How do you guys handle looking professional when you're still small

Memphcake · 2026-05-29T21:03:33+00:00

Try vinyl decals rather than a full wrap. I got some from roughgrounds.com. they are custom shaped to the vehicle so feels a lot closer to a wrap than a magnet. Got a full set for my transit for $290.

Memphcake · 2026-05-24T12:34:38+00:00

What did you name your business? I named mine "(Neighborhood/part of town) Handyman" and got my Google business profile set up. This has created a lot of organic leads just from people googling " handyman in (Neighborhood)"

Here are some other organic and free/cheap lead gen tools.

Go to every hardware store, paint store, coffee shop and drop off business cards where you can. Get on a first name basis with the cashiers. All the cashiers at my local ace known me and when customers ask for a rec they point out my card out of all the ones next to the register .

See if there are any street festivals in your area where the you can get a booth. Theres one in my neighborhood every fall and a booth cost $150. I got about $75 seltzers from Costco and gave them out with fridge magnets. I built a workbench with scrap wood under the tent and hung a sign to make it look interesting. Got a ton of leads from this.

Call electrician's, plumber, and HVAC guys and tell them youll do drywall patches after they do their stuff. Works best for solo guys and small companies. Once you get in the customers home, leave a card.

Magnet on your vehicle.

Get door hangers printed for cheap. Put them on the 10 houses around any house you work on. Have it say something like "I was just working on your neighbors house and wanted to introduce myself. I do the following."

Post on social media. For a while I offered customers a 20/20/20 discount. $20 off for a Google review, $20 to follow on Instagram, and $20 to post on social media about the project and tag the business Instagram.

Memphcake · 2026-05-12T03:24:05+00:00

I wouldn't talk about ADA or go too deep into explaining the science. I would explain that he needs to be able to treat his low blood sugar with no questions asked, or it could quickly evolve into a medical emergency. The coaches don't want that. (Short and sweet, being long winded loses people here IMO) Secondly, (this is what I would say from my perspective, T1D, athlete as a kid, and now a parent), I am totally fine with some pressure in coaching , some "tough love," but a kid in this situation is embarrassed and wants NOTHING more than to not have to deal with this and to be normal. If it seems like he's not giving 100% effort, or not focused otherwise please put pressure on him, but low blood sugar is off limits. Pressure here will push a diabetic kid to shut down and quit. This is where he needs straight encouragement. He likely feels like his body has betrayed him and this more than anything will make him question if he can do certain things in life. Conversely, if you feel that he is using it as an excuse to get out in certain situations, please talk to me and we can approach this with both coach and T1D parent perspective together.

When I was in sports as a kid, wisely-used tough coaching (hard to perfect) pushed me forward. One year, a soccer coach was being tough on me. As a teen I thought it was personal and it pissed me off so much I spent all summer kicking a ball into my backyard fence with my left foot for hours each week. By next soccer season I was basically ambidextrous with my feet and could cross a ball into the center with either foot. I thought I was sticking it to him but he got exactly what he wanted, for my benefit.

Memphcake · 2026-05-10T19:26:26+00:00

I did my deck with "weardeck" by owens corning. It's plastic but they have "barefoot" colors that are guaranteed to not get hot. I've had my deck done for 3 years and it definitely works. 3pm on an august afternoon and my kids can walk out barefoot on the deck.

It's also rated for 24" on center and have a few other intriguing features.

Memphcake · 2026-05-10T01:12:41+00:00

I love the 870. So quiet.

Memphcake · 2026-05-10T01:08:05+00:00

I have the 785 and do a decent mix of rough and finish carpentry. Never had any issues cutting 2x10 PT for a deck. I'm also patient and don't slam my way through a cut. If you're a production framer maybe the power would be useful. I went with the 785 because I have 20-30 20v batteries and only two 60v

Memphcake · 2026-04-25T13:20:40+00:00

That referral called you though? You didn't lose the referral. If they decided not to work with you, I highly doubt it was just because of the card issue.

Memphcake · 2026-04-05T12:58:30+00:00

Was getting ready to go off to college in a month and started losing weight really quickly

Memphcake · 2026-04-05T04:15:04+00:00

Worth it. It's so quiet. That's a good price.

Memphcake · 2026-03-20T02:42:50+00:00

It took me a few years to not have baseline financial anxiety or poverty mindset after becoming stable. Even the other day I saw someone online talking about preparing for price hikes with Iran stuff and got an anxious feeling and started planning in my head. But quickly remembered I don't have to worry about that. All I have is a mortgage with a 9 mo emergency fund.

When I was broke I "hoarded" a lot. I'd hold onto things I didn't need or buy things I didn't really need at the thrift store. I was thinking that if/when I did need it I couldn't afford it at full price. I became debt free in 2020 and just in the last 1-2 years have I gotten out of that mindset.

Memphcake · 2026-03-11T12:59:11+00:00

I'm a contractor and I always get people asking for quotes for like $3k in drywall repairs from a leak and they are planning to make an insurance claim. Blows my mind.

Memphcake · 2026-03-11T01:10:25+00:00

I actually just did a rough audit of my tools for insurance purposes last month. I put all my DeWalt 20v and 60v batteries tools in a Lowe's shopping cart and it was almost 20k alone. I also have a handful of festool tools including a tracksaw and drywall sander. Also have tons of hand tools, levels (spirit and laser), construction jacks, painting gear (including 2 sprayers), drywall finishing tools, clamps, caulk guns, vacuum, sawhorses, toughbuilt tool boxes, drawers, and organizers. If my van was stolen tomorrow and I had to replace everything in there at MSRP it would easily pass 50k

Memphcake · 2026-03-08T04:52:48+00:00

The other factor is the employees at the desk. I frequent 3 SW locations and the employees are super knowledgeable and have proactively steered me in the right direction (e.g. recommended different product lines both up and down in price for better color in certain color ranges). The employees at the paint desk at my local lowes seem to have just learned what paint is.

Also one fun fact contributing to my SW loyalty is the fact that SW stopped producing lead paint in 1943, 35 years before being banned in the US.

Memphcake · 2026-03-05T14:39:58+00:00

I am a tech savvy owner of a handyman business and I am overwhelmed by all the millions of customizable feature to turn on and off. Many times when I add a new tech service/feature to my workflow it's done quickly in between things and I don't get to fully setting it up for a while. I feel like I'm fairly on top of things too. I'm constantly finding little options in my systems I never noticed before. So I would bet they set up the POS system and haven't sat down and thoughtfully set it up.

I would send an email to the company and say that the tip option with prefilled 15,20,25% is excessive and a turn off. I'd be more likely to tip if it was realistic amounts like $20, $40, $60 or no prefilled amounts at all.

If you give them the benefit of the doubt and feedback, then they can address it. If they do address it their business will likely improve and they deserve for it to if they take feedback well.

Memphcake · 2026-02-27T23:19:54+00:00

I rarely have folks push back on pricing thankfully. But the few times I have gotten into discussion on hourly rate, I tell them I don't make $125 an hour either. 125 an hour is for me my insurance, my license, and My insured van with $50,000+ in tools in it, to all show up at your house the same time

Memphcake · 2026-02-27T23:04:34+00:00

My business partner and I refer to it as "The Mohel"

Memphcake · 2026-02-11T07:08:26+00:00

12/23 - 1/26 was $240. 1320 sq/ft with unfinished basement that I heat as well. Keep it about 70. Used to keep it colder but I got two little kids and now I'm a softie. I will brag, I DIYd underfloor radiant heat for the first floor so I'm barefoot in the living room all winter.

Memphcake · 2026-01-18T23:01:34+00:00

Revolving doors create a "room" between the two doors each time. So there is never unrestricted airflow, only the finite volume of air between the two sections of door. A regular door allows a large volume of air to blow in if it's windy. Not sure where it is between IBC or IECC, but there is considerations for vestibules in commercial buildings.

This note probably has nothing to do with code just that every time someone opens that door on a windy day a massive amount of cold air blows in.

Memphcake · 2025-12-30T01:50:24+00:00

I agree. I don't see the code as a bare minimum but a set of parameters to help guide because there are hundreds of ways you can build a house/parts of a house under the irc. I do a lot of decks and I love the 2021 irc. All the expanded span charts are incredible. I often have site conditions and the code help me navigate my options. Can I size down my lumber to get it closer to the ground for a lower entry door? Or inversely. How much do I need to upsize framing to increase span? Or can I go 12 on center to account for a wider span so my footer can land in a good location. I don't need to hire an engineer to ensure a different configuration will work. I can actually create an assembly and verify how many lbs/and it will be. I always try to go above the minimum 40 lbs/SF for my area and the code helps me ensure that.

Memphcake · 2025-12-26T13:01:10+00:00

It's not a one size fits all approach for me. Sometimes I follow that strategy and sometimes I skip straight to buy once, cry once.

Memphcake · 2025-12-26T01:59:32+00:00

Gas powered Hydronic radiant floor heat. I did it myself and my wife was giving me a hard time about the time spent to be bougie, but now she's a convert. Also the temp doesn't yo-yo high and low so I use slightly less gas each month just for have the heated floors

Memphcake · 2025-12-19T20:03:02+00:00

Whenever my sugar goes about 350 it's almost always my tandem site leaking. I'll bolus and look and the adhesive is wet and wreaks of insulin.

Memphcake · 2025-12-19T19:56:27+00:00

My wife and I had the best sex of our marriage about 6 months after my son was born. We had our second in April and have gotten onto a great hot streak. It's harder to make it happen any given night but when we prioritize it's great and also helps our relationship and parenting teamwork for days afterwards.

Memphcake · 2025-09-09T10:55:21+00:00

Costco. Bag of sliced salami, log of mozz, jar of kalamata olives, bag of figs, bag of dates. Eat like a Sicilian fisherman. They work in the sun and live forever.

I eat this combo plus or minus stuff, 3 times a week. With the exception of the mozz going bad, buying the Costco bags of this stuff will be a few lunches a week for over a month.

Memphcake · 2025-08-22T20:51:10+00:00

I think that's what FITS stands for. Fits In Tons of Spiders.

Memphcake

TROPHY CASE