Built by a Woman Who Does the Work

I Had the Skills All Along

When I separated from my husband of 18 years, I found myself — for the first time — a single woman who needed to hire a stranger to help me move into a new rental home. I used a gig platform, and I felt firsthand the vulnerability of letting someone I'd never met into my space. It was unsettling in a way I hadn't expected.

That experience stayed with me. But the real spark came a few months later, when I was trying to figure out how to support myself after 18 years as a stay-at-home mom. My landlord approached me about a gardening job because he'd seen my skills — and suddenly, it all clicked. I realized I'd been building toward this my entire life without knowing it.

I grew up in a family where we fixed things ourselves. I had spent decades tending homes — painting, organizing, maintaining, building. I had real, marketable skills. And I knew I wasn't alone. There are thousands of women like me: skilled, reliable, and looking for fair work that fits their lives.

And on the client side, my own experience taught me something I couldn't ignore. If I felt vulnerable — a confident, capable woman — then millions of other people feel it too. Single mothers, elderly women living alone, people in marginalized communities — they deserve to feel safe when someone comes to their door. That's not a luxury. It should be the baseline.

That's why I'm building Hometown Handywomen™ — a home services platform based in Cold Spring, New York, that connects homeowners with skilled women for home repairs, gardening, painting, yard work, organization, smart home setup, and more. Every handywoman is vetted. Every handywoman carries her own verified general liability insurance. And every first visit starts with a personal introduction — because safety isn't a feature. It's the foundation.