A handyman business finds good work by being clear about what it will and will not take, then filtering every enquiry against that before driving anywhere. The money in handyman work is in the jobs that fit a morning or an afternoon in one suburb, not in the long list of small tasks scattered across the city. Some jobs are not worth a lead cost at all, and it is better to know that early.
Licence rules for handyman work differ by country and by state, so this article uses Australian examples and points to the regulators.
What a good handyman job looks like
Work out your own numbers before you chase work. Take your minimum charge, the travel time each way, and the time it takes to quote, shop for materials and invoice. A job that clears all of that with something left over is a good job. A job that does not is a favour.
In practice, good jobs tend to share a few traits:
- Several tasks on one visit: a gate latch, two doors, a tap washer, a shelf, a fence panel.
- Within your usual travel zone.
- Materials the client has bought, or that you can buy on the way.
- A homeowner, landlord or property manager who will pay on the day or on invoice.
- Repeat potential. A tidy first job often becomes a list of jobs for the same home.
Property managers and landlords are worth special attention. One manager with twenty properties can send more work than a hundred one-off enquiries.
Where handyman leads come from
- Your Google profile. “Handyman near me” is a local search. Google’s guidelines say a business that travels to customers can have a profile with a service area, should have only one profile, and should hide its street address. Set a service area that matches where you really work.
- Neighbours and past clients. Handyman work is local. A job done well in one street often leads to two more in it.
- Property managers, real estate agents and strata managers. Pre-sale tidy-ups and maintenance lists are steady.
- Your own ads. Small ads in the suburbs you want, listing the tasks you do, can work. Keep the area tight.
- Job boards and shared-lead marketplaces. They bring a lot of low-value small tasks and the same enquiry goes to several businesses. Count what you earn after the cost, not the number of calls.
For the economics behind this, see what a lead is worth to your business.
Filtering the small and the far away
You will get calls for one tap washer, forty minutes away. Decide in advance what you do with those. Options:
- A minimum charge that covers travel, stated on the first call.
- A rule on distance, and a list of nearby colleagues you refer the rest to.
- “Bring your list” pricing: a half-day rate for a list of jobs, rather than a price per job.
Three questions filter most enquiries. What is the full list of jobs? What is the address? When do you need it? A homeowner with one tap washer and no flexibility is not your client. A homeowner with six small jobs and a Saturday free is.
Ask for photos of anything you have to price. It saves a lot of wasted trips. The wider habit of filtering is in how to filter tyre kickers before you spend a day on an estimate.
Staying within your licence when you advertise
This is where handymen get caught. Rules vary by state, and the advertising rules often follow the dollar value of the work, not the trade name. Two examples from regulators:
- New South Wales. The NSW Government says a person or company cannot advertise residential building work valued over $5,000, or specialist work of any value, unless they hold a current licence for the relevant trade. The specialist trades it lists include electrical wiring, plumbing, draining, gas fitting, and air conditioning and refrigeration work. It also says the licensee’s name and number must be shown in all advertising.
- Queensland. The QBCC says an unlicensed person advertising general building work must state the value of work they can do without a licence. Its example wording uses $3,300. Work that always needs a licence, such as plumbing and gas fitting, must carry a statement that the person cannot perform building work valued in excess of $0.
Read that twice. Electrical and plumbing jobs that look like handyman tasks, a tap replacement or a power point, are often licensed work. Do not list them unless you hold the licence. Thresholds change, so check the current figure with your own regulator before you print anything.
This is general information, not legal advice. Outside Australia, the state or country will have its own rules.
Following up quotes on small jobs
Small jobs do not need a long quote. They need a quick, clear message: what is included, the price or the rate, when you can come. Follow up once the next day and once again after three or four days. Then let it go.
Do not spend forty minutes on a quote for a job worth less than that. If you quote often, keep a short template so each reply takes two minutes. See follow-up email after a quote for wording, and quote follow-up for how it can be run for you.
Batching by suburb
Batching is one of the few margin levers a handyman fully controls. Pick two or three days a week for each area. When a call comes from an area you are not visiting until Thursday, offer Thursday. Many homeowners with a non-urgent list will take it, and you save the extra trips.
Put the schedule on your site and in your profile: “Mondays and Thursdays, northern suburbs.” It does the filtering for you. If a larger run of work is what you want, the next step is moving up to small renovation jobs, which is the territory of renovations and extensions.
Common questions
How do handymen get customers?
Mainly a local Google profile, past clients and neighbours, and property managers and agents. Ads and job boards can add volume, but check what is left after cost.
Is every handyman enquiry worth a lead cost?
No. A single small task far from your base may not cover travel. Know your minimum job and distance before you pay for any enquiry.
Can a handyman advertise any job?
No. Licensing depends on the state and the value of the work, and specialist trades such as electrical and plumbing need a licence at any value in some states. Check your regulator.