool. Why have you got to be cool? I'm crawling round in lofts. I'm the most stupid one you've had on this podcast, I? my boy?

Laura (48:43)

Yeah. Well, this is true. Well.

Yep,

Apple computer. I have that at Christmas. The garlic cheese things that you're eating. Yeah, on crackers.

Gina (48:56)

These are well nice

Christmas.

You know if you just put it in a bowl, put it in a bowl with a bit of sweet chilli sauce and then just dip your crackers in it, like scoop it up. Amazing.

Laura (49:10)

Yeah.

yes, I might have to get some of

you're all right. Fill yourself up, we've got to some energy.

Gina (49:22)

don't know what I was talking about. Workwear So they wear it because it is cool and that's obvious.

Laura (49:24)

Workwear, Yeah, we was.

Yeah, it's supposed to conceal.

Yeah, it's gone now. yeah. Bib and brace. I used to, I used to, know, and I quite liked it because you could have all your stuff in the little pouch at front, but then you'd get to a point where the braces are just kind of stretch and give or want to break and you'd have to fricking tie it up and then you need to go to the loo. So it's like, take them off. You got wear

Gina (49:34)

Have you not got the... Yeah. Have you got one?

Laura (49:57)

shorts or other trousers underneath it's like why am I bothering wearing two layers when I could just wear pair of trousers?

Gina (50:04)

True, yeah. Do you not wear white?

Laura (50:05)

It's like,

no, I wear black. Yeah. Absolutely. Yeah.

Gina (50:09)

I'm controversial, might

get a white pair. ⁓

Laura (50:15)

Do it. Do you know,

I like the sand coloured, know, like... Mmm.

Gina (50:19)

I

saw a plumber that I followed wearing the shorts of them and they look really good. They're like a lot of carpenters wear the sandy colour don't they? Like, Chippie Em, wears a carhart, carhart Fancy. But i Love her, hahaha. 

Laura (50:29)

They do, yeah.

She does, yeah. I know, right? Can't all have the... I know you do.

⁓

Gina (50:45)

I like that some of them don't pretend to be a Let's just do that. I don't understand why, like, it doesn't matter what you wear. we were having this conversation about going, being at school, like, because our football manager's a teacher or something. What does it matter what you got on your feet?

Laura (50:48)

could

Okay.

Gina (51:04)

Do know what mean? if that guy's wearing black trainers, what does it matter? It matter, it's not affecting his learning, is it? He's comfortable. He's probably going to learn better if he's comfortable. So why can't we just wear carpenter's trousers if we're more comfortable at work? God, do him a work better.

Laura (51:04)

Yeah.

Yeah.

Exactly.

Exactly.

Yeah, if I feel good, Like my work is good, you know. You know, yeah, your boiler's not going to be done right. You're going to get squiggly lines and that switch is going to do the light in the bathroom, you know.

Gina (51:22)

Yeah, exactly. But real shit, then your arse is going to blow up.

I've that before,

not me, but I've had like a customer go, I've changed the, I've tried to change the switches and now the light won't go off. I've changed it in the bedroom, but it's like constantly on in the bathroom. I'm sorry. Nice. I've got to try and figure that out now, okay.

Laura (51:49)

No!

think

Meg had something like that the other week where she had to problem solve why that switch was turning something else on in another part of the house. Yeah, I just wouldn't know where.

Gina (52:04)

Mm.

In my brain,

I already know what it is. That's mad, innit? Like in my brain, you now, you just come up with that problem. And in my brain, I've already solved it. I already know like the first thing that I do. That's mad. I'm

Laura (52:17)

What would you do?