How a Woman Electrician Built Opportunity in the Trades

primary, it was cold and it was hot, but I really loved just, you know,

“getting in and, you know, being a little dirty and being creative more than anything.”

Sabrina Westfall is a master electrician entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of J. West Electric. She helps businesses and communities power large-scale construction projects while inspiring the next generation to pursue rewarding careers in the skilled trades. I really enjoyed creating opportunities. It's been life-changing for me, but also two other people we have about 30 electricians. I care about them and I value them.

So I want to find jobs that set the whole company up for success. I was usually the only

woman, a lot of times the only woman of color on a job site, so hopefully I can be an inspiration to others.

The living your legacy podcast for those who live to leave a legacy. Welcome to the living your legacy podcast. I'm Angelina and I'm here today with Sabrina Westfall,

“Hi Sabrina. Hi Angelina. Thank you for having me. Of course. So Sabrina, you filmed your episode”

with us today. So I know a little bit about you, but tell everyone else some stuff about you. So I am Sabrina Westfall. I'm from St. Louis, Missouri and I'm joining you at Inside Success as the owner of J. West Electrical Contracting. Super cool. It's very rare to see a woman in a treat. Can you tell us a little bit about that and how you got started? Absolutely. Yeah, it's getting

better than it used to be when I was in the trade about 15 years ago. I was usually the only

woman, a lot of times the only woman of color on a job site. So I will say there's been some advancements and now you see more women in construction, but I would love to see more. So hopefully I can be an inspiration to others. Super cool. I agree. In Miami, we have construction 24/7 and I will say I do see some women here and there. So that is cool to see. Very cool. So how did you get into

“trade in the first place? Sure. I did work in an office, typical corporate job, and I just”

did not like it. I did not like getting off at 5 o'clock in the afternoon. I didn't love the whole office dynamics. I can watch TV shows and the movie the office and laugh at those now, but it just wasn't for me. I wanted something more hands-on, more creative. And I just love the trade. As soon as I got in, it was a little dirty, it was a little grimy, it was cold and it was hot, but I really loved just getting in and being a little dirty and being creative more than anything. Okay, that's

super interesting. What do you mean by creative? So being in construction, you're a part of building a building. So I really got into understanding what other trades we're doing as well as building my own craft. And so understanding where does power come from, what's the source of getting energy into a building and then turning that into a functional use? You know, you hit a light switch in the light to come on, but understanding how that really happened, and understanding the wiring

and the mechanisms. It allowed me to be creative. I don't think a lot of people think of construction that way, but it's something that I really love about it. That's very unique, like a super unique take. Yeah, I love that. So how did you go from being a day-to-day worker to opening your own business? Sure. Part of that probably had to do with being a woman construction. I just felt limited. I wasn't getting a lot of opportunity to be a manager or a supervisor. And I felt like I was

starting to hit a ceiling in my position. And I wanted to offer more. I started liking it. I became really good at it. Thought that I could solve problems better. I thought that I could do business better. So I just doubted out of my comfort zone and tried it. And here we are today. Okay, so tell us exactly what you do now and what you want your impact to be in the trade business. Absolutely. So owning a business, you know, there's days when I absolutely feel like a glorified secretary.

Yeah. And now I'm answering emails and paying bills. But there's days when I sort of get to create my own way. I'm going out and meeting new people. I do a lot of networking. I do a lot of traveling now. So being a business owner has given me some freedom to grow to whatever level. I want to be at. There's some construction owners who choose to stay small and they make a certain amount of money and they're happy with that. I love just continuing to grow and trying new things.

So right now I'm trying to expand my business to work in other markets. But the freedom of being a business owner is being able to set those limits and decide what you want to do. So what are you doing

I think when I started the business, I was probably taking whatever I could get. If yeah,

when you know, let us work in their building or their home, then we were saying absolutely yes, we would maybe take less money just to be able to get the job. Now we've sort of built the reputation and we're able to be more selective with the customers and the jobs that we choose. I'm really focused on my team now. We have about 30 electricians. Okay. And so I care about them and I value them and I want to set them up for success. So sometimes it's finding projects that fit the team.

Yeah. So sometimes we do have to say no because maybe a certain job is not in our expertise or in our wheelhouse. So I want to find jobs that set the whole company up for success. Okay, and cool. And you said you have about 30 electricians. How many of them are women? At this point only one. So it is still a challenge. Yeah. Being a smaller contractor, there is a trick to getting people

“to want to come work for you. Yeah. And I think I did have a vision of having a lot of women work”

for me. But you know, there's still limitations. I still have to work on creating a culture that makes people want to come to work for me and a good job. We've done a really good job of recruiting minorities. I'm happy to say I definitely want to have more women come work for me. That's super cool. I think, well, from my standpoint, I'm not an expert in this field, but I've seen that the trades are opening up a lot because you know, AI is taking over a lot of jobs. A lot of jobs that

are on a computer can be taken over by AI, but you know, trade industry isn't one of them. Yeah. So I think a lot of people are going back to that going back to the plumbing school tuition school, doing all those things because they know like they'll have that job security. Yeah. You know, even some of my family members, we're all girls, right? One of us is actually a mechanic. That's us. So she went to the electrician school. But I think it's cool to see that

we have that option. And even when I see women construction workers, I always notice them.

Yeah. Like I see them. Yeah. You know, they stand out. And it's super cool to see. It's like,

“oh, I wonder how they got here. I always think about that honestly. Yeah. Do you have any plans”

on expanding to more women, maybe all women? That would be fantastic. One reason I wanted to do the show and be in women in power is just to be that motivation and the inspiration. I think maybe sometimes women don't think about it. I've found that sometimes women do things that women don't typically do. We just have a different fineness in a different way that we think of things. Yeah. And, you know, I'm still been able to hold on to my femininity working in the trade.

Being in construction for anybody, not just women. It is that safe space where, you know, if you've had a downturn in life, if something's changing your family, if you lost your job because of AI, construction does offer those opportunities for something different. So, especially for women, if you haven't considered that before, then I would highly encourage that to be an opportunity that gets explored. Yeah. I think it's something, you know, we don't really

think about, you know, when someone says, what do you want to be when you grow up? That doesn't really cross your mind as a little girl. Right. Right. That's true. You know, you usually call your dad or someone to come fix the toilet or the light or something else. Or when they call

“someone, a man comes, right? Yep. I think it's a unique opportunity for everyone. And, yes,”

like you said, you still are very feminine. I love that. Me, I'm a girl's girl. I'm a girl that's right. So, I think my only thing would be the long nose. But, have you ever encountered that before, like, women not wanting to, or maybe seeing an interest in it, but pulling back, I've seen a lot of women get into it and then maybe not stay in it, maybe they get married, maybe they get pregnant, and their situation changes and they pull out. Mm-hmm.

But I think that I've encouraged people to not only think about it, but think about it long term. Yeah. Like in my situation, I've been able to start and run a successful business. And there's a lot of opportunities and construction to have. If you're not interested in seeing in the field long term, you can level up to work in an office, you can be an inspector, you can work on code commissions, just a lot of opportunities and construction to offer

your expertise. Yeah. And a lot of space for women. Like, we need more women. We need more traits, people in general. Yeah. So, definitely, I think there's a space for more women here. I love that. Yeah. So, what do you see for your future, for the future of your company?

I don't know that I know my own potential at this point in life. I never expected to be here,

and now that I am, I'm just excited for whatever's to come. I do want to grow into other markets. I definitely would love to work in other cities and with other contractors. I'd love to start other businesses, either adjacent to construction or something else all together. Yeah. I really enjoyed creating opportunities. It's been life changing for me, but also to other people. And that just sort of feeds my soul. I really enjoyed that. And I look forward to seeing

Anything else that you want to know about? Anything else you want to share?

“I think just being in business has, in some ways, humbled me and made me appreciate where I came from.”

And there's so many people I'm thankful for who have helped me get here. But it's also been a

really good coincidence, builder for myself. I'm somebody who, you know, struggled with self-esteem

“once a parent at one point in my life. And now, just being in business and seeing how I've been able”

to negotiate contracts and, you know, sit here and talk to you. It's really been a confidence builder. And, you know, the more confidence we have, the more that we're able to do and open doors for

other people. So it's just been an amazing personal journey. So I'm always encouraging people to, you know,

get out of their own way and try new things and challenge yourself. Yeah, get out of your own way. I love that. I'm usually in my own way too. Like, and yes, you understand human nature. That's right.

“All right. So tell everyone, where can we find you? Where you located? Was the best way to contact you?”

Was the best way to connect and work with you? Sure. So J. West Electric.com. I still have the old fashion website. I'm working on my social media presence. I'm still Sabrina West fall on most social media platforms. But the easiest way is probably to find me on my website. Super cool. All right. Thank you very much. And that is all. All right. Thank you.