Meet Zara Shallbetter and Jaime Parry | Business Owner/ Handy Person

We had the good fortune of connecting with Zara Shallbetter and Jaime Parry and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Zara And Jaime, what role has risk played in your life or career?
While starting your own business can seem risky, for us it really didn’t feel that way. We weren’t concerned about whether it was successful or not, it was just something to try and if it failed we weren’t too attached and would have just moved on. We had no idea we would be so successful/ busy so quickly. And ironically. our own business has felt much less risky that other jobs when it comes to work / life balance, and time off for family emergencies, illness and injury. We haven’t had to fear repercussions or risk being told no or being fired over needing time for ourselves which has felt like such a blessing, especially in the face of difficulties.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Handymen are a dime a dozen but Handywomen are few and far between. While that could put some off, we have found a niche where being woman identified has been an asset! We are regularly complimented for many traits that tend to be associated more with women like excellent communication, listening, asking questions, reliability, transparency, honestly, and follow through. We want other small business owners to know that being honest with clients is a win/win. Telling potential clients what we can’t do has been as important as telling them what we can and will do. We have actually gained new clients from being recommended by people we said no to. Being trusted is a huge asset in the world of handywork and home improvement. Asking for what you deserve is also a win/win. As our skillset has increased our rates have reflected that and while it can be scary to price yourself out of your current client base, in our experience the quality of the jobs offered to us and our overall work satisfaction has increased as well.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, we are both moms of young kids and do little to nothing fun, fancy, or social these days! But we LOVE to eat and once a week we go take a long brunch or lunch at an old favorite or an up and coming place. We love vietnamese food and our favorite restaurant is La Cai Noodle House in Salt Lake City. You have to order the Eggplant Basil stirfry, Lemongrass Tofu, and their fresh spring rolls! Another amazing local restaurant is Red Iguana. They are famous for a wide variety of mole’s. Donuts at Donuts and Deli are a hidden gem, not even known by a lot of locals. Finn’s Cafe has the best eggs benedict on planet earth. And we recently discovered the amazing menu and service at Biscuits and Limeade. For outdoor fun there are many local hikes right on the edge of town in the massive hills and mountains that surround our city. The Jordan River trails are a really great way to get to nature right in the midst of the city and suburbs as it runs through the whole valley and has many well maintained trails and small parks dispersed along the 45 mile long river.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Our clients deserve the biggest shout out! They are the reason we are successful. We have been 100% word of mouth since the day we started. Most of our clients are women and they truly have our backs and are as thrilled with our success as we are.

Image Credits
Logo Van DeWitt; Images of Zara and Jaime by Viper Summer