If you enjoy working with your hands and like the opportunity to complete odd jobs in various environments, a career as a handyman could be ideal for you. Opening a handyman business is a great way to make money doing something you enjoy while having the opportunity to work for yourself. Use these five steps from Home Builder Developer and Interior Renovation to get started.
- Decide On a Specialty
Handymen complete a wide variety of jobs, from wiring electrical outlets and repairing plumbing systems to building decks and painting rooms. Instead of considering yourself a jack of all trades, choose one area to specialize in. You may still have the knowledge to work on electrical systems even though you work primarily as a plumbing handyman, but having a specialization makes people more likely to trust your services.
- Apply for Necessary Permits
You must research the locality you want to work in so that you are aware of all restrictions and regulations. For example, some areas may require you to hold an electrical license before you can work with outlets or wires. If you want to include this service as part of your repertoire, you must have all the necessary licenses. Doing your research before starting your handyman business can help you decide what services to offer and ensure that you have all the necessary permits and licenses.
- Launch the Business
Before you can officially launch your handyman business, you must decide how you want to operate the company. Drafting a business plan allows you to identify your company vision so that you can grow your business sustainably. You also need to decide how you plan to secure financing and what type of insurance you want to carry. Many companies have business plans and use them to promote growth. You’ll also need to choose a structure for your new business.
Although it’s not an official part of your business plan, it’s a good idea to begin practicing project scope management at this early stage of your business. Project scope involves breaking down any project into five components: objectives, tasks, outputs, deadlines, and budgets. This page deserves a look as you’re getting a feel for developing your project scope. You can apply this strategy to any project, from the process of launching your business to a project for one of your clients in the future. Using it will help you to stay focused on actionable next steps and avoid project creep.
- Create a Marketing Plan
Developing a good marketing campaign is how you attract customers to your business. Word-of-mouth advertising is one of the best strategies for handymen to use, but social media campaigns are also often effective. Using a banner on your social media accounts is a great way to attract attention. You can also add a graphic or video to grab users' attention.
Think about the moments when someone needs or is considering your assistance. Most people don’t call a plumber unless there’s an emergency, so address that situation in your marketing. If you specialize in general contracting or kitchen remodel, create a campaign about deciding whether to renovate your kitchen before listing your home. You can focus on topics like budget, ROI, and the draw an updated kitchen has during a sale.
- Use Helpful Programs
One of the hardest parts about running your own business is completing all of the administrative tasks yourself. You can streamline the administrative process by using helpful apps and programs.
Excel is another powerful spreadsheet program that can help you track income and expenses, create budgets, track mileage, and more. Once you've learned the basics, you can start using Excel to your advantage. For example, you can use it to create financial projections for your business, track inventory levels, and even create marketing campaigns. You can import a PDF into Excel by embedding it in the file if you want to attach invoices to your spreadsheet.
And if you’re a welder and don’t already know about Welding Logic, you should. Click here to visit this free resource covering everything from product reviews to welding advice from experts in the field. Taking advantage of free resources like these is a great way to streamline your daily operations while also improving your bottom line.
Make a Plan to Stand Out
A career as a handyman can be lucrative and rewarding, but it’s important to start with a plan. Choose a niche that you believe you will enjoy. Then, find out the provincial requirements needed to legally enact that job. And be creative and strategic in your marketing plan. You can make yourself stand out by presenting common scenarios that might bring people to need your services. Soon, you’ll be busy helping people with your specific handyman service.
Visit Home Builder Developer and Interior Renovation if you are looking for helpful information about a variety of home renovation topics.