Home renovation is often deemed to be tedious for home owners. We all heard those stories of hiring the wrong contractors or getting over charged for a simple project. Luckily platforms such as Bidmii are not only bringing a seamless experience to home owners and contractor but also also changing the industry for tomorrow’s workforce. We caught up with the CEO – Jon Christensen to talk about their initiative on launching a bursary for women in skilled trades and how Bidmii is reshaping the home renovation industry. The Bidmii bursary will award $1,000 per year to supporting skilled trades training for women at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario.
1. What was the inspiration behind launching this bursary for women in trades?
bidmii launched its bursary for women in skilled trades to inspire and encourage more women to pursue a career in the trades. bidmii is committed to diversity and believes that by supporting women in skilled trades, we are helping to close the gender gap in these important and growing sectors.
2. In what ways can we break the stereotypes in construction and trades?
The bidmii platform is setup to the put a contractor’s rating front and center. Homeowners are presented with before and after photos as well as the ratings and reviews form the homeowners who hired them. 100% of our ratings are purchase verified – meaning no fake reviews or bolstered ratings. By placing an emphasis on the quality of someone’s work instead of a profile photo, we hope to remove some initial bias.
3. You mentioned skilled trade workers are in high demand. What challenges companies are facing with the pandemic?
The residential renovation industry and the construction industry at large is facing a skilled trades shortage – this is well publicized, but a lot of what we’re seeing is people who have a skilled trade that no longer want to work for someone else. Some of the most successful contractors on our platform started their companies to join. They found a steady stream of work, and with a few projects (and great ratings) under their belts, they have begun to find really well paying projects. The best part of working at bidmii is helping these people grow their companies.
4. Given the massive growth with Bidmii. How is Bidmii reshaping the home renovation industry?
bidmii is quickly becoming the go-to platform for homeowners looking to renovate their homes. The multiple bid process, coupled with our emphasis on payment protection via payments held in trust, has set us apart from other home renovation platforms. Many contractors are feeling the pressure of competing with their marketing budgets – on bidmii, they compete with their reputations.
5. How has the skyrocketing rise in housing prices impacted the industry?
As housing prices continue to rise, we’re going to see more and more people buying houses that need some work before they are in livable condition. bidmii is well-positioned to help these homeowners with our network of contractors. We’re also seeing a lot more people doing home renovations as an investment – they are buying a property, fixing it up, and renting it out or selling it for a profit. bidmii is the perfect platform for this type of transaction too. Our number 1 & 2 power users are landlords and realtors respectively.
6. Where do you see the home renovation industry in the next couple of years?
The home renovation industry is growing rapidly, and we see it continuing to grow in the next few years. bidmii is well-positioned to take advantage of this growth, as we continue to expand our contractor network and make it easier for homeowners to find the right contractor for their project.
We’re also getting ready for a major shift in the way we do business in the next month or so. Something that the team has been working on for months, and we can’t wait for it to come out of stealth. That’s enough of a tease for now, but stay tuned!
