by Dan Perry
on February 25, 2014
Last weekend, there was a severe windstorm in my city. I’m talking about wind that shakes the whole house, knocks over trees, and throws patio furniture.
I remember sitting in my living room with my fiancee and we could feel the whole house shaking.
As you can imagine, the wind damaged a lot of properties in my city. I mean, this wasn’t like a tornado or anything like that. But wind gusts were estimated to push 80mph. It was intense. My patio furniture was completely demolished and it even knocked over and destroyed my propane grill.
The aftermath of the windstorm left fences knocked over, roof shingles scattered throughout the streets, and basically just a whole lot of home repairs.
The morning after the storm, my phone was ringing off the hook. People needed their homes fixed. But, where did they look for repairmen and women?
They didn’t open their phone book. They didn’t look in the weekend newspaper (ok, maybe some of them did). They went where they knew they could find somebody to help them – the internet.
The handymen, plumbers, electricians, landscapers, and contractors that positioned themselves with a good online presence are now booked out several weeks with profitable jobs.
And here’s the deal – Those aren’t the only high-quality leads you can generate online. Here are 4 more examples of why good online marketing generates the best leads. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on January 9, 2014
Welcome to my December 2013 monthly income report!
2013 is over and I’m now entering my third year in business. (which is kind of mind blowing)
It’s been an interesting and exciting ride with plenty of ups and downs and I’ve certainly upped my handyman business skills since I started.
If you are new to the blog, I write these income reports each month to share my story with the hope to inspire others. I believe that if you want it bad enough you can make a great living doing something you love and still have time left to enjoy life.
My goal is to not only achieve that for myself, but help others to as well.
In each report, I share anything interesting that happened during the month, marketing tips, and a profitable featured service that you can start offering in your business. I also share my income and expenses. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on December 30, 2013
Is your website generating a consistent flow of new customers?
If not, it’s time to figure out why.
At this point, you probably know the importance of having a professional website and what it can do for your business.
However, if you’re like most handymen out there, you aren’t getting very much business from it.
If that sounds like you, your website isn’t working for one of two reasons (maybe even both):
- You aren’t getting any traffic or….
- You aren’t converting your traffic into leads.
Not to worry. In this post I’m going to give you the steps you need in order to turn your website into a lead generation machine. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on December 24, 2013
You’ve probably heard that word of mouth is the best way to get new customers and grow your business. In fact, you’ve probably heard handymen or other contractor’s claim that they’ve built their business on word of mouth (WOM) alone.
I have no doubt that is true….for a select few.
Unfortunately, these stories leave new handymen with the idea that if they simply “do good work” and treat the customer right, their business will explode with new referrals leaving them picking and choosing between highly profitable and enjoyable jobs.
From my experience that is just not the case and I have a feeling I’m not alone.
Here’s the deal.
Relying on word of mouth alone will significantly limit your business success. It may even cause you to fail.
Here’s why. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on December 18, 2013
Hire artists for contracting?
That’s what Nick May, founder of Walls By Design, did.
He’s a successful interior painting contractor with over 14 years of experience and get this, he only hires artists! Surprised? Be sure to listen to this episode to find out why.
Here are some other topics we cover in this interview:
- Why targeting high end customers actually brings in a wide variety of customers and gets your phone to ring.
- A unique way that Nick builds relationships with industry partners in order to get into those million dollar homes.
- How hiring employees makes you better at what you do.
- How to hire your first employee (more specifically, how I should hire my first employee.) Where to look, who to hire, and when. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on December 5, 2013
Welcome to my 24th monthly income report. That means I’ve officially been a handyman business owner for 2 years!
It’s crazy how fast the time has gone and also how much my mindset has changed since I started. I mean, I went from charging $25/hour to demanding a minimum of $60/hour. I had no idea that was possible and I’m so thankful that I was able to achieve this success.
If you are new to the blog, I write these reports each month to detail my successes and failures. Not only that, I also share how much money I made, how much I spent, and what marketing methods brought me my new customers.
Basically, I’m giving you the roadmap to create a successful home service business for yourself.
If you’re tired of working for a boss you hate, or not being in control of your schedule, this content is for you. Or, if you are already operating a home service business and want to gain the edge over your competition, this is for you, too. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on November 21, 2013
In this episode of the Handyman Startup Podcast, I bring on Chris Maxwell-Gaines, co-founder of Innovative Water Solutions in Austin, TX.
Chris started his home service business back in 2004 and has since grown it to the point of having 14 employees and over a million dollars in revenue. He’s got a lot to share from his 10 years of experience. So, I brought him onto the show so you can benefit from his knowledge and grow your business.
I love Chris’s story because he started his business without a plan and was literally wingin’ it in the beginning. He had his first customer sold before he even had a service to offer! 10 years later he’s reaping the benefits of his courage. A great example of why you should just get started.
Here are a few highlights from the interview:
- How crafting a story can jumpstart your business.
- A powerful way to use web based content marketing.
- Strategic partners and what they can do for your business.
- Why wingin’ it is sometimes the best option and why you should just get started. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on November 9, 2013
Welcome to my 23rd monthly income report for my handyman business!
I write these every month and this one marks my 23rd month in business as a handyman. In these reports I share how much money I made in the last month, how I made that money, and anything else interesting that happened along the way.
I also share quality tips to help you either start or grow your own handyman business.
If you are new to the blog, I’m no millionaire (not even close). In fact, this is my first business venture and I’m still learning a lot along the way. What I do have is the desire to succeed and grow as an entrepreneur, learn everything I can about marketing, and most importantly, enjoy myself along the way.
I’m hoping that my story can help you do the same (if you’re interested). If you are still working that job you hate and wake up un-exited every morning, these reports are written for you. Also, if you are a home service provider looking to dominate the competition, these reports are for you, too. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on October 31, 2013
Having the right tools not only makes a job easier, it makes you feel like a badass.
[continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on October 24, 2013
Yes, you read that right. I’m going to show you a simple and effective action that you can take to increase your hourly rate by $5, $10, or even $20 while actually increasing your customer’s satisfaction. (Hint: It doesn’t cost any money or extra time)
The secret is in managing the expectations of your customers.
Whenever a customer hires a handyman or other service provider, the customer has certain baseline expectations. These expectations are derived from that customer’s previous interactions with other service providers.
Now, I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that your service isn’t exactly like everybody else’s. That means it’s your job to align customer expectations with what you are actually going to deliver.
You may be thinking this is pretty obvious, and it is. Yet, I’ve screwed this up countless times and see it happen everyday with people I hire or products I buy. New handymen are especially prone to making mistakes regarding communication with customers.
Ever had an unhappy customer? Ever received a bad review online? Ever had a customer say “Oh, that’s more than I thought it would be?” That’s because you didn’t communicate well enough. Those customers were expecting A, and you gave them B.
Think back to the last time you were pissed off or even just mildly unhappy from a service or product you bought. Was it because you were expecting something else? Hopefully, otherwise you bought something you knew you wouldn’t be happy with, and that’s flat out dumb.
So, what can you do as a service provider to properly manage expectations, charge more, and get only excellent online reviews? [continue reading…]
