How To Start A Handyman Business (2024)

Being a handyman is indeed challenging. It requires a broad range of skills, from repairs to maintenance, and often goes underappreciated. The work is never-ending, as everyone encounters household issues that require a handyman’s expertise.

If you’re tired of working for minimal wages at a company or have always aspired to run your own business, establishing yourself as a certified and skilled handyman can be rewarding but demanding. It requires effective advertising, exposure, and networking.

The advantage of starting your own business is the autonomy and flexibility it offers. You can begin modestly and expand your operations gradually, eventually building a team of experienced professionals. Below, we’ll outline how to initiate your own handyman business.

Also check – How to start business in NY / Home based business ideas

1. Give Your Business a Name:

Choosing a name could be the hardest part sometimes. Your business should have a name that is related to the job and also unique.
Research around to find out what business names are taken and which are not, lest you get slapped with a copyright claim.

2. Get a Business License:

This may sound very complicated, but it’s a fairly simple process that can be completed within a couple of days. You need to get a license in the city you want to start your business in.
All business licensing forms are available online. Just download them, print them out, fill it out and submit them to the municipal office, along with the necessary documents. A few payments may have to e made along the way.

3. Create a Website for Your Services:

Nowadays, everything has been digitalized. It’s very hard to establish a business in current times, without an online presence.
Create a website for yourself and buy a domain name. If you aren’t all that tech-savvy, you can hire someone to do this for you. Of course, it will cost you, but starting a business is no small feat. You will need to invest a good amount before you start making a profit.

4. Make a Business Plan:

The next step is to create a detailed business plan. You need to plan out every little aspect of it, right from where your office would be, to where you’ll park the business vehicle, store the tools to the approximate cost of business set up.
If you’re hiring more hands, you’ll need to plan even more carefully. You have to work out the work timings, the services you offer, research into the local competition and assess the requirement of your services.

But most importantly, set goals. Have a 6-month or a 1-year goal and a 5-year plan for your business. Because progress matters. And this will happen only if you know what you’re working towards. Plus, reaching a particular milestone or goal, will give you immense satisfaction and the much-needed boost to continue the same way.

Also check – How To Start A Lawn Care Business / How To Start A Landscaping Business

5. Set Your Base Fares:

This can be a little tricky. You will need to set base fares for all the services you provide. You can choose to charge by the hour or by the type of service.
You will need to remember that you can’t always start big. You will need to take baby steps before you run, but at the same time do not sell yourself short. Most people will not be very willing to pay a huge sum to handymen and this is the unfortunate truth. But however, strive to offer the best services possible and start out with a moderate pricing.
Attitude and quality of work trumps everything else.

6. Apply for a Business Insurance:

This is a very important part of the start-up process. You need a basic insurance cover to protect your business. A simple plan may be sufficient for the time being. You can buy a more expensive and comprehensive plan later on.
Plus, having business insurance makes your business sound more professional and established.

7. Advertise:

Coming to the most important part of the start-up process, the advertising. Any business will pick up only with proper advertising.
Few steps to effectively advertise your business:

• Focus on your local neighborhood first.
• Print out flyers, put up online adverts, word-of-mouth
• Reach out to a few established rentals and ask if they require a contractor or sub-contractor. This could gain you recognition faster.
• An important tip: All rival businesses would follow all the advertising techniques available ad would have targeted all the leading social media platforms anyway. So, try advertising on smaller platforms too and register yourself on apps that offer services.
• Set up a fancy name board or work-front. This never fails to attract customers.
• If you have contacts, they can give your business recommendations, which can boost up your popularity.

8. Buy all the Necessary Tools and a Work Vehicle:

This goes without saying. You will need all the necessary tools for the services you provide and most importantly, a vehicle for work.
The work vehicle has a dual purpose of transporting you and your employees and also serves to advertise your business. When people see your vehicle with the business name running around the city, they take note. You can print the contact details of your business on the vehicle.

9. Keep Track of All the Expenditures and Income:

The most important and crucial part of running a business is managing the finances. If you’re hiring someone to do this, well and good. If not, you’ll have to carefully scrutinize every little expenditure, to make sure that you’re not spending more than you’re making.

Keep several excel sheets open and enter every single transaction that occurs and always save the receipts. It is wise to open up a savings account and regularly add a percentage of the income to it, towards tax payments and others.
Have separate sheets to follow up workplace maintenance and repairs, employee salaries, cost of buying new tools, vehicle maintenance, job payouts, insurance etc.

10. Be Prepared for Unforeseen Events:

Keep in mind that starting a business requires investment. You won’t immediately see profits or get insane reception. And you’ll also need to be prepared to handle various other things like employee grievances, customer grievances, unforeseen emergencies leading to a shut-down of the business, an accident at the workplace, vehicular problems, natural disasters etc.
It is always safe to have a separate fund allocated for handling such situations, without turning your hair grey.

Conclusion

Starting your own handyman business can be a daunting prospect, requiring extensive research and planning. While it’s undeniably challenging, the rewards can be immense, especially if owning a business has been a long-standing dream.

Expect obstacles and setbacks along the way, but remember that great achievements often require stepping outside of your comfort zone. Dreams may start small, but they can only be realized through action. As the popular saying goes, “Life begins outside your comfort zone.” So, take that first step, dream big, and start planning your business today.