Anne-Kathrin Heidrich: My start into self-employment

In this series, the Handwerksblatt magazine introduces people who have founded or taken over a craft business. Like master tiler, slab installer, and mosaicist Anne-Kathrin Heidrich from Brandenburg.

This article is part of the special topic women in crafts

When Anne-Kathrin Heidrich won the competition "Professionals deliver (PLW)" as best tiler in Germany After winning, she became a sought-after guest in the media. But she is even more proud to continue her grandfather's craft business and the family tradition. Germany's best tiler – that's how the media praised Anne-Kathrin Heidrich four years ago.

The Brandenburg woman had just Competition for the best young craftsmen from all over Germany were able to win in their field. Invitations to appear on SAT1's breakfast television and on MDR's classic talk show Riverboat followed. "The great interest really surprised me", the 27-year-old recalls. "However, a lot of emphasis was placed on the fact that I, as a woman, had asserted myself in a male-dominated field. I would have liked the craftsmanship more in the foreground would have confessed."

Even as a student, she did internships in the construction industry

For Anne-Kathrin Heidrich, craftsmanship is no coincidence. Even as a student, she used internships to get to know the construction industry. She then completed her training in her parents' business. Her family is now a third generation fixture in the tiling trade in northern BrandenburgGrandfather Hans Heidrich founded a tiling business in 1988 under the particularly difficult conditions for self-employed people in the GDR. In 2002, he also founded the Heidrich Tiles GmbH from the baptism, which has made a name for itself in swimming pool construction, among other things.

For Anne-Kathrin Heidrich, her future career in the trade was already clear after graduating from high school"I wanted to do something tangible," she says. However, the training in the family business wasn't enough for her. Therefore, Heidrich completed studying in parallel with training an der BTU Cottbus to civil engineerto acquire comprehensive theoretical knowledge, for example, in structural engineering. It was a stressful time: "You have to be very sure of your career choice to take on the double burden," she says, looking back. But the effort paid off. In 2022, she successfully completed her training and studies, and since 2023, she has been a master tiler, slab fitter, and mosaic installer.

You might also be interested in:

Craft policy

Mona Neubaur receives Florian plaque

Craft policy

New website provides information about Brandenburg's investments in skilled trades

Craft policy

Brandenburg's new government takes up demands from the skilled trades.

At the end of 2023, she took over her grandfather's craft business. After the takeover, she had to invest a little – for example, in computer equipment and calculation software – but then her own company was ready to launch. Based in the small community of Rüthnick, the young founder now works for private clients: "It's fun to plan a bathroom, implement the plans, and present the finished result to the client." Her work is primarily in the Ostprignitz-Ruppin and Oberhavel regions.

Many customers have become aware of her through her TV celebrity appearance. That's why Anne-Kathrin Heidrich continues to promote the attractiveness of skilled trades, especially among young people.

DHB now also digital!Simply click here and register for the digital German Crafts Journal (DHB)!