If you’ve always been a “do-it-yourselfer” when it comes to fixing faulty things, then you may want to consider turning that passion into a business to bring in some extra cash. It is something you can start doing in your spare time—a handyman side hustle—until you’ve built up enough momentum to quit your day job and start doing it full-time.
You can’t go wrong starting a handyman business. Home improvement is skyrocketing, which means there’s a lot of assembling, painting, flooring, plumbing, installing, and tons of other work for handymen to do.
The great thing about being a handyman is that you’re responsible for home upkeep that doesn’t require you to have the specific licenses professional contractors, electricians or plumbers need to have.
There is some legislation you’ll need to be aware of based on where you run your business, so be sure to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. For example, if the cost of your job is too high, you may require a contractor’s license before you can charge that much.
However, before you can start putting workable ideas on paper, you need to have some handyman business ideas that can make you money. Lucky for you, you’re in the right place, as below you’ll find 6 handyman business ideas to start in 2023.
How To Make Money As a Handyman
First off, before we jump into the handyman ideas, remember that you’re entering a competitive industry, so you’re going to have to consider things carefully. Be sure you choose an idea that sits well with you; one you feel comfortable doing and doing for a long time.
Don’t worry if it is something simple to start off with, you can always build on it as your business goes. Okay, with that in mind, let’s look at 6 best handyman business ideas to make you stand out from the rest:
1. Air Conditioning All-Rounder
At the change of season, people either buy aircons or get theirs serviced. This means you’ll have customers willing to pay for installation or for you to make sure that their units are in perfect working order to keep them cool or warm depending on the weather.
You may think, “But the businesses who sell the aircons include installations with the purchase of the aircon,” and you’d be right, but they’re super expensive and you don’t have to be.
2. General Home Repairs and Maintenance
This is what handymen are most known for. It is the bread and butter of the industry. Fixing leaky faucets, repairing drywall, painting, and evening doing some minor electrical and plumbing jobs will all build your handyman business.
This “do it all” approach has the benefit of your customer not needing another contractor or handyman to help them—they will call you for all jobs no matter how big or small and will more than likely tell their friends and family about you, as well.
3. Furniture Assembly
We all know and love build-it-yourself furniture kits, well that is until it comes to the actual building part. To make the lives of students, housewives, and anyone else who overestimated their capabilities easier, why not offer a handyman furniture assembly service?
Retailers usually don’t offer assembly services, and those that do, are on the pricey side. If you can do it at a nominal price, you’ll be extending a helping hand, saving some furniture from getting damaged, and making some money at the same time!
4. Appliance Repair Services
Appliances are expensive and they tend to break at the most inopportune times; who has the money to buy a new washing machine in the middle of the month?
So, to give your customers enough time to save up for a new appliance, you can repair the old one. Depending on the skills you have, you can repair appliances ranging from dishwashers right through to home theaters.
Just make sure you’re honest about how long your repair will last—even if you have to guest. If they’re expecting their TV to work for another five years and it only lasts another month, you’re not going to get a very good review from them and in the handyman business, word of mouth is very important!
5. Home Inspections
This is a very valuable service that many potential home buyers and even sellers will want to make use of. As a handyman, you should know your way around a home and its systems, structures, and features. If you do and you’re up to date with the safety and building regulations, you can offer home inspections where you do a thorough check of a house and offer customers a list of faults that need to be fixed, as well as areas of non-compliance.
If you’re smart about it, you can then offer to fix the things on the list you’re capable of doing for your customers at a discounted rate because they already paid for the home inspection. It makes business sense!
6. Room Organizing
As a handyman, you have many skills you can use at once to make a great impression and there’s no better way than in organizing a room. This may not sound like a job for a handyman, but if you think about it, it is.
A customer phones you and tells you about a room they have. It’s a cluttered mess. They need someone to come in, sort through the mess and then transform it into a home office with ample storage space.
Yes, cleaning out and sorting through someone else’s rubbish may not be up your alley, but everything else this customer wants is because it will include power tools and some more elbow grease. This handyman business idea might be a good fit for a couple who wants to do something together.
Final Thoughts
You now have some handyman business ideas you can build on but even if you have the best idea, there are some important things you’ll need to do if you want to make money as a handyman.
- Set goals that are achievable and remember to set a specific time for you to achieve them.
- Using a great handyman business idea, create a business plan that you’ll use as a guide to success.
- Create a marketing plan that will set you apart from other handyman businesses.
- Use an appointment booking and scheduling application like Webba Booking to take your handyman business to the next level.
- Do your best and make sure your customers are so happy that they tell the world about you.
Starting a handyman business is an exciting journey. Whether you’re leaving your job right away, or only working as a handy man as a side hustle, the advantages of the handyman business will become clear very soon. There are many things you can do to make it a success. You just have to want it enough!
How Webba Booking Can Help
If you have a website, which any business should have, and it happens to be WordPress based, you can use this easy appointment scheduling plugin to help manage busy schedules and keep all your customers happy. Webba Booking also has email and SMS appointment reminder features that will ensure your customers will know exactly when you’ll show up at their door ready to fix what needs to be fixin’.
All in all, if you’re starting a business that requires making appointments, which a handyman business sure does, then you need Webba Booking in your life. Starting a new business is hard enough, so take the stress of managing your schedule out of the equation, as well, and let Webba Booking do it for you.
