Why Being A Woman In Construction Is An Advantage (With Sarah Lowe)

Marti sits down with Sarah Lowe, co-owner of a renovation-focused building company (Refresh Renovations). Sarah shares her unique journey from being a school teacher to buying into the construction industry 18 months ago with her husband, driven by a lifelong passion for property.

They discuss the specific challenges of scaling from “small renovations” to full house extensions, the initial discomfort of charging for quotes (and why it’s necessary), and the mindset shift required to move from “I have to do it all” to delegating effectively. Sarah also opens up about overcoming “imposter syndrome” as a female business owner in a male-dominated industry and how implementing scorecards has transformed her team’s accountability.

🕒 Timestamped Key Points

• [01:23] From school teacher to renovation business owner
• [03:00] Specializing in full house renovations and extensions
• [04:39] Being a female owner: “I feel like I have an unfair advantage”
• [06:45] Overcoming imposter syndrome: “I can do this”
• [07:47] Using scorecards to level up the office team
• [08:41] The goal: Going away for six weeks without the business stopping
• [09:12] The mindset shift: “Can someone else do this?”
• [09:28] Leveraging systems on site so “I don’t need to be there”
• [10:18] Connecting with other builders who are “doing what you want to do”
• [12:22] Advice: Keep putting yourself in motivating situations