Ive worked for a family general contracting for 35 years most we had were 4-5 crews. We usually had 30 to 40 open jobs and everything was cash based, meaning company floated the job 100% till the jobs were done. It took around 500k to make it work. Fast forward to today and I own the same company with my brother and its just 2 of us, we severely downsized. I am so much happier. This video nails it with 1 good sized job and few smaller ones on the side so much less stress. We have it now where there is 3 to 4 months of expenses in the bank. The most important thing to tell yourself which I strugle with is "I'm not on sale today." and it's okay to lose a bid. You dont need to be big to make a living just efficient.
I think you can stand out in the service world just by presenting yourself a little more professionally than the other guys. I get comments all the time about how well dressed I am. I laugh inside but I know what the customers are seeing. I wear polo shirts with my logo, jeans and black leather sneakers. The shirts and jeans are clean and not ratty. I see so many guys that show up with worn out tee shirts and jeans with holes and/or stains. Black shoes hide dirt. White sneakers get dirty quickly and look terrible. I've given this advice to someone before and he whined about how much clothes cost. I probably spend $500-600/year on clothes and shoes. I can make that in half a day without breaking my ass. If you can't afford $10-12 a week to improve your image, you should probably work for someone else. Don't smoke, don't drink alcohol. People can smell it. Don't cuss. Smile. Crack a joke or two. Don't show up with 3 days of stubble either. And cut your damn hair. If you look presentable, you can charge a lot more than the other guy that looks like a bum. Clean up after yourself. When I leave a job, it is cleaner than when I got there. That is how you get repeats and referrals. Do whatever you want on your own time but when you are working, be more professional than anyone you know. I can make a $1000 a day unclogging toilets because I follow these simple things.
I work for myself because I was getting pressure from companies to cut my hair and beard. I'm on my own now and most customers don't mind because I do the rest of the things you mention, keep clean and do quality work.
I agree, I started as an electrician in the early 70's and always wore shirts with a collar an a pocket. People would ask, "why do you dress so nice for work?" I would always laugh and say, "I'm raising the standards for electrical work." look good but not like a sleazy salesman. as roger says, just be a little more professional then the other guys and that doesn't take much at all.
Shittt that hit hard hearing 100k today was 80k just a few years ago 😱😯 PS- I got a Ryobi Jigsaw and 18 gauge nailer work great. All my others are Makita and a couple Ridgid. 1 Milwaukee power ratchet 😄. I need to get a Dewalt and Metaboto complete the rainbow. Think they're all almost made made in same Gina factory
Always heard if you are too busy, you’re not prices right. That’s great for just starting out but needs to change sooner rather than later. Great advice as always Handydude
I operate short term rentals. Have a 3 man skilled labor crew for renovations, cleaning ladies and do handyman repairs myself covering all home repairs from appliances to HVAC, electric and plumbing done almost all of it. Your videos taught me not to undersell myself
Great show Handy. I don’t schedule work on Fridays to give myself a break. Only in those emergency calls do I work on Friday. I have 1 Ryobi table saw that’s on a shelf. In a pinch I’ll grab it for small quickie jobs. HandyOn!
Still too many customers keep looking for the cheapest quote, it's part of the problem that they think a "helper" will do the same job as a skilled pro but cheaper. Whereas a real pro or contractor can take care of planning, calculations, materials and construction, so it makes sense that there are more hours spent into a project and it's reasonable asking for more money. Too much cheap labor is ruining most trades.
It’s so funny you talk about this. I’ve found consistent work is way more cost effective and maybe that bc I haven’t found that balance. I charge every job on a Friday. So every week I know I have something coming in. I only do one job at a time, which sounds crazy but I’m able to maintain a quality and timely reputation with my clients. Maintain that reputation and you can continue to raise your prices.
Same here, nearly 40 years in and I refuse to do more than one at a time... Who wants to be bouncing back and forth with several clients bending your ear all the time wanting to know where you are. One job, finish and get paid, onto the next... repeat.
Solo small job guy here: Construction is a cash flow business, plain and simple. It doesn’t matter how big your invoices are it only matters how many times you’re invoicing. I don’t let more than two weeks go by without invoicing a client. And I tell them that at the beginning of the job; “I am going to bill you every two weeks for my cost and labor and fee“. I take a deposit that covers my rough materials and the first two weeks of labor. And two weeks later I submit an invoice for the labor hours I just accrued and show how I applied the deposit to my material costs. It’s more admin but cash flow remains steady.
Continue to increase prices until you are losing an uncomfortable amount of jobs. My goal is to hit the customers Maximum Pain Threshold. Sounds predatory but I'm out here to make a living. Keep in mind I'm not over charging grandma's on fixed incomes. My customers are upper-middle to extreme upper class folks that don't know how to use their hands. I do quality work and I'm constantly bending over backwards for customers. If you raise rates, before you know it you will have less jobs to juggle and be making the same, or probably more, money than you are now. I'd rather not work a day here and there then go out and work for peanuts.
As far as billing schedules, you should adjust them based on the assumed length the job will take you. If its a one week project maybe go 50/50. On really long ones I like to go 30/30/30/10. If a customer isn't going to pay odds are its going to be on the last bill so I like to keep that one small that way I'm not left hanging high and dry. If you are on a project and forced by the GC to vacate for "x" amount of time for other trades to roll through then you need to bill and get made whole for the work you completed prior to moving on for a while.
In my experience where I'm at in florida people are fed up with illegal aliens and people not speaking English and that works to my advantage being a saltine American.
I’m on my 2nd ‘official’ job as a handyman entrepreneur. Payment, bidding, and profits are certainly a huge factor in my education right now. I KNOW my skills are top notch. I’m confident in what I can deliver to customers. I’m just at an absolute loss of how to charge for my skills & labor. Just found your channel. I will be pouring into your videos!!!! Thanks for posting!!
Online resources like home advisor and homewyse etc... are great for research when starting out your pricing journey. Lots of research at first, but build yourself a good list and update it every 3 months. Know your operating cost well and make sure expenses are covered
You hit this one dead on! Customer service. I've received more work simply because I am Honest, personable, and actually return calls! I do good work and am always learning doesn't hurt either but really, having an easy to talk to personality gets a guy a long ways in the customer service department.
I stick to Handyman jobs only! I have been helping a GC buddy of mine out part time. No thanks! What a hassle. Big jobs are a headache! I love the sweet spot I fall under. Get Shit talked to me all the time about doing Handyman jobs only. LOL…. could care less! Love what I do. Works perfect for ME!
Get in with the local lumber yard not the box stores. If you do good work you'll be busy. People always come in asking the lumber yard if they knows someone who can put in the door they just bought. Lumber yard also weeds out the cheap people
Raise prices... you can always follow up with the clients and go down..(try not to) if you don't have work. I say i found a better price on the materials. Or the supplier is running a sale. On some of the materials.
In general construction one "rule of thumb" is to figure 40% material and 60% labour - taking that forward if materials double so should the cost of the labour...it is all relative and related.
Well yeah, but at least in my experience or my area (south TX) some clients are often stubborn and they just auction their project looking for the cheapest quote. Sometimes the business gets hard but myself and anyone who knows its work is high quality, don't bargain for less and defend your workmanship.
It is tough these days but once you lower your price it never comes back up. I am a bit old school in the sense that I believe you only have 3 things to offer - price, quality and service - the customer can have any 2 they want - anyone offering all 3 is either lying to themselves or the customer. At the end of the day if you only want to offer quality and service then you have to curate your customers
ive been in business for about a year and a half now. I set the bar high right away. I charge more than most, but that allows me to get better clients. I've noticed the people who appreciate honesty and integrity, pay better and are far less critical of your work. It's all about trust. You are selling trust. People will pay top dollar for trust. You do that by how you act, dress, speak, professionalism. You need better marketing, of yourself, your vehicle, your website. You build a portfolio of your work. I sold jobs cheap and offered a ton of free upgrades my first year. I did a beautiful tile shower for 2000 just so I could take pictures of it. I wanted that word of mouth and portfolio.
Oh I took a drastic pay cut. I left my job all together. I realized two things. It’s not the end of the world and I actually have hardly any bills but I did have a compulsive shopping addiction. At least in the mean time I am able to capitalize on the free time and install many of the various supplies to random projects. But I think the most important thing is that I’ve been focusing on Jesus more. Just like the seasons sometimes we need breaks so just stay positive if your income has become lean. Remember thinking can be work in itself 😊
I was a sales rep at frito lay for 15 years before going ft handyman, and nailing the customer service aspect has been laughably easy when I look at my competition and the trades in general 😂
That is a great description. The competition can barley string together a sentence. If you have a background in sales or customer service its like taking candy from a baby.
Agree 100%, but raising prices is easier said than done. I do drywall, painting, trim, a little flooring, etc. Especially the drywall work it's nearly impossible to go up in price. When I started in drywall in 92 we got 7 cents a foot to hang and 27 cents a foot to finish. I get 17 cents and 47 cents a foot now and I've had several people tell me I'm way too high, only GC's have told me that. I tried to raise my prices last year because a lot of my materials have gone up by 30-40% but I lost a lot of jobs. It's tough out here right now.
Everyone wants it cheap and fast right. I just strive for quality work and making sure the customer is satisfied. I have the customer pay for materials up front rhen labor ehen im finished. It works for me not sure how everyone else does it but it works
40 years in the biz I do it like you, One job (big job) at a time, I find when you stack then things fall and I still do six figures a year and have been since I was 16.
Broke You say? I am homeless in 2 weeks, truck will be repo'd soon if I don't sell it. I had to buy tools via C.C. for my business and it finally caught up to me. If life happens when you're paycheck to paycheck, or shitty little job to shitty little job, it's tough. Still love watching the channel while I still can though !
I was in the wrong hub. My question to the questioner would be whether his customers are matched to the prices that he is charging. He has 8 jobs because he is good and popular. To his customers he may be good and cheap. He may have made a name for himself in a cheap hub of customers...all referrals will be cheap. Find the right hub.
I have one empty house to fixup and handymen work. The fixer upper is my base camp. If I get behind on the fixer upper I get help. I once had 3 fixer uppers and handyman work at the same time. It was a nightmare, never again.
I did general contracting. And I agree, one at a time, but if one takes too long, it will break your money. I couldn't keep it up as expenses were too high. Didn't have anough work to raise prices sadly
Couple of pointers for maintaining cash flow between projects: Get one or two introductory zero interest credit cards with cash back rewards under the business name (not yours). Use that for materials and gas but always pay it off. Don't file quarterly taxes and take the annual penalty of $300 to $600. Charge a small markup (10%-15%) on materials to cover incidentals.
Made $2000 last year doing that with the credit card. It doesn't take much. I charge 20% markup on material and subs. There's always something that comes back extra
I am a handy homeowner that gets subcontractors to do things beyond my skills or that I don't want to do (heavy, crawlspace, dirty, heights).. I can build a finished cabinet. My subcontractor experience is exactly what you say. I have several I call back and want to work with. But several more who sub-contract out the work to unskilled and migrants and are only interested in the money. They are raking in 50% of the money as fees and paying the workers 'squat'. We were paying for a trim Carpenter and my wife and I spent the next day tearing out his stuff and fixing it ourselves. We expect a certain quality but not exceptional, But our Contractor has to be responsible and responsive to our requests. If we were one of 8 'projects' our Contractor had we would be pretty disappointed...pretty quick. Schedule sliding, never know when work will happen, don't know when project will end, etc.
Awesome video, you give good advice! I used to have 5 employees and 5-7 jobs on the go at the same time, too much running around. Now it’s just me and 1 job at a time, more money and less stress. You’ll just kill yourself early trying to get “big”. Subscribed !
I use an “unearned funds account” where I take a deposit and work against that deposit until it gets low then take another deposit so on and so on until the job is done. If there is money left in the account when the job is finished, the customer gets a refund. Basically like the way the IRS does it with your estimated tax you send in.
I currently use Jobber for my roof repair business, but for the handyman business, we are switching to either house call Pro or FieldPulse. Jobber does not have a visual price book and their online booking tool sucks, and no images can be included in their online booking. Other than that, I love Jobber.
For over 20 years I have collected 50% deposit with the signed order/contract/invoice. They have the money or they wouldn’t be asking you to do the job if they can’t put 50% down you either need to walk away or tell them where they can get financing.. with financing we normally would have 100% of the money before we start the job.
@@lori5946 we call them "dip shops". most every town has financing stores like World finance and etc. Many banks actually own money, or lending store fronts. look around. The HVAC contractors (which i was one) used them for secondary loans for people who didn't qualify for standard bank lending or qualify for whoever was lending through Carrier, Trane, Amana, Etc. I used them consistently for high end customers by offering 60 days same as cash, 6 months same as cash, sometimes 12 months same as cash. Go talk to them and they will be happy to show you how easy it is. You want to take applications from your customers you don't want your customers to have to go to the finance store. Let's say I had a customer looking at an option for say a crawlspace or attic renovation. (sold over a million dollars of these, likely over 2 million). Here's the close. Mr. Customer we can get this started and perhaps you would like to take advantage of our 6 months sae as cash option. What you need to know about very wealthy people is they always have someone who handles their money. If they go to that person and say I need $30,000 to fix my house. the money guy will often say, "Wait, I know a guy who does it cheaper". you can lose a lot of business that way. But if you say, Hey don't worry about now. Let's get you set up on the 6 month same as cash and you can decide how you want to handle it later. What this does is allow the customer to go ahead without talking to anyone, he usually hates argueing with his money guy who always wants to second guess his decisions. So now, you do the work, and in 5 or 6 months he hands the invoice from the finance company over to his money guy and says oh by the way, i had some work done, pay this for me. you can often do a one page application, get the signatures and (in most states) turn in the paperwork and have your money in 24 hours or less. That's how most of my jobs were paid in full before i did the work. I had other methods also but I never started a job without 50% down or finance papers signed. If the paperwork required that the work is "done". I would stop in on the day we started and say, Hey, just checking on my boys, are they doing a good job for you? they I'd say, Hey let's go ahead and get the paperwork out of the way, then i collected my signatures and turned it in. hope this helps.
@@lori5946 I may have already responded to you, but I'm getting others asking, This may help someone on financing work, we call them "dip shops". most every town has financing stores like World finance and etc. Many banks actually own money, or lending store fronts. look around. The HVAC contractors (which i was one) used them for secondary loans for people who didn't qualify for standard bank lending or qualify for whoever was lending through Carrier, Trane, Amana, Etc. I used them consistently for high end customers by offering 60 days same as cash, 6 months same as cash, sometimes 12 months same as cash. Go talk to them and they will be happy to show you how easy it is. You want to take applications from your customers you don't want your customers to have to go to the finance store. Let's say I had a customer looking at an option for say a crawlspace or attic renovation. (sold over a million dollars of these, likely over 2 million). Here's the close. Mr. Customer we can get this started and perhaps you would like to take advantage of our 6 months sae as cash option. What you need to know about very wealthy people is they always have someone who handles their money. If they go to that person and say I need $30,000 to fix my house. the money guy will often say, "Wait, I know a guy who does it cheaper". you can lose a lot of business that way. But if you say, Hey don't worry about now. Let's get you set up on the 6 month same as cash and you can decide how you want to handle it later. What this does is allow the customer to go ahead without talking to anyone, he usually hates argueing with his money guy who always wants to second guess his decisions. So now, you do the work, and in 5 or 6 months he hands the invoice from the finance company over to his money guy and says oh by the way, i had some work done, pay this for me. you can often do a one page application, get the signatures and (in most states) turn in the paperwork and have your money in 24 hours or less. That's how most of my jobs were paid in full before i did the work. I had other methods also but I never started a job without 50% down or finance papers signed. If the paperwork required that the work is "done". I would stop in on the day we started and say, Hey, just checking on my boys, are they doing a good job for you? they I'd say, Hey let's go ahead and get the paperwork out of the way, then i collected my signatures and turned it in. hope this helps.
Personally I do Fitness Equipment Repairs, I charge a flat rate per hour and a service fee. If I have to order parts, I require payment up front. If I travel outside my normal range, I have additional fees for traveling.
How to make more money? If you are crazy busy turning away work, increase your prices by 10-20%. Now you are making more per hour. When those new rates have been in place a while and you're still turning away work, increase again. At some point, you will find the proper threshold where you are only turning down a few jobs due to time and you will know you found your areas sweet spot.
There’s usually enough work for other people unless you’re in a small area. Than you may have to drive further. But, you may have to do things to build your business. Either charge less, go the extra for better service or give added “free” benefits. Once you build you’re business, start charging more or scaling back the freebies. Honestly though, I’m in New Hampshire and usually just calling people back, showing up on time looking professional (for the job) and being polite will get you lots of jobs. Many companies don’t bother calling potential clients back.
Skilled labor is not cheap. Cheap labor is not skilled. You are correct. When you are juggling too much work is because you are not charging enough. You should be raising your prices every year, just like inflation. There is a fine balance between your work load and your income.
I know we NEED to raise prices, but most people have a hard time even getting the same money they did several years ago. I'm in a contractor group on fb in an average sized city and anytime someone posts a job like 30-50 people respond; the undercutting is insane and someone can always "do it cheaper". Shit HAS hit the fan, but most americans want to stay "positive" and try to ignore that. I was told back in fall "ohhhhh it's just winter, it's always like this" then in winter "ohhhhh it's just the holidays, people spent all their money". Well now we're entering spring; no change, the america we once knew is completely dead. Most people working 3 jobs just to pay rent smh. And yes, the immigrant influx does NOT help at ALL, unless you wanna sit back and collect while they do all the work, but being ukrainian myself, I know their shit quality "work".
I just recently retired from big government job after 25 years service and reopening my construction business, this guy sounds like my brother plenty of work but always broke ? Weird to me
You're missing the real problem. Stop spending so much money!!! Everyone runs out and buys (usually on credit) the most expensive things they can afford at the time, like a new fancy truck or house for example, and then wonder how they got into a financial situation when the flow of money changes. I have a friend who would be a multi millionaire by now, but instead he is in debt because he can't help himself.
I've been in maintenance and the trades for about 30 years I'm hvac certified epa universal certified certified in all major brands of appliances and certified in water heaters and boilers I'm a few hours away from my journeyman electrician card and did hold a contractors license here at one point been wanting to go off on my own I'm tired of getting paid just enough to get by but I'm not sure how to go about it any help would be appreciated
Just have to start. Being that you've been in it a long time. You should have a lot of contacts.. My advise is don't get over extended in debt and avoid it if possible. I call it low cost to idle if work gets slow. I went on my own 4 years ago. Not by choice, the bosses all retired and I didn't want to go somewhere else. The easy part is doing the job now
I've been using a Ryobi 7 1/4" circular saw, corded, in heavy duty all day long work, and is still working great for 3 years. Some other tools as nail guns I've heard more complaints for getting messed up too often. I guess it depends of what type of tool. Still Ryobi has good prices compared to the big names as Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee... and are going to be way better than the cheap knock offs sold at harbor freight.
Thinking of moving to Tennessee, or NC. How’s the handyman work out there? My guess is more people do more for themselves out that way, BUT there should still be plenty of lazy people to Find!
Ive worked for a family general contracting for 35 years most we had were 4-5 crews. We usually had 30 to 40 open jobs and everything was cash based, meaning company floated the job 100% till the jobs were done. It took around 500k to make it work. Fast forward to today and I own the same company with my brother and its just 2 of us, we severely downsized. I am so much happier. This video nails it with 1 good sized job and few smaller ones on the side so much less stress. We have it now where there is 3 to 4 months of expenses in the bank. The most important thing to tell yourself which I strugle with is "I'm not on sale today." and it's okay to lose a bid. You dont need to be big to make a living just efficient.
totally agree.
I agree, I’m being to try to do that and for more of the time I’m making it, but sometimes is hard to get the leads.
Losing bids is both exciting and scary in my opinion. Keep up the good work
This guy is the bomb! He knows exactly what he is talking about and he knows his market!
I think you can stand out in the service world just by presenting yourself a little more professionally than the other guys. I get comments all the time about how well dressed I am. I laugh inside but I know what the customers are seeing. I wear polo shirts with my logo, jeans and black leather sneakers. The shirts and jeans are clean and not ratty. I see so many guys that show up with worn out tee shirts and jeans with holes and/or stains. Black shoes hide dirt. White sneakers get dirty quickly and look terrible. I've given this advice to someone before and he whined about how much clothes cost. I probably spend $500-600/year on clothes and shoes. I can make that in half a day without breaking my ass. If you can't afford $10-12 a week to improve your image, you should probably work for someone else.
Don't smoke, don't drink alcohol. People can smell it. Don't cuss. Smile. Crack a joke or two. Don't show up with 3 days of stubble either. And cut your damn hair. If you look presentable, you can charge a lot more than the other guy that looks like a bum.
Clean up after yourself. When I leave a job, it is cleaner than when I got there. That is how you get repeats and referrals.
Do whatever you want on your own time but when you are working, be more professional than anyone you know. I can make a $1000 a day unclogging toilets because I follow these simple things.
Amen
I work for myself because I was getting pressure from companies to cut my hair and beard. I'm on my own now and most customers don't mind because I do the rest of the things you mention, keep clean and do quality work.
I agree, I started as an electrician in the early 70's and always wore shirts with a collar an a pocket. People would ask, "why do you dress so nice for work?" I would always laugh and say, "I'm raising the standards for electrical work." look good but not like a sleazy salesman. as roger says, just be a little more professional then the other guys and that doesn't take much at all.
Shittt that hit hard hearing 100k today was 80k just a few years ago 😱😯
PS- I got a Ryobi Jigsaw and 18 gauge nailer work great. All my others are Makita and a couple Ridgid. 1 Milwaukee power ratchet 😄. I need to get a Dewalt and Metaboto complete the rainbow. Think they're all almost made made in same Gina factory
Always heard if you are too busy, you’re not prices right. That’s great for just starting out but needs to change sooner rather than later. Great advice as always Handydude
I operate short term rentals. Have a 3 man skilled labor crew for renovations, cleaning ladies and do handyman repairs myself covering all home repairs from appliances to HVAC, electric and plumbing done almost all of it. Your videos taught me not to undersell myself
Great show Handy. I don’t schedule work on Fridays to give myself a break. Only in those emergency calls do I work on Friday. I have 1 Ryobi table saw that’s on a shelf. In a pinch I’ll grab it for small quickie jobs. HandyOn!
Needed to hear this. Thanks for taking the time to share!
Been doing this for 25 yrs and this video is the best 8min advice that I have ever been given for my business.
Still too many customers keep looking for the cheapest quote, it's part of the problem that they think a "helper" will do the same job as a skilled pro but cheaper. Whereas a real pro or contractor can take care of planning, calculations, materials and construction, so it makes sense that there are more hours spent into a project and it's reasonable asking for more money. Too much cheap labor is ruining most trades.
It’s so funny you talk about this. I’ve found consistent work is way more cost effective and maybe that bc I haven’t found that balance. I charge every job on a Friday. So every week I know I have something coming in. I only do one job at a time, which sounds crazy but I’m able to maintain a quality and timely reputation with my clients. Maintain that reputation and you can continue to raise your prices.
Same here, nearly 40 years in and I refuse to do more than one at a time... Who wants to be bouncing back and forth with several clients bending your ear all the time wanting to know where you are.
One job, finish and get paid, onto the next... repeat.
Your business content is so good! Thanks for doing these. Please keep them coming. I'll do my part to spread the word about this channel. Thanks!!
Solo small job guy here: Construction is a cash flow business, plain and simple. It doesn’t matter how big your invoices are it only matters how many times you’re invoicing. I don’t let more than two weeks go by without invoicing a client. And I tell them that at the beginning of the job; “I am going to bill you every two weeks for my cost and labor and fee“. I take a deposit that covers my rough materials and the first two weeks of labor. And two weeks later I submit an invoice for the labor hours I just accrued and show how I applied the deposit to my material costs. It’s more admin but cash flow remains steady.
Continue to increase prices until you are losing an uncomfortable amount of jobs. My goal is to hit the customers Maximum Pain Threshold. Sounds predatory but I'm out here to make a living. Keep in mind I'm not over charging grandma's on fixed incomes. My customers are upper-middle to extreme upper class folks that don't know how to use their hands. I do quality work and I'm constantly bending over backwards for customers. If you raise rates, before you know it you will have less jobs to juggle and be making the same, or probably more, money than you are now. I'd rather not work a day here and there then go out and work for peanuts.
As far as billing schedules, you should adjust them based on the assumed length the job will take you. If its a one week project maybe go 50/50. On really long ones I like to go 30/30/30/10. If a customer isn't going to pay odds are its going to be on the last bill so I like to keep that one small that way I'm not left hanging high and dry. If you are on a project and forced by the GC to vacate for "x" amount of time for other trades to roll through then you need to bill and get made whole for the work you completed prior to moving on for a while.
In my experience where I'm at in florida people are fed up with illegal aliens and people not speaking English and that works to my advantage being a saltine American.
I’m on my 2nd ‘official’ job as a handyman entrepreneur. Payment, bidding, and profits are certainly a huge factor in my education right now. I KNOW my skills are top notch. I’m confident in what I can deliver to customers.
I’m just at an absolute loss of how to charge for my skills & labor.
Just found your channel. I will be pouring into your videos!!!! Thanks for posting!!
Online resources like home advisor and homewyse etc... are great for research when starting out your pricing journey. Lots of research at first, but build yourself a good list and update it every 3 months. Know your operating cost well and make sure expenses are covered
Might also benefit to pick only a few services that you offer so your quoting is easier to manage
You hit this one dead on! Customer service. I've received more work simply because I am Honest, personable, and actually return calls! I do good work and am always learning doesn't hurt either but really, having an easy to talk to personality gets a guy a long ways in the customer service department.
I stick to Handyman jobs only! I have been helping a GC buddy of mine out part time. No thanks! What a hassle. Big jobs are a headache! I love the sweet spot I fall under. Get Shit talked to me all the time about doing Handyman jobs only. LOL…. could care less! Love what I do. Works perfect for ME!
Please make a video about getting customers. Introvert people like me is a big challenge.
Get in with the local lumber yard not the box stores. If you do good work you'll be busy. People always come in asking the lumber yard if they knows someone who can put in the door they just bought. Lumber yard also weeds out the cheap people
Raise prices... you can always follow up with the clients and go down..(try not to) if you don't have work. I say i found a better price on the materials. Or the supplier is running a sale. On some of the materials.
In general construction one "rule of thumb" is to figure 40% material and 60% labour - taking that forward if materials double so should the cost of the labour...it is all relative and related.
Well yeah, but at least in my experience or my area (south TX) some clients are often stubborn and they just auction their project looking for the cheapest quote. Sometimes the business gets hard but myself and anyone who knows its work is high quality, don't bargain for less and defend your workmanship.
It is tough these days but once you lower your price it never comes back up. I am a bit old school in the sense that I believe you only have 3 things to offer - price, quality and service - the customer can have any 2 they want - anyone offering all 3 is either lying to themselves or the customer. At the end of the day if you only want to offer quality and service then you have to curate your customers
I do the same exact thing you do. Everyone I see one of your videos I can always relate with what your talking about.
Great channel!
Awesome! Thank you!
Handyman, you and I have champagne taste, my friend. But, I will never settle for less. Keep spending. 🍻
Thanks man 😎👍 great video.
You do a lot of good for people.
ive been in business for about a year and a half now. I set the bar high right away. I charge more than most, but that allows me to get better clients. I've noticed the people who appreciate honesty and integrity, pay better and are far less critical of your work. It's all about trust. You are selling trust. People will pay top dollar for trust. You do that by how you act, dress, speak, professionalism. You need better marketing, of yourself, your vehicle, your website. You build a portfolio of your work. I sold jobs cheap and offered a ton of free upgrades my first year. I did a beautiful tile shower for 2000 just so I could take pictures of it. I wanted that word of mouth and portfolio.
My bread and butter is bathroom remodels and mold remediation . Big fast easy money .
I never did but 1 job at a time but nknr of my jobs were longer than a month and i never had an employee to keep busy. Makes life a lot simpler .
Oh I took a drastic pay cut. I left my job all together. I realized two things. It’s not the end of the world and I actually have hardly any bills but I did have a compulsive shopping addiction. At least in the mean time I am able to capitalize on the free time and install many of the various supplies to random projects. But I think the most important thing is that I’ve been focusing on Jesus more. Just like the seasons sometimes we need breaks so just stay positive if your income has become lean. Remember thinking can be work in itself 😊
My step dad always used to say moncho, trabajo poco deniro
Thank you handyman you always inspire me to keep moving forward.. blessings
Whew 100'000 dollar pick up I can't even imagine that
I was a sales rep at frito lay for 15 years before going ft handyman, and nailing the customer service aspect has been laughably easy when I look at my competition and the trades in general 😂
That is a great description. The competition can barley string together a sentence. If you have a background in sales or customer service its like taking candy from a baby.
Agree 100%, but raising prices is easier said than done. I do drywall, painting, trim, a little flooring, etc. Especially the drywall work it's nearly impossible to go up in price. When I started in drywall in 92 we got 7 cents a foot to hang and 27 cents a foot to finish. I get 17 cents and 47 cents a foot now and I've had several people tell me I'm way too high, only GC's have told me that. I tried to raise my prices last year because a lot of my materials have gone up by 30-40% but I lost a lot of jobs. It's tough out here right now.
The only option you have is to get more efficient. Usually tools help with that. Best of luck.
Everyone wants it cheap and fast right. I just strive for quality work and making sure the customer is satisfied. I have the customer pay for materials up front rhen labor ehen im finished. It works for me not sure how everyone else does it but it works
40 years in the biz I do it like you, One job (big job) at a time, I find when you stack then things fall and I still do six figures a year and have been since I was 16.
Skills and looking professional is a plus just because we are skills trades men we don’t have to look like a bum!
Broke You say? I am homeless in 2 weeks, truck will be repo'd soon if I don't sell it. I had to buy tools via C.C. for my business and it finally caught up to me. If life happens when you're paycheck to paycheck, or shitty little job to shitty little job, it's tough. Still love watching the channel while I still can though !
Come out this way. There is a house sitting empty....clean it up and use it....Just pay the utilities. (Small town...Big town is an hour away )
I was in the wrong hub. My question to the questioner would be whether his customers are matched to the prices that he is charging.
He has 8 jobs because he is good and popular. To his customers he may be good and cheap.
He may have made a name for himself in a cheap hub of customers...all referrals will be cheap. Find the right hub.
Buen video hombre 👍🏼
I have one empty house to fixup and handymen work. The fixer upper is my base camp. If I get behind on the fixer upper I get help.
I once had 3 fixer uppers and handyman work at the same time. It was a nightmare, never again.
I did general contracting. And I agree, one at a time, but if one takes too long, it will break your money. I couldn't keep it up as expenses were too high. Didn't have anough work to raise prices sadly
Couple of pointers for maintaining cash flow between projects: Get one or two introductory zero interest credit cards with cash back rewards under the business name (not yours). Use that for materials and gas but always pay it off. Don't file quarterly taxes and take the annual penalty of $300 to $600. Charge a small markup (10%-15%) on materials to cover incidentals.
Made $2000 last year doing that with the credit card. It doesn't take much. I charge 20% markup on material and subs. There's always something that comes back extra
Thing is, one trade can depend on another one finishing. One can easily have 16 projects floating around waiting for portions to be finished.
I am a handy homeowner that gets subcontractors to do things beyond my skills or that I don't want to do (heavy, crawlspace, dirty, heights).. I can build a finished cabinet.
My subcontractor experience is exactly what you say. I have several I call back and want to work with. But several more who sub-contract out the work to unskilled and migrants and are only interested in the money. They are raking in 50% of the money as fees and paying the workers 'squat'. We were paying for a trim Carpenter and my wife and I spent the next day tearing out his stuff and fixing it ourselves. We expect a certain quality but not exceptional, But our Contractor has to be responsible and responsive to our requests. If we were one of 8 'projects' our Contractor had we would be pretty disappointed...pretty quick. Schedule sliding, never know when work will happen, don't know when project will end, etc.
Awesome video, you give good advice! I used to have 5 employees and 5-7 jobs on the go at the same time, too much running around. Now it’s just me and 1 job at a time, more money and less stress. You’ll just kill yourself early trying to get “big”. Subscribed !
I use an “unearned funds account” where I take a deposit and work against that deposit until it gets low then take another deposit so on and so on until the job is done. If there is money left in the account when the job is finished, the customer gets a refund. Basically like the way the IRS does it with your estimated tax you send in.
Start learning Jobber. They have free training go.getjobber.com/mp06cdbohcdq
I currently use Jobber for my roof repair business, but for the handyman business, we are switching to either house call Pro or FieldPulse. Jobber does not have a visual price book and their online booking tool sucks, and no images can be included in their online booking. Other than that, I love Jobber.
How do you find time for social media...I'm struggling for time to do all the social media stuff
For over 20 years I have collected 50% deposit with the signed order/contract/invoice. They have the money or they wouldn’t be asking you to do the job if they can’t put 50% down you either need to walk away or tell them where they can get financing.. with financing we normally would have 100% of the money before we start the job.
How do you work financing ? I know I have used PayPal zero interest for six months but How do you do that with your business ?
@@lori5946 we call them "dip shops". most every town has financing stores like World finance and etc. Many banks actually own money, or lending store fronts. look around. The HVAC contractors (which i was one) used them for secondary loans for people who didn't qualify for standard bank lending or qualify for whoever was lending through Carrier, Trane, Amana, Etc. I used them consistently for high end customers by offering 60 days same as cash, 6 months same as cash, sometimes 12 months same as cash. Go talk to them and they will be happy to show you how easy it is. You want to take applications from your customers you don't want your customers to have to go to the finance store. Let's say I had a customer looking at an option for say a crawlspace or attic renovation. (sold over a million dollars of these, likely over 2 million). Here's the close. Mr. Customer we can get this started and perhaps you would like to take advantage of our 6 months sae as cash option. What you need to know about very wealthy people is they always have someone who handles their money. If they go to that person and say I need $30,000 to fix my house. the money guy will often say, "Wait, I know a guy who does it cheaper". you can lose a lot of business that way. But if you say, Hey don't worry about now. Let's get you set up on the 6 month same as cash and you can decide how you want to handle it later. What this does is allow the customer to go ahead without talking to anyone, he usually hates argueing with his money guy who always wants to second guess his decisions. So now, you do the work, and in 5 or 6 months he hands the invoice from the finance company over to his money guy and says oh by the way, i had some work done, pay this for me. you can often do a one page application, get the signatures and (in most states) turn in the paperwork and have your money in 24 hours or less. That's how most of my jobs were paid in full before i did the work. I had other methods also but I never started a job without 50% down or finance papers signed. If the paperwork required that the work is "done". I would stop in on the day we started and say, Hey, just checking on my boys, are they doing a good job for you? they I'd say, Hey let's go ahead and get the paperwork out of the way, then i collected my signatures and turned it in. hope this helps.
@@lori5946 I may have already responded to you, but I'm getting others asking,
This may help someone on financing work, we call them "dip shops". most every town has financing stores like World finance and etc. Many banks actually own money, or lending store fronts. look around. The HVAC contractors (which i was one) used them for secondary loans for people who didn't qualify for standard bank lending or qualify for whoever was lending through Carrier, Trane, Amana, Etc. I used them consistently for high end customers by offering 60 days same as cash, 6 months same as cash, sometimes 12 months same as cash. Go talk to them and they will be happy to show you how easy it is. You want to take applications from your customers you don't want your customers to have to go to the finance store. Let's say I had a customer looking at an option for say a crawlspace or attic renovation. (sold over a million dollars of these, likely over 2 million). Here's the close. Mr. Customer we can get this started and perhaps you would like to take advantage of our 6 months sae as cash option. What you need to know about very wealthy people is they always have someone who handles their money. If they go to that person and say I need $30,000 to fix my house. the money guy will often say, "Wait, I know a guy who does it cheaper". you can lose a lot of business that way. But if you say, Hey don't worry about now. Let's get you set up on the 6 month same as cash and you can decide how you want to handle it later. What this does is allow the customer to go ahead without talking to anyone, he usually hates argueing with his money guy who always wants to second guess his decisions. So now, you do the work, and in 5 or 6 months he hands the invoice from the finance company over to his money guy and says oh by the way, i had some work done, pay this for me. you can often do a one page application, get the signatures and (in most states) turn in the paperwork and have your money in 24 hours or less. That's how most of my jobs were paid in full before i did the work. I had other methods also but I never started a job without 50% down or finance papers signed. If the paperwork required that the work is "done". I would stop in on the day we started and say, Hey, just checking on my boys, are they doing a good job for you? they I'd say, Hey let's go ahead and get the paperwork out of the way, then i collected my signatures and turned it in. hope this helps.
@@lori5946 Look into Hearth financing and the equivalent companies out there
Personally I do Fitness Equipment Repairs, I charge a flat rate per hour and a service fee. If I have to order parts, I require payment up front. If I travel outside my normal range, I have additional fees for traveling.
I almost had close out the whole video!!!!! The ad before you started was a Joe B campaign video.
Subcontractor went downhill 25+ yrs ago in the southeast ,framer/owner could make 200k+ a yr in the 90s
What are you? Following my life with this title?
That was good @wylian Have a great weekend
How to make more money? If you are crazy busy turning away work, increase your prices by 10-20%. Now you are making more per hour. When those new rates have been in place a while and you're still turning away work, increase again. At some point, you will find the proper threshold where you are only turning down a few jobs due to time and you will know you found your areas sweet spot.
How do you compete as a one or two man operation, with the bigger companies who pay they're people very little and can be quicker, and can charge less
There’s usually enough work for other people unless you’re in a small area. Than you may have to drive further. But, you may have to do things to build your business. Either charge less, go the extra for better service or give added “free” benefits. Once you build you’re business, start charging more or scaling back the freebies. Honestly though, I’m in New Hampshire and usually just calling people back, showing up on time looking professional (for the job) and being polite will get you lots of jobs. Many companies don’t bother calling potential clients back.
🇺🇸🤘 Heck Yeah Handy Dandy 🤘🇺🇸
Good morning sir
He maybe letting his general contractor tell him what prices to charge or something like that, yes I see too many contractors working by for wages
Skilled labor is not cheap. Cheap labor is not skilled. You are correct. When you are juggling too much work is because you are not charging enough. You should be raising your prices every year, just like inflation. There is a fine balance between your work load and your income.
Love the Frogger app
The video game?
When I started out in IT my service manager told me, "you engineer the customer as much as you engineer the technology."
I own my company and make 40 k a year and have more money than i need. Its pretty easy to survive. Hard to thrive
I know we NEED to raise prices, but most people have a hard time even getting the same money they did several years ago. I'm in a contractor group on fb in an average sized city and anytime someone posts a job like 30-50 people respond; the undercutting is insane and someone can always "do it cheaper". Shit HAS hit the fan, but most americans want to stay "positive" and try to ignore that. I was told back in fall "ohhhhh it's just winter, it's always like this" then in winter "ohhhhh it's just the holidays, people spent all their money". Well now we're entering spring; no change, the america we once knew is completely dead. Most people working 3 jobs just to pay rent smh. And yes, the immigrant influx does NOT help at ALL, unless you wanna sit back and collect while they do all the work, but being ukrainian myself, I know their shit quality "work".
Interested in the third channel you mentioned, reference the new truck. Where can a guy find that? Thanks as always.
www.youtube.com/@2MuchHandyman/featured
It's called "2 much handyman"
I just recently retired from big government job after 25 years service and reopening my construction business, this guy sounds like my brother plenty of work but always broke ? Weird to me
F that that’s why I’m a Proho
You're missing the real problem. Stop spending so much money!!! Everyone runs out and buys (usually on credit) the most expensive things they can afford at the time, like a new fancy truck or house for example, and then wonder how they got into a financial situation when the flow of money changes. I have a friend who would be a multi millionaire by now, but instead he is in debt because he can't help himself.
What area(s) do you service?
I've been in maintenance and the trades for about 30 years I'm hvac certified epa universal certified certified in all major brands of appliances and certified in water heaters and boilers I'm a few hours away from my journeyman electrician card and did hold a contractors license here at one point been wanting to go off on my own I'm tired of getting paid just enough to get by but I'm not sure how to go about it any help would be appreciated
Just have to start. Being that you've been in it a long time. You should have a lot of contacts.. My advise is don't get over extended in debt and avoid it if possible. I call it low cost to idle if work gets slow. I went on my own 4 years ago. Not by choice, the bosses all retired and I didn't want to go somewhere else. The easy part is doing the job now
Is that a diamond back on the wall . Maybe a redline ?
Mongoose
2 or 3 jobs going at a time. At the most.
What is your 3rd channel’s name?
What’s the third channel…
Is that a hutch trick star?
Vision
I'm doing 30%-30% and 40% on the end
I always front load incase things get crazy
Sounds like the brother is under selling his service or has too many guys working for him, one or the two
I have tons of handyman work but I live in California and completely broke. I can't even afford to purchase materials anymore 🤷♂️
Charge the customer for materials and upcharge
@@kenpachi465 thanks 🙏
Who else here uses Ryobi tools? Hammer that like button.
No professional can use Ryobi tools. They break to much.
I have seen plenty of contractors using Ryobi.
@@TheHandymanBusiness not true . But I'm guessing you know that LoL
I've been using a Ryobi 7 1/4" circular saw, corded, in heavy duty all day long work, and is still working great for 3 years. Some other tools as nail guns I've heard more complaints for getting messed up too often. I guess it depends of what type of tool. Still Ryobi has good prices compared to the big names as Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee... and are going to be way better than the cheap knock offs sold at harbor freight.
Been using them forever, plus My guys have their own color tools. They work and last. Batteries are super cheap after holiday m leftovers
Where's this cat working? Anyone in Nashville?
Thinking of moving to Tennessee, or NC. How’s the handyman work out there? My guess is more people do more for themselves out that way, BUT there should still be plenty of lazy people to
Find!
😈 Promo SM
i cant even watch this with the gun crap
You should probably go find a safe. 🌮🌈