The On Demand Handyman

Get professional or get replaced in 2025. The gig economy is in full swing and hundreds of thousands of everyday joes are signing up on an array of platforms to make some side cash. Remember, Uber didn’t ask for permission before relegating Taxi services to the back seat, and these new AI tools and software platforms won’t ask your permission before pitching “side work” handymen to your clients. 

The solution here isn’t to lower your prices or to join the affordable masses. The solution here is actually to cement in your clients by selling them more than just home repairs. Sell them comfort, confidence, and trust. Sell them the reliability, honest pricing, and follow through. Become their rock, the one home service provider that does exactly what he says for exactly the price he quoted every single time. 

Believe it or not, many of your clients aren’t looking for the best deal, they’re looking for peace of mind. Sure, some will jump ship for someone cheaper but they were never your target audience anyways. Focus on providing the best service possible for a fair price this year and you’ll cement in some loyalty that will help get you through the mess that’s coming as your competition gets cheaper and available on demand.

You’re Invited! All Year! Handyman Brotherhood Tour

#1 Handyman Oasis Cabin Stay

This summer is shaping up to be full of free in person events for our community! To start with, we have another sponsored cabin stay coming up in May. You’re invited to come to Arizona and stay with me and a dozen other handymen and their partners for an all inclusive weekend in an amazing cabin in the middle of nowhere.  Book Here. We’ll be networking, trading tips, and reinvigorating our love of entrepreneurship in the trades. These weekends are all about community, and I can tell you from experience that every one so far has been nothing short of magical. Please note since we’re indoors for this event we’re limiting each group to 2 people. If you’d like to bring along your whole family please check out our sponsored camping events. 

The dates are going to be May 16 – May 18 right down here in Arizona near a tiny town called Arivaca. You can get your ticket for free right now by going to www.bulletproofhandyman.com The button says “buy ticket” but don’t worry, this event is free. I’ll be providing everything you need from snacks to drinks to entire meals. I’ll be doing the cooking and cleaning up after too! All you have to do is show up with an open mind and the desire to learn and grow. 

This sponsored weekend is graciously provided by Bluevine Checking, our newest sponsor. Bluevine is an online only bank that offers free business checking accounts to businesses of all sizes. What really stands out with Bluevine is how fast and easy it is to get started, with no minimum deposit. All you need is your basic information plus an EIN. If you need an EIN you can get one at irs.gov in about 5 minutes. As a special thank you to Bluevine for their support, please take a moment to check them out by clicking here.

#2 The Handyman Camping Convention

This is the (tax deductible) event of the year! Join us for our SECOND annual Handyman Camping Convention after schools let out from June 13 to June 17! Don’t worry, this camping trip is fully hosted and fully sponsored too. As your host I’ll be providing everything including setting up and tearing down the campsites. I’ll also be providing the meals (I’ll be your chef too!), snacks, and drinks for the entire 5 day trip.  Book Here.

This is truly my favorite event of the year. If you can only make it to one in-person event this year, I hope it’s the Handyman Camping Convention. Last year was a blast with the most amazing people from all over the country showing up. One of the things that really makes this event stand out is the community involvement. We ask (not required) that each attendee put together a short presentation on any handyman related subject that they feel they have some experience in. 

Unlike last year, this year we do have a sponsor!!! Jobber has agreed to step up to the plate and make this Handyman Camping Convention even better than last years. They’re sponsoring the event itself and they’ll also be providing some amazing swag bags for attendees. As most of you already know I’ve run my entire business with Jobber for the last 4+ years. If you’d like to thank them for their generous support this summer, you can get a free 14 day trial here.

#3 The Sky Is The Limit!

The next event after The Handyman Camping Convention is not actually scheduled yet, but I’m in talks with Jobber for recurring Quarterly Events throughout the year! If our sponsors see good ROI from the current planned events, I’ll be able to pitch more of these in-person networking events to our other sponsors. My goal is to bring the Brotherhood Tour to you, wherever you are. If I’m able to pull it off and pitch the sponsors successfully I’ll be trying to come out to Austin, Dallas, Florida, Denver, Nashville, and a dozen other cities across the country where our subscribers are. Fingers crossed.

Bigger Better Master Class, And Still Free

I’m filming the first two episodes of the new Master Class this weekend out in the woods since I’ll be camping.  I was looking over the old one and honestly I can do much, much, much better. My website, www.bulletproofhandyman.com is going to be the official host of the new Master Class. Currently the old version is on Thinkific but I’ve recently learned that WIX has added the functionality to add Master Classes to your website so I’ve already gotten started building out the newest version. 

Similar to the old Master Class, this one will focus on providing step by step action plans. There is no ambiguity here. If you want to be the owner of your own Bulletproof Handyman Business all you have to do is take Lesson 1 and do what it says, then take Lesson 2 and do what it says, then Lesson 3, and on and on until you get to the end. If you simply do that you’ll find yourself with a new life as a small business owner.

WIX has been adding quite a lot of functionality lately including my upgraded events tab. In the past I’ve had you sign up for my events with a Google Form but that is no more. Now I’ve got my events set up on the www.bulletproofhandyman.com website for a much more streamlined process for scheduling and ticketing where you can sign up for the campouts and lots of great AI updates. If you’d like to build your own home service business website with AI doing all of the heavy lifting, you can check out WIX and their newest AI web building tool here.

Make Hay While The Sun Shines

It’s that time of year again. Everyone is getting back outside and waking up to the summer after a long and crazy winter. Spring has arrived and with it arrives a deluge of work. Now is the time to capitalize on that. Make sure your tools are ready, your inventory is full, and your mindset is primed. Our busiest time of year starts now and this summer just might be the summer that sets you on that path to success. 

I highly recommend sending out mass mailers or mass emails (Jobber is great for this and I have regular free webinars to show you how to use the software) to all of your clients ASAP to let them know that you’re ready and waiting. Put together some deals and discounts and kick things into high gear. A few notable jobs that you can start getting knocked out before the heat fully kicks in include installing mister systems on back porches, sealing up doors and windows, erecting shade devices, installing new outdoor ceiling fans, and making sure the irrigation systems are all functioning properly. Of course new insulating window curtain upgrades won’t hurt either!

For much of the US the spring and early summer is storm season. This is the perfect time to offer roof inspections, gutter and scupper cleaning, and general weather protection services. While you’re out there killin’ it, please don’t forget to take care of yourself. Drink plenty of water, and make sure you get those electrolytes too. Your family needs you to come home safe at the end of the day!

Raising Prices Without Losing (Too Many) Clients

Especially with inflation, there has never been a more pertinent time to look at your pricing. Many of us got through Covid and it’s aftermath just happy to stay in business but have not really increased our pricing along with the rest of the markets. Raising prices always comes with some additional anxiety but here are a few tips to raise them without losing clients.

1.  Raise prices SLOWLY. Now if you’re hourly there’s really no way to raise prices without the change being noticeable and measurable. However, if you are pricing per job rather than per hour it’s easy to just bump things up a few percentage points. Pay attention to the response. If everything is fine then go ahead and bump it up again, just a little bit. When you meet some resistance, go ahead and stay there or back off slightly if you feel it’s necessary.

2. Raise prices on specific types of jobs first, especially high skill jobs like plumbing and electrical or jobs. It may be easy to replace you with a cheaper handyman for basic things like painting but it’s much harder to find a skilled and reliable handyman who can handle electrical or plumbing without any issues. 

3. Raise prices on the jobs you don’t want in the first place. Assuming you’re busy, which you should hopefully be during the spring and summer, it’s easiest to raise prices on jobs you’d rather not be doing and let the cheaper bidder be the one in the attic covered in sweat and fiberglass. This will also allow you to focus on the work that you enjoy, thus developing your skills and becoming more efficient and more profitable.

4. Disappearing Discounts. If you’re worried about the shock of higher prices you might start out by showing the higher pricing on your invoice and then discounting the invoice back down closer to your old pricing. Over time the client will get accustomed to seeing your higher pricing but eventually you’ll just stop applying the discounts. I frequently do this with certain property managers who are more price sensitive. They feel better paying $500 for a $545 job than paying $500 for a $500 job. 

5. Increase your overall value. As long as you’re raising prices, try simultaneously excelling in all areas. Communicate faster and more clearly. Articulate the details of the job. Let them know line by line every step you had to take to accomplish the task. Take more pictures and better pictures. Tighten up the quality another 5%. Make it obvious that what they have in you is a nearly perfect home service provider before you bump those prices up.

Last, But Never Least…

Finally, as always, a big thank you to the sponsor of the newsletter, NEXT Insurance. They have sponsored the newsletter for quite a long time now. They have also sponsored a cabin stay weekend. I can’t thank them enough for the support that they have always shown this  channel. As an additional bonus they’ve been my insurance company for the last 4+ years and I’m extremely happy with them. 

The best way to thank them for their sponsorship is to click here to go get your own free quote.

I love you guys, I hope you’re out there killin’ it, and I’ll see y’all on the next one,

Ray