For all of you that send info, e-mails and encouragement, I thought I'd let you know how my husband's handyman type business is doing.

We went to get his business license Friday and while we were there, a man I'd known came in to get a city permit to remodel an older building where he is moving his beauty shop. He said he'd been having a problem keeping reliable people who knew what they were doing, to remodel the building! He got husband's phone number and husband has been working there for the past two days! $100 per day! Also, he's met four contractors who are sending him all the small jobs they don't have time to do!!!

We were able to get the liability insurance for his business Friday but could not afford to get the health insurance yet....primarily because his former boss is withholding his last two week's paychecks (totalling close to $1000!!!) So we have the info to file a complaint with the Labor Relations Board in our state...This person is so unethical...it is bad when somebody builds their business on stepping on other people and that's what that man has done!

The weekly newspaper I write for is giving us a nice free ad for a couple of weeks too!!! Everybody has been so encouraging thus far!!! This is my husband's FIRST TIME to get to work in our home county since we were married in 1978 except for a 3 month period!!!! So we are GOING TO MAKE THIS WEEK! He'll have much more time at home and we'll be out from under a lot of pressure. Thanks again for all your help!!! Any additional suggestions will be appreciated!!!

-- Suzy in 'Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), June 11, 2000

Answers

Good for you Suzy! And DH, of course! Good men/women are hard to find- especially if they know how to read a ruler. or swing a hammer! Take that back check(when you get it) and have a nice dinner OUT, or IN- you deserve it!

-- kathy (catfish@bestweb.net), June 11, 2000.

One thing to watch out for, Suzy, is that he may become so popular and in demand, that he will have even LESS time at home that before!! He'll have to be able to schedule himself, and maybe sometimes say "no". A friend of ours was doing a similar business (with another man) on the side; they both decided about the same time that they were doing too much and had to cut back. They could probably have quit their other jobs and gone into it full-time, but I don't think they really wanted the business-owner paperwork, and needed to keep the good insurance they have from their jobs at a hospital. So anyway, just something to look out for -- TOO much success!! Good to hear that things are off to such a great start!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), June 11, 2000.

Great news!!! Sooooo glad you got the libility insurance!! It is a must! You will soon find that his good work, (and him being honest, reliable & dependable) will spread by word of mouth & you will be picking & chooseing the jobs you want to do! Best Wishes to you both! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), June 11, 2000.

Good for you two! Only suggestion I can make is don't get TOO busy. Remember why your husband started doing this. Best wishes to you both. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), June 11, 2000.

Suzy in bama! Congrats to you two! By both of you working together- him doing the work and you encourging him, it's bound to be a success for a long time. All suggestions above are good but as an independent contractor now, I have one very important piece of advice. NO CREDIT! Bad debts will ruin you real quick. Know who you're working for [I don't mean personally, necessilary] and make arrangements first about labor charges and pay schedule. On large jobs [ furnace, a/c installs] I get at least the wholesale cost of the equipment up front with the remainder upon completion. Sometimes I will vary that to a point but not too much. It's much easier to get the money first rather than you having to fight for it later. I NEVER finance anything, for anybody. I'm not a bank, I have to pay for equipment within 10 days of delivery. Most people are honest and hard working decent people but--- -NOT ALL! Have set hours to work with few exceptions. People may be calling all hours of the day and night for something that isn't an emergency. Good luck---get ready for an onslaught of business! Matt. 24:44

-- hoot gibson (hoot@otbnet.com), June 11, 2000.

Suzy: Also further on the set hours: A friend who remodels and also builds houses, as well as one who does electric work, both were talking when remodeling the Town Hall where I used to work, and they agreed that they both use answering machines, and NEITHER answers work relatead calls other than for certain hours of the day, for instance just after returning from work, they answer calls from folks wanting them to come do estimates, etc. Otherwise, they both said people will call at all hours of the day and night, just to ask what they charge to build a garage, etc., and their family time is shot. Neither has lost any business by sticking to their work hours. Good luck! Jan

-- Jan B (Janice12@aol.com), June 12, 2000.

Another Yeah for sticking to the work hours. Business is business and home is home. KEEP them seperate! ASAP, make sure the business has a business area, don't let it 'flow' into the rest of your house.

Otherwise, best of luck. And keep the perks in mind, too. SEP's are a nice thing, as are using expenses in the business' best interest.

j

-- j (jw_hsv@yahoo.com), June 12, 2000.

I am so happy for both of you !!!! From personal experience, the only thing I can add is to spend a few dollars up front to consult with a tax attorney if you have not already done so..they can save you alot of grief (and money) in the long haul....God bless....

-- lesley Chasko (martchas@gateway.net), June 12, 2000.

Just an idea to keep it fun and fresh: When my husband was considering going into this sort of business, he was afraid he would get bored doing the same old thing everyday, so he came up with the idea to offer limited time discounts for whatever he thought he would enjoy doing at that particular moment (ie For the month of June only - get 10% off any appliance repair, interior trim replacement, closet rebuild, etc) This way, he ensures that if he feels like doing it, chances are someone will take advantage of the now only sale to get it done. He has also considered charging extra for out-of-season hated work such as roofing repair in the summer, etc. Good luck, and remember that a newsletter full of these sales, repeat customer discounts (pressure wash your siding now and get a coupon for 10% off next time, etc), anecdotes, web page links, etc., will go a long way toward making past customers feel like part of a special group (ahh, marketing) and will provide inexpensive advertising if you make them up in black and white and run them off on a copier. Also consider a web page - most ISPs offer them free, or there are several free website websites around. Just search. Printable coupons are a bonus here, and if they change frequently, ensure continual "check in " traffic.

-- Soni Pitts (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), June 14, 2000.

Along the lines of what others were saying about keeping home and business separate, consider getting a second phone line for the business (it also helps with taxes). If you make it a second residential phone with the phone company it would be much cheaper unless you want the business listing in the phone book. A residential phone here is about $20/mo and a business phone is about $50/mo. I realize that this is another expense, but it really nice to keep from tying up the family phone at times.

I finally got a separate line for my business and it is much nicer and easier to let it ring in the evenings.

-- beckie (sunshine_horses@yahoo.com), June 15, 2000.

Could your husband fix my 250 Honda motorcycle? Every time I mess with it, it is worse than before? Is he anywhere near Texas? Eagle

-- eagle (eagle@alpha1.net), June 17, 2000.

great to see someone is doing well in this business. i have considered doing it myself but i have limited carpentry skills. i also have no idea how to get started and then there's the ever present fear to getting into a job that i can't do. any suggestions on getting started?

-- Scott (isom@conwaycorp.net), May 14, 2001.

Scott, carpentry skills are only part of the equation. A handyman (or home repair contractor) must be able to do a variety of BASIC carpentry/electrical/plumbing/etc. jobs. For jobs you can't handle TELL your client up front, then recommend/refer someone who can. I'm in California and the demand for handymen/women - escuse me, RELIABLE handymen/women is phenominal. Get squared away with basic tools, licensing, business cards, forms, etc. Then go out and make a ton of cash.

-- John Lord (hereticgenius@yahoo.com), June 07, 2001.

Suzy, I was also wondering about how you were doing? How did you get through your first TAX season? Is your record keeping better than my Husbands? :) Vicki, secretary for Handyman Services, who refuses to do taxes after the first years shoe box approach!!!

-- Vicki McGaugh TX (vickilonesomedoe@hotmail.com), June 07, 2001.

I like having a handyman so much I'm marrying him next month! :)

-- debra in ks (solid-dkn@msn.com), June 07, 2001.