Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Start a Handyman Business

I’m taking the entire week off from my handyman services to celebrate Independence Day, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity.

This excitement about the ability to control my schedule and take time off at will has my brain turning with all of the benefits of owning a small business, specifically, a handyman business.

You see, two years ago, I was still working at an office job that I, for lack of a better word, hated. I don’t mean to be negative, but it’s true. I had been working at this desk job for the previous three and a half years, and every day seemed like a little bit more of my soul was draining away.

I sat at my desk feeling imprisoned from 8 am to 6 pm every. Single. Day. I was 28, unhappy, unhealthy, and clawing desperately to gain the courage to turn things around and improve my life.

Finally, I mustered up the courage to say, “screw a good paycheck and full benefits, I’m unhappy, and something needs to change.”

So on Monday, May 3rd of 2011, I put in my notice, and two weeks later, I was free! On that day, I decided I would never live a life suppressed by “the man.”

Quitting my job and starting my handyman business was one of the best decisions.

So in this podcast episode, I discuss the many benefits of owning a handyman business and some of the disadvantages.

This podcast is meant to help you decide if the handyman business is right for you. And if you’ve already started a home repair business, it will make you happy you did!

Here are some of the key points:

• The many financial benefits of starting a handyman business.
• The many Lifestyle benefits of starting a handyman business.
• The financial and lifestyle drawbacks of the handyman business.
• The must-have personal characteristics of a good handyman business owner.

Why I chose to start a handyman business in the first place

It took me a long time and some deep soul searching before I finally decided to start a handyman business. I had so many questions before getting started. Like…

How much does a handyman make?

What skills do you need?

Is there too much competition already?

Are there better business opportunities out there?

But ultimately, when I stepped back to analyze what I wanted from a career, the decision became clear.

Instead of trying to compare the infinite options of careers available, I defined the things that were most important to me in a career. I started with a lifestyle design approach.

You may have heard of lifestyle design before, but maybe not. Either way, I believe deliberately designing your life is one of the keys to being happy.

Unfortunately, most of us spend our time submitting to society and letting the masses force their values upon us. We constantly think that we “need” to do something based on whatever influences we’ve had along the way.

It’s important to break away from this thought process and figure out what you want and what makes you happy on a day-to-day basis. Otherwise, your only chance at satisfaction is to get lucky.

The practice of lifestyle design starts with one simple question.

What do you want?

Pretend for a minute that you have Bill Gates’s bankroll and zero responsibilities.

How would you fill your time?

Seriously, take two minutes to think about this.

You could travel the world on your own yacht, buy the Laker’s franchise, and own every sports car you can get your hands on. But I seriously doubt this will provide you with long-term fulfillment.

So, think for a while about what you really want in life. What makes you happy? When do you feel best? At what point in your life were you the happiest, and why? Hopefully, these questions will give you insight into whether a handyman business is right for you.

If you are like me, you’ll realize that it’s not about the end goal. It’s about enjoying yourself as much as possible along the way. I can honestly say that if I didn’t have to work, I would still want to be help people. It just makes me feel good.

When I asked myself the questions above, I came up with a list of benefits that I wanted from a career. Some of these benefits are absolute must-haves, and others would be nice but unnecessary.

Here’s the list I came up with.

• Freedom – I have a bit of a problem with authority and don’t like being told what to do. Business ownership was the only choice. I have the freedom of taking time off when necessary and not a measly two weeks per year.
• Working in the physical world. Computers are amazing, but they’ll drain your soul if you let them. Plus, I just feel way better when I’ve been up and moving all day.
• Challenge. If I’m comfortable, I’m bored. Life’s too short to be boring. Take risks and leave your comfort zone. It’s the best way to learn and the only way to accomplish great things.
• Options. I like having several doors to choose from. If you reach a point where you only have one option to move forward, move back instead. Then choose a different door. When you are self-employed, there are always multiple doors.
• Control – I like to call the shots and can’t stand when I’m working for someone I know is making poor decisions.
• To be necessary. It’s important to me to matter, even if it is just to an old lady that needs her curtains hung.
• Last but not least, good money. Money is necessary because it enables me to do the things I enjoy and provide for my kids. If I could go back and live with the Native Americans 300 years ago, I would and wouldn’t give a shit about money. But let’s face it, I can’t do that.

When I considered everything else, I finally decided that a handyman business was one of the few careers that fit the bill. And it turns out I was right.

Starting a handyman business has allowed me to choose when I work, what I work on, and how hard I work. I get to work with my hands every day instead of sitting behind a desk. I get to be challenged both mentally and physically to keep my mind a body strong. And I have a sense of purpose because I’m providing a necessary service that customers thank me for as they pay me (the pay is nice, too).

There are several other careers or service businesses that could potentially provide the same fulfillment, but other factors pushed me toward a handyman service. The fact that it’s low-cost to get started was a big factor. It’s also very low-risk. Plus, I already had many of the skills required and didn’t need to go back to school to get started.

Of course, there are some downsides to running a handyman business. One is that it can be hard work, and If I’m not working, I’m not making any money.

Another con is that the handyman business is difficult to scale. Employees need to be well-rounded, very knowledgeable, reliable, and willing to work hard. So if you want to hire employees and build a big business, I think there are better business opportunities (like picking a specialty).

Another disadvantage is that you have to do everything and make all the tough decisions yourself. This often means tedious paperwork and slightly higher stress levels while making bigger business decisions.

So yes, there are cons, but there are disadvantages to everything. If you choose your career based on avoiding the bad, you’ll never find interesting work that you enjoy. Everything sucks part of the time.

I hope you’ve found this helpful, and it has illuminated some of the benefits that being a pro handyman can bring. If you want to learn more, I recommend listening to the podcast episode further up the page or on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.