by Dan Perry
on November 23, 2012
Last week I had the opportunity to interview Steve, a successful handyman in California with over twenty years of handyman business experience.
It was certainly eye-opening to get an inside view into another handyman business. It really made me realize the potential and I’m excited to share his insights with you.
Steve’s journey as a handyman started when he was just a kid, helping his father re-plumb the entire house. Since then, he has been a city electrician, a union journeyman carpenter, high end furniture designing business owner, and finally a handyman business owner.
“I’m the poster child for ADD,” Steve mentioned. “This business is the first business I’ve ever been happy in as well as the most lucrative business of all my ventures. I just can’t do the same thing every day. This business provides me with the variation I need to keep me happy.” [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on November 16, 2012
Are you looking for a way to win more bids without dropping your price? Ok, good. Me, too.
Do you know WHY your customers hire you? If not, you may want to give this some serious thought.
Understanding why customers hire you instead of the other handyman businesses in town can give you serious leverage when bidding on jobs.
In this post, I’ll discuss the importance of getting inside your customers’ heads to find out exactly why they are hiring you. I’ll also provide some tips for selling your handyman services that will add to your bottom line.
[continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on November 10, 2012
Welcome to my October 2012 monthly report!
This marks the end of my 11th month in business as a handyman. It’s been a wild ride and I can’t believe I’m approaching the one year mark.
If you are new to the blog, I write these monthly reports each month to basically let you know how my business is going. I include a detailed analysis of my income for the month including which marketing strategies paid off. I also offer my insights on events and lessons that I learned.
I write these monthly reports so I can give insight to a new business owners or people considering starting their own business.
My goal is not to boast about my income, but to use it as an indicator of how I’m doing.
October was a great month and business was steady all month. In fact, at one point I was booked out for two weeks! This was a really good feeling because it allowed me to turn down a lot of jobs I didn’t want to deal with. It also gave me the ability to test higher pricing without worrying about whether or not I’d be able to pay the bills.
Since I didn’t need anymore business, I was able to demand a higher rate from some customers and test their reaction. The great thing about this was that most customers went for it. Some didn’t, but I’m probably better off without them anyway. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on October 12, 2012
Welcome to my September monthly report! This marks my 10th month in business and I can’t believe that it’s been that long already. What an amazing ride!
If you are new to the blog, I write these every month detailing how much money I make and what marketing methods I gained my business from. I also share insightful stories and lessons that I learned along the way.
I’m not doing this to boast about my income, but only to share what it’s actually like to start a one man service business such as a handyman business. It’s meant to help others and hopefully inspire them to leave their jobs and do something they love.
I hope it motivate you to do something you love. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on September 28, 2012
Are you thinking about starting your own gig, but just haven’t mustered the courage to dive in?
I regularly get e-mails from handy people that aren’t quite sure if they are skilled enough to run their own handyman operation. After digging deeper to find out more about these pre-entrepreneurs, the answer is almost always a resounding YES!
To be completely honest, I didn’t have much experience when I started my business. Other than my last job working as an engineer, I held a part-time job installing granite counter-tops for a couple of years, and before that, a job installing car audio.
But, I had little or no experience with most common handyman tasks. I had to learn as I went. In fact, as I write this, I’m still not nearly as experienced as most handymen out there, yet I’m still able to pull in a decent income. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on September 22, 2012
I’m a handyman. I LOVE tools. I can never have enough tools. My iPhone is without a doubt my favorite and most powerful tool for my handyman business. Almost every part of my customer interactions are handled through my iPhone including scheduling, taking notes, billing, and tracking payments. I’m also always on the lookout for that new app that is going to make my life even easier. In my quest to find the best iPhone apps for a handyman business, here are the top 5 that I’ve managed to uncover. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on September 16, 2012
Welcome to my ninth monthly report! If you are new to the blog, I write these every month, since day one of starting my business, and this marks my 9th month in business as a handyman. In these reports I share how much money I made in the past 30 days, advertising methods that paid off, and interesting events that happened along the way. I’ll also include key insights that I gained.
There is one word I would use to describe August – BUSY. Not only did I work more than ever, but I also had to move to a new house, sell my old house, and deal with the contractors board issue. It was a lot to deal with and I’m pretty happy the months is over. I do get to say that my profits for this month are back up! The cool thing about being busy as a business owner is that it usually means you’re making good money. Also, if you’re not busy, you get a lot of time to relax. It’s really a win-win situation. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on September 9, 2012
Getting your handyman website to show up on the first page of Google’s search engine is an excellent way to gain new customers. In fact, It’s my favorite way to advertise. It takes some effort up front, but the long-term rewards are incredible.
If you are willing to put in the effort required to reach page one on Google, you’ll see an increase in new customers for services that you want to provide.
In this article, I’ll show you how to boost your rankings in the search engines and get more business.
The first thing that you need to realize is that anybody can do it. Search engine marketing is not rocket science. By following some very simple guidelines, consistently taking action, monitoring your results, and testing new tactics, you’ll eventually reach the coveted #1 spot on google. How soon you get there will depend on how much competition there is. But, rest assured, you CAN get there.
When I started my handyman business I decided that I wanted the majority of my business to be generated online. I saw an amazing opportunity with Internet marketing and went for it. Here are some of the strategies for ranking high in the search engines that I’ve learned along the way. [continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on August 23, 2012
How much should you charge per hour as a handyman?
There is a right answer, and in this pricing guide, I will show you exactly how to figure that out. And by the way, this process will help you whether you provide handyman services, carpentry, plumbing, or any other service.
[continue reading…]
by Dan Perry
on August 14, 2012
Welcome to my eighth monthly report! I write these reports each month to help give some insight into what it’s actually like to start a handyman business. In each report, I include a detailed analysis of my financials, interesting events that took place, and lessons that I learned over the past 30 days.
If you are anything like me, jumping in head first and starting a business can be a little scary. I write this content each month so people can get an idea of what it’s really like. Enjoy. [continue reading…]
