by Dan Perry
on March 25, 2013
Here it is! The first episode of the Handyman Startup Podcast!
In this episode, I talk about 3 common misconceptions that many handymen who are new to this business may have. When I first started my handyman business, these three myths slowed me down and almost kept me from succeeding. That’s why I want to put it out there and squash these myths once and for good.
Prefer to read instead of listen? Here is a post I wrote covering this same topic: 3 Handyman Business Myths Exposed.
Here is what I cover in this Podcast:
- Why you don’t need to know how to do all home repairs in order to succeed as a handyman.
- Why small jobs are profitable.
- How to structure your business so that small jobs are profitable.
- When and why I prefer charging hourly.
- Why new handymen should charge hourly as much as possible.
- A tip for landing more jobs as a new handyman business. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on March 24, 2013
Do you follow up with your customers after each repair? If not, you are seriously missing out. Following up with your customers is one of the most common and effective ways to boost your bottom line. Not only that, but it’s a great way to keep your existing customers – something every handyman should focus on.
If you’ve read my 2012 Yearly Report, you already know the impact that existing customers will have on your business. They accounted for 42% of my income in my first year alone! That’s pretty incredible considering that I didn’t have a single customer at the beginning of the year.
Not only are return customers the largest portion of my income, but they are also the easiest customers to work with.
There are many factors that go into keeping customers. Providing quality work, showing up on time, communicating well, and looking professional are a few of the big ones. If you are already doing all of these but are still wondering why more customers aren’t calling you back, you might want to take a look at your follow-up protocol.
Here are 5 solid reasons to follow up with your customers after each job. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on March 10, 2013
Welcome to my February 2013 Monthly Report! This marks my 15th month in business as a handyman.
If you are new to the blog, I write these every month to provide updates on the progress of the handyman business that I started in late 2011. In them, I include my monthly income, expenses, hourly rate, and a featured service. I also talk about any interesting events that happened.
Last week, I released my first Yearly Report, which is an in-depth analysis of my handyman business during it’s first year. It was a success and I received a lot of great feedback from those of you that purchased it. Thanks again for your support! [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on February 25, 2013
Building a website is easy. Building a website that converts visitors in to hot leads for your handyman business is not so easy. This is especially true if you are building your first website.
The good news is that you don’t have to have the BEST website on the Internet for it to get customers. The bad news is that you are going to have to put some time and effort in to figuring out what works and what doesn’t for your specific situation.
Every business is different, but I believe there are 5 key elements that should be included on your handyman business website. If implemented correctly, these elements will help to:
- Convert more traffic into phone calls.
- Make the sell easier when a customer does call.
- Help establish your business as a trusted brand. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on February 16, 2013
Last updated: Sept 10, 2021
With millions of people visiting Angie’s List (aka Angi) each month to search for home-related services, it definitely deserves some attention. As one of the leading home repair review sites on the internet today, you’d be crazy to ignore it as a method for attracting customers. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on February 10, 2013
Welcome to my January 2013 Monthly Report! I’m now well into my second year in business as a handyman and still have a ton of information to share.
February 1st was the one year anniversary of the Handyman Startup Blog! Exactly one year ago on Feb. 1st, I wrote my first blog post: Lifestyle Design and Choosing to Start a Handyman Business. Time has really flown by!
I think things have come a long way since then and I’m really happy with the progress of the blog and my handyman business. I wanted to extend my thanks to all of my readers for making the Handyman Startup blog what it is today. If it wasn’t for your e-mails, comments, and questions, I would have given up a long time ago. Your successes provide me the inspiration to keep writing.
In 2013, I have big plans for Handyman Startup. I’m getting ready to release my 2012 Yearly Report very soon so keep an eye out for that. In my Yearly Report, I plan on stepping it up a notch. It’s going to be packed with the most important lessons I learned in my first year along with a more in depth look at my financials. By plotting my income on graphs it has opened my eyes to some very interesting insights about my business. There going to be far more detail than anything I have offered to date. It’s also going to be the first paid content on the site and it will not disappoint. I can’t wait to share it with you! [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on January 11, 2013
Welcome to my December 2012 monthly report! This is my thirteenth monthly report and also marks the end of my thirteenth month in business as a handyman.
For those of you that are new to the blog, I write these monthly reports each month. In them, I detail how much money I made, marketing methods that worked for me, and any other insights that I believe to be helpful. I also recently started included a featured service each month.
Be sure to leave a comment at the bottom of the post if you have any questions or just have something useful to say!
December was an awesome month and I have record profits to show for it. This is really exciting considering that I took and entire week off for Christmas. Most of my income was from existing customers, which is so much nicer than dealing with new customers. It makes the business more enjoyable to have clients call for more work instead of having to constantly search for new leads.
This increase in return business has led me to make few changes as well… [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on December 20, 2012
The right vehicle can make running a handyman business easier, more profitable, and more fun.
So let’s talk about what the best vehicle for a handyman business is.
In this article, I’m going to break down the various available options and the pros and cons of each.
[continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on December 9, 2012
Welcome to the 12th Handyman Startup monthly report! That means I’ve officially been in business for a year and what a great year it has been.
I’ve learned a ton along the way and I’m excited to share what I’ve learned with anybody interested enough to read it.
If you are new to the blog, I write these reports each month to show how my handyman business is doing. In them, you will find useful insights, tips on how to grow your own handyman business, and how much money I made in the last 30 days.
This is a special monthly report and I have something new to share with you. In last month’s report you had the option to take a quick, 3 question survey. (Thanks to everybody that took the time to fill this out. I really appreciate it.) Based on the results, I’ve decided to include information on profitable services that I offer in my handyman business. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on November 30, 2012
Once you’ve built a professional website for your handyman business, it’s time to start generating traffic to that website.
Without traffic, your website isn’t going to help much (outside of building trust with your existing customers).
This is where blogging comes in. [continue reading…]
