Why
Start a Handyman-Business?
If you love working with your hands, work as a
Repairman for someone else handyman-business, or are looking for a
great business to start, the market for a handyman is larger
than you can imagine. According to market research the average home
owner spends over 10,000 dollars a year in home repairs and
over 70 of the
homes in the United States are more than 20 years old.
Houses fall apart over time and need maintenance
just like a boat, manufacturing equipment, car, or bicycle. Think of
your car's engine, its oil needs changing, tires rotated, batteries
charged, headlamps replaced... I'm sure you get the point.
Houses are the same...
Wood expands and contracts causing doors to stick
or bind, weather stripping dry-rots, holes are accidentally put in
drywall or a garbage disposal needs replacing. Not to mention the
people that want to update old light fixtures, put in a ceiling fan or
garage door opener, install a glass shower door, put up crown molding
or paint a room.
After doing lots of research, I read in the USA
Today that some experts believe that more money will be spent on home
maintenance and handyman-DIY projects than on new home construction!
Let's talk about general demographics in relation
to households. I'm sure you may know first hand that the majority of
families these days
have both adults working full-time jobs in order to maintain their
lifestyle. I'm not going to bore you with the statistics here but the
fact is people have less leisure time and they don't want to spend that
time doing Home Improvement or home-repair projects.
More likely is that they wouldn't have a clue how
to fix it anyway! They could go to a home improvement store and get
advice, buy a book, then spend the entire weekend (or weekends) trying
to fix something. Chances are the experience will be painful enough
that they will just call a handyman-business next time.
Another demographic reality is that Baby Boomers
are aging. The largest single demographic of people is in the 40
through 60
year old age range and they simply can't do the work they need done to
their homes.
You
may be asking yourself...
"Who are my customers?"
They are your neighbors, property management
companies, real estate agents, local small businesses, or even another
contractor. There are a lot of customers out there!
Start A
"Specialized" Service
If you're good at only one or two specific skills,
you can even start a specialty service company, limiting the type of
service you offer like installing lament or ceramic tile floors. You
can focus on commercial versus residential. You can focus on a small
geographic area to limit travel time. You could even tweak this
business model to start a specialty painting company.
A handyman-business is also recession proof since
90% of
your business is coming to the rescue of a home owner with a problem.
Your typical bill is $200 or less for a problem that couldn't wait. I
mean, if the toilet won't flush... that's a problem.
A woman calls to have a leak under her sink
repaired prior to her dinner party... that starts in less than 6 hours!
Now that's a problem. The good news for you is she called a plumber
first who probably didn't answer his phone. If he did answer his phone,
his minimum charge of $295 and the fact that he couldn't show up for
two more days created a problem. In case you forgot, her dinner party
begins in less than 6 hours! The plumber could show up today but he'd
charge you time and a half, or even double, since it's an emergency!
|
