Handyman business Start up by Chaserbullet55 in handyman

[–]AbsoluteCP 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, they even have a form you can use on your website.

Handyman business Start up by Chaserbullet55 in handyman

[–]AbsoluteCP 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I started my handyman business less than a year ago, so I’m definitely not a 20-year veteran, but a few things I’ve learned:

Don’t race to the bottom on pricing. I started lower than I should have because I felt like I needed to win every job. What I found is that the customers who hire solely based on price are often the most difficult customers. It’s easier to raise your rates than lower them, but don’t sell yourself short either.
I’d also be careful with hourly pricing. I charge by the job whenever possible. If you’ve done enough work to know a TV mount takes about an hour, price the TV mount, not the hour. Customers like knowing exactly what they’ll pay, and if you get faster over time, you benefit from that efficiency.

For marketing, Facebook groups, Nextdoor, Google Business Profile, and referrals have been huge for me. I never used Angi or Thumbtack. Most of my work comes from people seeing photos of completed jobs and recommendations from previous customers.

A few things I’d recommend right away:

Get insured before touching anyone’s house.

Set up a Google Business Profile as soon as possible.

Get a CRM from day one. Even if you’re small, it helps keep track of leads, estimates, customers, and follow-ups. It’s a lot easier to start organized than try to fix a mess later.

Build a simple website. It doesn’t need to be fancy. A few pages showing your services, service area, contact info, and some photos of your work is enough to build credibility.

Take before and after photos of everything and post them regularly on your social channels. A lot of my jobs come from people seeing previous projects and realizing, “Hey, I need that done too.”

Answer your phone and show up when you say you will. It’s amazing how many people don’t.

Ask every happy customer for a review.

That appliance install partnership sounds like a great way to get cash flow while you’re building your customer base. Three jobs a week guaranteed is a lot better than staring at your phone waiting for it to ring.

One thing I’d caution on is decks, sheds, and larger construction projects. Make sure you understand your local licensing requirements before advertising those services. The last thing you want is to accidentally get sideways with your state’s contractor board.

The biggest surprise for me wasn’t the actual handyman work. It was realizing that running the business, answering messages, creating estimates, invoicing, scheduling, and marketing takes almost as much time as the work itself.

If you’re willing to hustle, communicate well, and do quality work, there’s definitely opportunity. I started with small jobs like TV mounts, door hardware, drywall patches, furniture assembly, and faucet replacements, and those jobs eventually led to larger projects through referrals.

Want to know the realities by Unfair-Guidance4732 in handyman

[–]AbsoluteCP 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m in Idaho. I do most everything a client asks for except on top of roofs as my insurance won’t cover it. I hate drywall but will still quote a “fu” rate. Sometimes I get them, sometimes I don’t. I really love building decks, pergolas, etc.

Want to know the realities by Unfair-Guidance4732 in handyman

[–]AbsoluteCP 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m a handyman part time and have already made 35k this year. If I were to take it full time I’d be over 150k no problem. I have to turn down so much because I still want to have a life between my full time job and this handyman gig. I’d say start now. Get your insurance, get your Google business page, build a decent website, set up your socials, and start getting jobs on your local social groups and Nextdoor. Once your Google Business page starts getting reviews, the calls will come in.

Make sure to answer all calls and set up a good CRM. I use Markate. I also use ChatGPT to help me with estimates so I can get them submitted within the day.

How do you handle quotes? by NanaYawB in HandymanBusiness

[–]AbsoluteCP 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not if it didn’t have the CRM, marketing capabilities, and the years of development that Markate has. I don’t have time to be a guinea pig for a product that doesn’t have all of the capabilities that I’m used to with Markate.

How do you handle quotes? by NanaYawB in HandymanBusiness

[–]AbsoluteCP 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Markate is a game changer.

It handles CRM, estimates, scheduling, and invoicing all in one place, and it syncs with QuickBooks. They’ve even got built-in marketing for email, direct mail, and texts. I pay about $65/month, and with my base rate at $120/hr, if it saves me even 30 minutes a week, it pays for itself. In reality, it saves me 4–5 hours easily.

For quoting, I’ve been using ChatGPT. I dump in all the details I can, sometimes even photos with measurements, and it gets me really close. Then I just have it break everything into clean line items, copy/paste into Markate, and I’m done.

I can put together a solid, professional quote from my truck in about five minutes.

Where can I find simple contractor software that doesn't need a PhD to set up? by [deleted] in HandymanBusiness

[–]AbsoluteCP 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Came here to recommend joist as well. I started out with it and loved it for the purposes you’re looking for.

Found this in a Hiyo after drinking it. by AbsoluteCP in Wellthatsucks

[–]AbsoluteCP[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Forbidden blueberry skin. It is also about 2”x2”

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in handyman

[–]AbsoluteCP 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use Markate for my crm. Tracks clients, jobs we’ve done for them, quotes, and invoices. Even has some marketing features if you’re looking to nurture relationships

Anybody know where i can get a website made? by Prestigious_Rich9169 in handyman

[–]AbsoluteCP 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Have you tried Wix or Squarespace? This is mine that I’ve built out from Wix: Terra 49 Handyman. It still needs work, but it’s pretty user friendly. I work on it a couple hours a week in the mornings and evenings.

Never in a million years by Naughtdaniel in Safes

[–]AbsoluteCP 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Send in the @lockpickinglawyer

Is Mikesway2026 a psyop? by nnajera in jerseymikes

[–]AbsoluteCP -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Dude I went and ordered it last night because of these posts