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Friend wants to become a handyman/odd job man

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Good Morning

 

A friend of mine seems to have a gift from an early age of repairing/fixing things and the other day he suggested that he was thinking of becoming a handyman or an odd job man. He can do a whole host of things such as: putting up shelves, putting together flat pack furniture, tiling, laminate flooring, fixing curtains/blinds, fixing faulty toilets, painting, building and repairing fences, guttering, gardening.

 

However, to get a ‘feel’ of the work and reassure himself that he will not be the only odd job man in the region, he would like to meet up either face to face or online with other individuals who are already doing this type of work and thus to discuss the pros and cons of doing this type of work.

Is anybody aware of any such places where odd job/handymen meet up/socialise to discuss the type of work they do?

 

Finally, my friend is not very computer literate, which is the reason why I am writing the post for him!!

 

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

Thank You.

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Great idea. I think good quality, reliable, honest and fairly priced Handymen have a real future. I don't know of anyone he could meet up with, but I'm sure they are out there. Don't forget though, he will be in direct competition with them so they may not be too keen on sharing their trade secrets.

 

There used to be courses available for people wanting to start up a small business (even grants and loans available) advising on things like writing a business plan, marketing and tax implications, but that may no longer be the case. Maybe someone could let you know the current situation. I'd suggest getting computer savvy as well, as they are a good tool for the small businessman.

 

I'd think advertising is key. The elderly in particular need help with small jobs and starting here via leafleting, networking etc would seem a good way forward. If you're any good, word of mouth recommendations will help you start building a client base.

Edited by Anna B

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Good Morning

 

A friend of mine seems to have a gift from an early age of repairing/fixing things and the other day he suggested that he was thinking of becoming a handyman or an odd job man. He can do a whole host of things such as: putting up shelves, putting together flat pack furniture, tiling, laminate flooring, fixing curtains/blinds, fixing faulty toilets, painting, building and repairing fences, guttering, gardening.

 

However, to get a ‘feel’ of the work and reassure himself that he will not be the only odd job man in the region, he would like to meet up either face to face or online with other individuals who are already doing this type of work and thus to discuss the pros and cons of doing this type of work.

Is anybody aware of any such places where odd job/handymen meet up/socialise to discuss the type of work they do?

 

Finally, my friend is not very computer literate, which is the reason why I am writing the post for him!!

 

Any advice greatly appreciated.

 

Thank You.

 

I`ve said before on this very forum that home maintenance is the business to be in, certainly judging by how hard it is to get decent tradesmen to do smaller jobs, the ones most builders don`t want.

The secret is to do a good job, no bodges, if you can`t do something well turn the job down or get someone in to help. And treat all customers professionally. Always phone / E mail people back promptly. Provide written estimates and invoices, never try to go down the "cash no receipt" route.

Have patience, the work will come, it`d be best if he could start up part time whilst doing something else as he builds his customer base.

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Finally, my friend is not very computer literate, which is the reason why I am writing the post for him!!

 

He needs to address this or get someone to do it on his behalf.

 

If he advertises for free on the local Facebook sale pages he'll be inundated with work or requests for help.

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It is practically imperative to have someone you can call on and can rely on, when you need assistance on a job.

Being a one man band is not easy, and work can dry up as quickly as it comes.

You also have all the paperwork and accounts, purchasing and finding business, to do.

It is not an easy job, though many of your customers will think it is so.

 

Think twice about it, then think once more.

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So, the moral of this story is, if you can, get into something you`re interested in, have pride in your work, and don`t employ people, particularly if they work away from where you are !

I`m even more certain that getting into building maintenance (i.e. focussing on the smaller type of building/repair jobs which most builders aren`t interested in) is a good idea for people wanting to start their own business.

BUT BE A CRAFTSMAN NOT A BODGER, AND BE RELIABLE !

I still haven`t found anyone (in 25 years.....) who fulfills these criteria to do the jobs I haven`t got time to do on my house and my shop.

 

This is an answer I gave to a similar thread about 6 years ago, it`s still relevant today.

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He needs to address this or get someone to do it on his behalf.

 

If he advertises for free on the local Facebook sale pages he'll be inundated with work or requests for help.

 

I agree. But he needs to become IT literate as third parties can sometimes let you down.

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I`ve said before on this very forum that home maintenance is the business to be in, certainly judging by how hard it is to get decent tradesmen to do smaller jobs, the ones most builders don`t want.

The secret is to do a good job, no bodges, if you can`t do something well turn the job down or get someone in to help. And treat all customers professionally. Always phone / E mail people back promptly. Provide written estimates and invoices, never try to go down the "cash no receipt" route.

Have patience, the work will come, it`d be best if he could start up part time whilst doing something else as he builds his customer base.

 

I second that. It amazes me how many tradesman fail to do it.

 

Even when you can't take the job, just doing that, and turning up when you say you will, will put you ahead of the competition.

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YouTube has some good handyman channels; Peter Millard and Gosforth Handyman are also doing some podcasts on running an one-man joinery business. There is a lot relevant content for one-man handymen businesses.

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Thanks for your replies

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If he is still looking for experience, we are hiring and have many experts already and we are looking to acquire more.

 

You can find us at https://www.handymanforlondon.com

Edited by HandymanFL

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