Spotlight: Women Who Task

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In honor of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we’re celebrating strong women at work, no matter their job or office — especially the amazing Taskers who make life easier for people around the world. They’re the kind of women who aren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves. Who delight at flexing their skills and are constantly on the lookout for a challenge. Who are setting the standard for a job well done. Meet the women who task.  

Juanita A., Austin 

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What did you do before TaskRabbit? Before becoming a Tasker, I worked in corporate America as a buyer for aerospace and military parts and services.

What’s the most meaningful connection you’ve made through tasking? All of my tasks involving packing for moves have been meaningful to me because this is where I excel. Moving is exciting yet very stressful, so I see my task as an opportunity to help someone get through it in a peaceful way. I had a client with a very large, fragile mineral collection, some pieces an 1/8 inch small. I did a dumpster dive on my own time to get an assortment of small boxes, to individually pack these pieces, to then pack them in to larger boxes, to then pack them again in to the plastic totes the client was using to move.  This task prompted me to create a motto for all my tasks: “If it is important to you, then it is important to me.”

What changes would you like to see for women around the world today? I would like to see women around the world become more aware of their own value. Some women today are still waiting for some one else to tell them what their worth is.  It doesn’t have to be that way.  Women can stand up and assess themselves, and then take that to the next job interview, to the next task, to the next level of imagination, to the next mission and beyond. And yes, to the moon!

Lidiya K., London

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What were you doing before TaskRabbit? I was an accountant in my country, but when I moved to London I did not speak the language and so I started working as a housekeeper for private clients. One of my regular clients always tells me that her favourite time of the week is when I clean her house and share time with her at her home. It is very important for me to help make people feel happy and relaxed. 

What do you do when you’re not tasking? I just finished a florist course! I have come to realise that I love working and creating things with my hands. I also enjoy meeting up with friends too for tea or coffee. 

What does it mean to you to be a woman at work? I love being a woman and it is important for us not to carry all of life’s responsibilities by on our own shoulders, but to share them. We have to think about ourselves more and to better take care of ourselves, too. 

Samantha B., Los Angeles

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What projects are you currently working on outside of tasking? My partner and I bought an airport shuttle bus and we are turning it into a tiny home so we can travel while we work on TaskRabbit. “Pickle” is a 16-passenger shuttle bus we’ve stripped down to literally nothing and re-welded, re-floored, re-insulated, re-walled, rewired, re-windowed and repainted. When Pickle is finally done, we’ll not only have widened our handyman skills beyond anything we imagined, but our backyard too: tasking in LA for a few months then heading north with mini-vacations at National Parks? YES PLEASE!

You sometimes task with your partner. What is that partnership like? When that work partner is also your life partner, it creates a whole new dynamic. We each have a unique set of skills, and we each bring something extra to the table that allows us to take on more jobs than each of us could alone. A lot of times we don’t even have to talk to communicate on a job because a look or a simple word is enough for the other to understand. We both have thick skin and sarcastic sense of humor which helps for sure, but also a humbleness that prevents egos from ever being involved with a task. It’s really a great experience and I feel very lucky to be able to share my work days with my partner.

SueAnn M., Portland

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What do you do when you’re not tasking? I’m on a technical rope search and rescue team. We rappel down mountains and go out 14-20 miles on a search. We’ll filter our own water if we run out, and build ice shelters in winter.

What does it mean to you to be a woman at work? Today it’s easier for women to just go out and do things. That’s what I also love about TaskRabbit: it challenges me to do things I’ve never done before. People don’t really expect women to be building furniture.

LaToya C., San Diego

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How did you become “handy”? I got the handy bug from my mother; as a single parent she had to know how to do a lot of things around the house since she was the only one taking care of my siblings and me. She made sure to teach me how to use tools so that I’d always know how to do the job for myself if the need arose. I took what she taught me and just expanded on it over the years, getting better at and more comfortable with working with my hands.

What advice do you have for other women looking to boost their handy skills? Measure twice and cut once. Yes it takes a little extra time, but when I finally do drill I know that the holes I make will only be the ones needed to complete the task. You don’t need a full tool bag to start! Start with the basics — a few screwdrivers, a stud finder, level, hammer, rubber mallet, and a measuring tape. Over time you’ll start to get a feel for what tools you use on a regular basis instead of just going out and purchasing a lot of random ones that may not be necessary.

Ready to book someone like these amazing women to help tackle your to-do list? Find a Tasker here. Feeling inspired to become a Tasker? Sign up here

 

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