Complete guide to start a successful local handyman business

Set a schedule and a timeframe

Setting a schedule and time frame is the hardest part of starting a handyman business. You need to set milestones. You need to set benchmarks.

Achieving a milestone (or a series of milestones) makes setting a new goal easier.

Setting benchmarks creates checkpoints and forces you to evaluate how you're doing.

A handyman's schedule is not like a doctor's. You can't just call in sick when you need some time off. A local handyman business is like a snake -- it can bite you as soon as you stop doing something.

As far as setting a schedule goes, the best strategy is to start with lots of small jobs. That way, you don't have to spend much time on each one. Just make a little progress and move on.

Your schedule should also include some time for looking for more business. If you'd prefer to spend less time on work, you can budget for it. Whatever time you set aside for finding business, make sure you don't stop looking for new clients.

But most handymen have trouble on this one. They convince themselves that finding more work is a waste of time, or that "no call, no show" is a fair substitute for finding new business.

There's a simpler solution -- don't set up your business as a job. Instead, think of it as a service.

Market yourself to a niche

No matter what business you start, you're going to face competition. But there is no such thing as truly uncontested territory. In almost any niche, you can find some customers who will not buy from anyone else.

It won't be easy to win that customer. But once you have won it, he'll bring you, other customers. The secret is to bet on the right niche and to bet early.

You want clients, right? Everyone wants clients. So what do you do to get clients? You go to trade shows and market to big businesses. They buy a lot, so if you do enough of them, you should get some clients.

But trade shows and big businesses are not the only way to find clients. There are plenty of other ways to get clients. Some of them may be easier. Some of them may be harder. Some of them may even be less likely to succeed. But all can be profitable.

And, more important, many of these ways are often more satisfying. Big businesses and trade shows are expensive. They take weeks of your time. And, besides, many clients are unpleasant.

If you go out on your own, you have to decide what you want to offer. Do you want to be a total handyman? Do you want to focus on kitchen or bathroom remodeling? Do you want to specialize in tile work?

Here's a better idea. What problem do you want to solve?

Everybody wants their house to look better. But people are willing to pay different amounts for different things. So you buy your client the idea that your service will solve a problem for them. Then, you have to decide how much money the client is willing to pay.

You can offer an hourly rate. Some clients will be willing to pay a lot, some a little. Some will pay you a premium. Some will pay you less. But no matter how you pay, you will get less if you are the cheapest. If the client thinks you are the most expensive, they will expect a lot from you.

Or you can offer a fixed price. This is easier. You figure out how much you want them to pay. But it can also be harder. The client may not pay what you ask.

If you want to charge by the hour, you can charge by the job. You can charge to solve a problem. You can charge to provide convenience.

Tell people what you do

There is something very satisfying about it. It is satisfying to clients, satisfying to your own self, because it tells others what you are doing. It also gives you something to talk about.

All clients want to know what you are doing. But that is only half of the picture. But they don't just want to hear about it. They want proof.

Show people what you do

A handyman’s business is different. You show people what you do by showing them around the house.

The best way to do this is with photos. Take photos of everything. If possible, take professional-quality photos. Put them on your website, on your website, or blog. Put them on your Facebook page. Put them on your Google Plus page.

But photos don't show everything. Your clients may not know what to ask questions about. (Do I need to replace that rusty garage door? Or should I paint it?) So give your clients something they can do: a checklist they can fill out.

Use consumer ratings and reviews

Consumer reviews for handyman services used to be hard to find. Now they are everywhere.

When you search for handyman services in your city, you get a list of services plus ratings from users like you. These ratings are a big advantage for consumers. They tell you how good or bad the service was, but they don't tell you what the customers expected.

This format is quickly becoming the standard for consumer ratings. Amazon, for instance, uses ratings from users for all its products and services, not just books. eBay, Craigslist, Google, and 411 all use it, and big companies like Ford and Coca-Cola use it too, not just small businesses.

There's no reason to think that only big companies can use it, though. You can create your own local business directory, and you can use ratings from users.

Why? First, because ratings are honest. They tell you what customers thought, not what the company thinks. Second, because ratings are automatic. You don't have to spend hours on surveys. Third, ratings are crowdsourced. Anyone can contribute. You don't have to rely on a single company.

This style of ratings offers lots of other advantages. It's more up to date than company surveys, because the ratings come more often. It's easier to give feedback because the feedback is anonymous.

And it's more up to date than word of mouth. Word of mouth can get out of date. A service you loved five years ago might not be the same one you love today.

Ratings make sense for handyman services, too. Homeowners can rate service quality, for example, and contractors can rate the quality of the contractors they hire.

Ratings make sense for other things too. Companies use ratings on products and movies, and universities

Be reliable and trustworthy

Home improvement and repair jobs can be good businesses, but you have to know what you are doing.

When starting a small handyman business, you can't let anything go wrong.

If your customers are unhappy, they won't come back, and that's the end of your business.

Work carefully, be polite, and do the work properly.

If you have a good reputation, you don't have to advertise; customers will come to you.

The less you advertise, the less you spend, and the more money you will have.

People need things fixed, but they don't want the handyman to tell them what's wrong with them.