The Handyman Startup Podcast

In this episode of the Handyman Startup Podcast, I’ve got something special for all you landscaping contractors out there. I bring on Christy Webber of Christy Webber Landscapes in Chicago, IL and uncover her story and how she went from a small town lady mowing lawns, to running one of the largest Landscaping companies in Chicago. I know this isn’t the typical type of guest I bring on the show and Christy isn’t a handyman, but the lessons she shares are applicable to all trades. Christy’s story is incredible, especially considering that she didn’t graduate with a business degree.  In fact, her education was in physical education.  She knew nothing about operating a business and just got started mowing lawns.  And that’s the key to her success, she just got started. Her determined attitude and love for her job helped her build a business that currently employs roughly 400 people!  Listen in to find out how. Here’s what we cover in this episode: Why some companies fail in bad economic times and others succeed. How to scale a service business even if business isn’t your strong suit. How integrating your story into your business can get your customers working to help you. Struggles with employees and how to deal with them. How to overcome fear and finally get started with your business. How brutal honesty with your customers can take your business to the next level. The importance of letting go and allowing others to help you. Links and Resources Check out Christy’s website here. Handyman Web Academy Info (Now called Handyman Marketing Machine) As always, thanks for listening!  And a special thanks to Christy Webber for joining me on the podcast and sharing her story to help others succeed. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Comments or Questions Did you find Christy’s story inspiring?  If so, let me know in the comments below.  Then, sign up for my e-mail newsletter to get updates when future episodes are released. The post HS 015 – How To Go From Mowing Lawns to $32 Million In Revenue With Christy Webber appeared first on Handyman Startup.

Looking for an easy way to increase your profitability?  Consider limiting your service area.  That’s what Michael Rodriguez (a.k.a MROD) of BelleCreak Handyman & Remodeling did. In fact, he built his business while focusing primarily on a single subdivision.  Listen in to this episode of the Handyman Startup Podcast to learn all about it. I’m fascinated with what Michael and his partner Alex were able to achieve.  It really goes to show how in demand a good handyman service can be. Now, I understand that is may sound counterintuitive that limiting your service area can actually be more profitable, but it actually makes a lot of sense.  Here are some of the benefits of limiting your service area. Save time – Time is your most valuable asset and you want to use it wisely.  Driving all over town all day isn’t providing any value to your customer, and it’s wasting your time, especially when there are plenty of customers within a small area to keep more than one guy busy. Save Money – Gas isn’t cheap, neither are tires and regular car maintenance.  Why travel extra miles when you have plenty of work close to you? Better service – By limiting your area, you can actually provide a better service.  You’ll have a faster response time and be more available to your customers. Increase Profitability – You have two options to increase your profits when limiting your service area.  You can either pocket the time and money savings, or you can lower your prices to stay more competitive.  Either way, your profits will likely rise. In this episode… In this episode of the Handyman Startup Podcast, I sit down with Michael Rodriguez and discuss exactly how he built his business with a very limited service area. That’s not all we cover, either.  MROD was generous enough to share his best practices and what he’s learned while building his business.   Here’s what to expect in this episode: A cheap and effective method for generating leads.  (Hint:  Anyone can start using this right away) How to build a successful business in a single subdivision. The power of having a partner in this business. How to sell more services to your customers once you’re in the door. An easy way to make your customers feel special and build instant trust. Plus a whole bunch of handyman business insight from a handyman who just got started last year. Links & Resources BelleCreek Handyman – bchandy.com ThumbTack.com Interview with a Californian handyman – Here is another example of an interview with a handyman who introduced me to the idea of limiting my service area. The E-Myth Landscape Contractor – Mike highly recommended this book and says that it’s very applicable to handyman business.   (affiliate link) Thanks for listening!  And thanks to Michael Rodriguez for sharing what he’s learned to help others.  I definitely appreciate him taking the time out of his busy schedule. I always enjoy connecting with other handymen and hearing their stories andI hope you enjoy it, too! Know anybody else who would like the podcast?  If so, do them and me a favor and share it! Comments or Questions Do you limit your service area?  If so, how has it effected your business?  Let me know in the comments below! The post HS 014 – How To SERIOUSLY Limit Your Service Area appeared first on Handyman Startup.

Hire artists for contracting? That’s what Nick May, founder of Walls By Design, did. He’s a successful interior painting contractor with over 14 years of experience and get this, he only hires artists!  Surprised?  Be sure to listen to this episode to find out why. Here are some other topics we cover in this interview: Why targeting high end customers actually brings in a wide variety of customers and gets your phone to ring. A unique way that Nick builds relationships with industry partners in order to get into those million dollar homes. How hiring employees makes you better at what you do. How to hire your first employee (more specifically, how I should hire my first employee.)  Where to look, who to hire, and when. While Nick isn’t a handyman, his knowledge and ideas can be applied to any home service business.  He has a ton of great marketing info to share and you can hear is passion while he talks about how to get more customers.  Here is my favorite quote from the interview: “Almost all marketing methods will work for somebody.  You’ve got to find what works for you.” Wise words for sure. Other important notes from the podcast: Are you looking to get the phone to ring with quality customers?  I’ve got your back.  I’m currently preparing to launch the Handyman Web Academy in January, and it’s going to be better than ever.  I’m using the feedback I’ve received from those who signed up in October to make a great product even better. In the mean time, how would you like some FREE video training on how to get your phone to ring?  I’m working on it right now and it will be ready soon, sign up here to get access when it’s ready (it won’t be posted on the blog). As always, if you enjoy the podcast, please show me some support and give me a review on iTunes!  I’d really appreciate it. The post Interview With Successful Painting Contractor Nick May appeared first on Handyman Startup.

In this episode of the Handyman Startup Podcast, I bring on Chris Maxwell-Gaines, co-founder of Innovative Water Solutions in Austin, TX. Chris started his home service business back in 2004 and has since grown it to the point of having 14 employees and over a million dollars in revenue.  He’s got a lot to share from his 10 years of experience.  So, I brought him onto the show so you can benefit from his knowledge and grow your business. I love Chris’s story because he started his business without a plan and was literally wingin’ it in the beginning.  He had his first customer sold before he even had a service to offer!  10 years later he’s reaping the benefits of his courage.  A great example of why you should just get started. Here are a few highlights from the interview: How crafting a story can jumpstart your business. A powerful way to use web based content marketing. Strategic partners and what they can do for your business. Why wingin’ it is sometimes the best option and why you should just get started. Chris doesn’t provide handyman services, instead he installs and maintains water caching systems, among various other services.  However, his insights and tips can be applied to any home service business. For those of you interested in water conservation systems, Chris is your man.  Not only can he install them for you but he is offering a comprehensive training program for contractor’s looking to add water conservation services to their businesses.  If you’re looking to add another revenue stream, be sure to contact Chris and he’ll get you set on the right path. The post Crafting A Sales Story, Strategic Partnerships, and The Power of Wingin’ It. appeared first on Handyman Startup.

It’s been a while since my last podcast, so I wanted to bring The Handyman Startup Podcast back with a bang! In this episode, I interview Jim Copenhaver, a successful handyman business owner from Chicago, IL. Jim has successfully built Punch List, a thriving handyman business that currently employs at least 4 full-time handymen.  But get this, he’s only been in business for a about a year and a half! He obviously knows what he’s doing, that’s why I asked him to join me on the Handyman Startup Podcast so I could pick his brain and share his secrets with you. Here are some of the things we cover in this episode: Why finding a mentor can skyrocket your success. The challenges of having employees. How to hire and keep good employees. Why milking the clock will actually lose you money in the long run. Why Jim charges hourly for most of his services. How to use the power of online reviews to grow your business faster than ever. and much more. Whether you are looking to go big and hire employees or just want to keep rollin’ solo, this interview is packed with golden nuggets of tips and advice that will propel you forward with your business. After listening to the review, I’d love it if you’d do two things: #1:  Leave a comment below telling me the most valuable thing you gained from this podcast. #2:  Leave me a review on iTunes! (if you haven’t already) The post The Importance of Mentors, Sticking To Your Guns On Pricing, and the Power of Online Reviews appeared first on Handyman Startup.

In this session of the Handyman Startup Podcast, I share five of my most valuable time saving tips that I use every day in my business. As a handyman or other home service provider, you get paid for your time.  Time is a form of currency, with one major difference from other currencies – you can never get more time. That being said, it’s obvious why saving a few seconds, minutes, or even hours each day is extremely valuable – in fact, it’s priceless! That’s why I’ve decided to share these 5 tips with you so you can enjoy the many benefits of more time.  Who doesn’t want more time? Here are some of the highlights of this podcast: 5 easy to implement time saving tips that you can start using today. Why saving time is so important to not only your free time, but the growth of your business. BONUS TIP:  A tool I use everyday to literally save hours each week.  (hint:  It’s less than $20) Mentioned in this podcast: My marketing course for handymen.  Click Here to learn more. Tim Ferriss blog post on saying no. The post 5 Time Saving Tips That Will Shave Hours Off Your Work Week appeared first on Handyman Startup.

As a home service professional, developing new skills to keep up with the competition is necessary.  For handymen, learning new skills is basically our job description. Not only is learning new skills important, but learning how to learn new skills efficiently is getting ever more important.  We are now in what is commonly known as the information age.  That means it is easier than ever to get starting with your business, but it also means that more people have access to quality information.  That means more competition. This tells me that in order to get ahead and pull away from the pack, developing a system for learning rapidly could mean the difference between success and failure. In this podcast, I discuss: 4 methods for developing your home repair skills. How I gained my handyman experience and skill set. My method for developing new skills (while getting paid). 3 Tips to accelerate your learning process. This podcast was designed to help you develop your home repair skills, but the methods described are applicable to any skill. Enjoy! The post How To Learn Any Skill And Get Paid To Do It appeared first on Handyman Startup.

I’m taking the entire week off from my handyman services to celebrate Independence Day, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunity. This excitement about the ability to control my schedule and take time off at will has my brain turning with all of the benefits of owning a small business, specifically, a handyman business. You see, two years ago, I was still working at an office job that I, for lack of a better word, hated. I don’t mean to be negative, but it’s true. I had been working at this desk job for the previous three and a half years, and every day seemed like a little bit more of my soul was draining away. I sat at my desk feeling imprisoned from 8 am to 6 pm every. Single. Day. I was 28, unhappy, unhealthy, and clawing desperately to gain the courage to turn things around and improve my life. Finally, I mustered up the courage to say, “screw a good paycheck and full benefits, I’m unhappy, and something needs to change.” So on Monday, May 3rd of 2011, I put in my notice, and two weeks later, I was free! On that day, I decided I would never live a life suppressed by “the man.” Quitting my job and starting my handyman business was one of the best decisions. So in this podcast episode, I discuss the many benefits of owning a handyman business and some of the disadvantages. This podcast is meant to help you decide if the handyman business is right for you. And if you’ve already started a home repair business, it will make you happy you did! Here are some of the key points: The many financial benefits of starting a handyman business. The many Lifestyle benefits of starting a handyman business. The financial and lifestyle drawbacks of the handyman business. The must-have personal characteristics of a good handyman business owner. Why I chose to start a handyman business in the first place It took me a long time and some deep soul searching before I finally decided to start a handyman business. I had so many questions before getting started. Like… How much does a handyman make? What skills do you need? Is there too much competition already? Are there better business opportunities out there? But ultimately, when I stepped back to analyze what I wanted from a career, the decision became clear. Instead of trying to compare the infinite options of careers available, I defined the things that were most important to me in a career. I started with a lifestyle design approach. You may have heard of lifestyle design before, but maybe not. Either way, I believe deliberately designing your life is one of the keys to being happy. Unfortunately, most of us spend our time submitting to society and letting the masses force their values upon us. We constantly think that we “need” to do something based on whatever influences we’ve had along the way. It’s important to break away from this thought process and figure out what you want and what makes you happy on a day-to-day basis. Otherwise, your only chance at satisfaction is to get lucky. The practice of lifestyle design starts with one simple question. What do you want? Pretend for a minute that you have Bill Gates’s bankroll and zero responsibilities. How would you fill your time? Seriously, take two minutes to think about this. You could travel the world on your own yacht, buy the Laker’s franchise, and own every sports car you can get your hands on. But I seriously doubt this will provide you with long-term fulfillment. So, think for a while about what you really want in life. What makes you happy? When do you feel best? At what point in your life were you the happiest, and why? Hopefully, these questions will give you insight into whether a handyman business is right for you. If you are like me, you’ll realize that it’s not about the end goal. It’s about enjoying yourself as much as possible along the way. I can honestly say that if I didn’t have to work, I would still want to be help people. It just makes me feel good. When I asked myself the questions above, I came up with a list of benefits that I wanted from a career. Some of these benefits are absolute must-haves, and others would be nice but unnecessary. Here’s the list I came up with. Freedom – I have a bit of a problem with authority and don’t like being told what to do. Business ownership was the only choice. I have the freedom of taking time off when necessary and not a measly two weeks per year. Working in the physical world. Computers are amazing, but they’ll drain your soul if you let them. Plus, I just feel way better when I’ve been up and moving all day. Challenge. If I’m comfortable, I’m bored. Life’s too short to be boring. Take risks and leave your comfort zone. It’s the best way to learn and the only way to accomplish great things. Options. I like having several doors to choose from. If you reach a point where you only have one option to move forward, move back instead. Then choose a different door. When you are self-employed, there are always multiple doors. Control – I like to call the shots and can’t stand when I’m working for someone I know is making poor decisions. To be necessary. It’s important to me to matter, even if it is just to an old lady that needs her curtains hung. Last but not least, good money. Money is necessary because it enables me to do the things I enjoy and provide for my kids. If I could go back and live with the Native Americans 300 years ago, I would and wouldn’t give a shit about money. But let’s face it, I can’t do that. When I considered everything else, I finally decided that a handyman business was one of the few careers that fit the bill. And it turns out I was right. Starting a handyman business has allowed me to choose when I work, what I work on, and how hard I work. I get to work with my hands every day instead of sitting behind a desk. I get to be challenged both mentally and physically to keep my mind a body strong. And I have a sense of purpose because I’m providing a necessary service that customers thank me for as they pay me (the pay is nice, too). There are several other careers or service businesses that could potentially provide the same fulfillment, but other factors pushed me toward a handyman service. The fact that it’s low-cost to get started was a big factor. It’s also very low-risk. Plus, I already had many of the skills required and didn’t need to go back to school to get started. Of course, there are some downsides to running a handyman business. One is that it can be hard work, and If I’m not working, I’m not making any money. Another con is that the handyman business is difficult to scale. Employees need to be well-rounded, very knowledgeable, reliable, and willing to work hard. So if you want to hire employees and build a big business, I think there are better business opportunities (like picking a specialty). Another disadvantage is that you have to do everything and make all the tough decisions yourself. This often means tedious paperwork and slightly higher stress levels while making bigger business decisions. So yes, there are cons, but there are disadvantages to everything. If you choose your career based on avoiding the bad, you’ll never find interesting work that you enjoy. Everything sucks part of the time. I hope you’ve found this helpful, and it has illuminated some of the benefits that being a pro handyman can bring. If you want to learn more, I recommend listening to the podcast episode further up the page or on iTunes or your favorite podcast player. The post Why You Should (or Shouldn’t) Start a Handyman Business appeared first on Handyman Startup.

In this podcast, the host shares their monthly income report for May 2013 as a handyman, discussing income sources, expenses, and profitability strategies. They reveal insights into managing workloads, scheduling efficiency, and pricing strategies to help aspiring entrepreneurs. The host reflects on transitioning from a mechanical engineer to a successful handyman business owner, offering tips for creating a profitable and fulfilling career.

It’s no secret that internet marketing is where it’s at these days whether you are selling a product online or trying to generate new leads for your handyman business.  Other marketing methods such as direct mail and flyers are also effective, but they cost more and are (in my opinion) more difficult to execute properly. In this episode of the Handyman Startup podcast, I share my most powerful online marketing strategy for my handyman business – blogging for business. The blog posts I have created for my handyman business website have driven customers my way starting as early as my third month in business.  Not only  that, but blog posts I wrote over a year ago are still bringing me high quality customers every week.  The beautiful thing is that each blog post I write only takes a couple of hours maximum.  Talk about ROI! These blog posts have allowed me to turn off all other forms of advertising and still have more than enough business to keep me satisfied. Here is a brief outline of what you can expect in this podcast: How to get leads from writing blog posts on your handyman business website. How blogging builds trust and makes selling your services even easier. Why you should start blogging right away. My personal blogging strategy and process for creating blog posts. Recommendations on what to do and what NOT to do when blogging. Resources mentioned in the Podcast How to build a website Recommended Website and Blogging Platform:  WordPress  Thanks! Thank you for listening.  I’m honored to have the ability to share my experiences and knowledge to help you along your path to dominating your business ventures.  Be sure to subscribe in iTunes so you don’t miss an episode. The post HS 005 – Blogging For Business (How to Turn Your Knowledge Into Leads) appeared first on Handyman Startup.