Your Step-By-Step Guide to Starting a Handyman Business
Written by Guest Author, Teresa Greenhill, from mentalhealthforseniors.com
During the height of the pandemic, home improvement projects experienced an exponential increase. This was mainly driven by the prominence of work-from-home culture that provided homeowners additional time and money to dedicate toward improving their property. Hence, it comes as no surprise that research by Geoff Dart of DGC Advisory shows that the home improvement industry in Australia is worth over $45 billion.
But now that restrictions are long gone, there is a thriving demand for skilled handymen to undertake home improvement projects. In this article, we discuss the steps you can take to start and manage a successful handyman business.
1. Find In-Demand Services
Providing in-demand services will be key to finding work and building your customer base. For instance, here some types of services you can consider selling:
- Gutter Cleaning: Cleaning gutters of leaves, dirt, and other debris is essential before the start of winter. Clogged drains can lead to the collection of water and snow, resulting in damage to the roof, walls, and other parts of the house. Gutter cleaning is a simple service you can offer with limited experience and investment, making it the perfect choice for your first offering.
- Caulking: High energy bills are common during winter as households consistently use heating to stay warm. However, as Sustainability Victoria points out, gaps in windows can lead to inefficient heating, resulting in higher-than-expected bills. Providing caulking services can be a profitable endeavor, as it will be an essential service required by many households.
- Welding: From something as simple as repairing a tool shed’s door hinge to building a sturdy fence around the entire yard, welding is necessary for any number of situations. Although an invaluable skill, welding can be highly technical and specialized, so make sure you only undertake work that you’re qualified or certified to undertake.
2. Implement SEO Strategies In Your Marketing Plan
Before you’re up and running, you’ll need to create a thorough marketing plan. This should include how you plan to implement local SEO to drive more traffic to your website. When using SEO, backlinks are key to improving your ranking in Google and other search engines. When building strong backlinks to your pages, relevance and quality are your top priorities. Two ways to build effective backlinks is through guest posts and guides like buying guides and “best of” guides. You can outsource this work to marketing experts, which results in a huge time savings for you.
3. Obtain Required Licenses
Check into the laws and requirements relating to handyman services. While some require handymen to have licenses for all types of services, others only mandate it for specialized services such as welding or carpentry. If your area has mandated licenses, it is important to obtain them before starting the business.
Additionally, you should include your license and accreditations on your website, social media accounts, and all other promotional mediums you use to develop credibility in the eyes of your customers.
Related: Fixer Uppers & Income after Retirement
4. Use the Right Software Technology Solutions
Trying to manage all areas of the business manually is not a feasible option. Whether it be accounting, marketing, customer service, or sales, there are numerous free online applications you can use to make managing the business easy:
- Accounting Software: Accurate and timely filing of taxes is key as a business owner. But filing various forms and calculating the correct tax amount can be difficult to do alone. Through accounting software, this process can be automated, and you’ll have your completed tax forms in hand with just a few clicks.
- Invoicing Software: This software allows you to manage payment history, store client details, and create professional looking invoices. For example, if you’re doing electronic work, by using electrical contractor software, you can offer clients the option to pay online and automatically provide them with gentle reminders about late payments.
- Project Scope Management Software: Once business picks up and you need to manage numerous clients, you will see the importance of project scope management. This software helps to organize projects on a centralized dashboard and break them down into smaller tasks. Additionally, you can use automation to share timely reminders for payment, appointments, and more.
- Website Builder: Any business that wants to be successful in 2023 needs to have a website. Your website will be used to sell services, collect valuable customer data, and grow your digital presence. Even if you have zero experience in website design, through an online builder you’ll be able to create an aesthetic and functional website in no time.
Find Your Niche and Get Started
Given the current boom of home improvements in the United States, now is the perfect time to start your handyman business. Along with choosing an in-demand service like gutter cleaning and welding, remember to implement smart SEO strategies, obtain the necessary licenses before you start undertaking projects, and use helpful software.
Photo via Pexels
Written by Guest Author, Teresa Greenhill, from mentalhealthforseniors.com