Learn All About Handyman Jobs: Build Your Career

Looking for a profitable business idea? A handyman business can be your way to success!

Currently, the market size of the handyman business is $4.7 billion. Since 2017, it has grown by 2.9% and is expected to grow at a rate of 3.1% per year on average. Clearly, there is a huge chance for profit if you consider this franchise as your entrepreneurial venture. But to do that, you need to have a clear understanding of what this business entails. And this is what this blog talks about.

Even if you are not ready to launch your own business right now, working as a handyman can be a solid start to your career. This way, you will gather sufficient hands-on knowledge and skills that will help you start your own company going forward. However, you need to know about the requirements and opportunities before you embark on that journey. Do you know what does a handyman do? Are you aware of the hourly rates and earning opportunities? The licenses and certifications? You will soon find out all about handyman work and how to build your career off of it.

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Anyone can be a handyman. But at the same time, not everyone can be a handyman. Sounds confusing, right? Let’s elaborate on this a bit more.

The handyman industry is filled with unqualified workers. It is not just about picking up a hammer, pounding on a nail in the head, and getting paid for it. Being a successful handyman requires some specialized skills. Moreover, if you want to turn this into a business and expect to make profits from it, you need to learn a bit more about running a business. We’ll cover everything at the right time.

For now, let’s start with the basics— what does a handyman do?

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Handyman Job Description

For those unaware, let us first explain what a handyman job is all about, i.e., what type of job can a handyman do legally.

In essence, a handyman is someone who can fix a wide range of things, usually for people or groups in homes or businesses. Some of these jobs include repair, maintenance, and trade skills. Their main jobs are to fix plumbing systems, fix company tools or equipment, and test different company and home items to make sure they work. Here are the types of handyman jobs you can choose from to specialize in:

Plumbing leakage repair
Drywall repair
Light fixture installation
Patching and painting
Deck repair
Exterior improvement
Flooring improvement
HVAC maintenance
Tile replacement
Door repair
Roof repair
Residential and commercial property cleaning
Handyman yard work
Furniture assembly
Smart appliance setup
Hanging pictures and home decor
Minor electrical installation and repair
Pressure washing
Window washing
Window cleaning
Fence repair
Lawn mowing
Babyproofing

Now, can a handyman do electrical work? Or other specialized jobs such as plumbing or HVAC maintenance? The answer, in short, is yes. Of course, you are not going to take care of the entire project. But nobody hires a contractor for small patchwork or maintenance jobs. For that, people always look for a handyman.

Several of these tasks, when done on a large scale, require licenses and permits from relevant authorities. But sometimes home owners just need a small repair or maintenance job done. And for that, hiring a contractor will be an expensive affair. So many people go the DIY route. But there are things that require specialized skills, and some of them are not possible to get done on your own. This is where handymen come to the rescue. And that’s exactly where your job opportunity lies.

How Much Does A Handyman Make?

A skilled handyman makes $20.19 per hour on average in the USA, with a yearly overtime of $6,250. For experienced handymen in the United States, the yearly salary for a handyman job is around $49,144. The additional cash compensation is $2,609, with a range of $1,956 to $3,652. Rates may vary depending on the state.
Some of the highest paying handyman jobs are:

Shovel operator
Tradesman
Swamper
Gardener
Garden center manager
Arborist
Jack of all trades

Why Should You Start A Handyman Business

Starting a business as a handyman is a personal choice, but it can lead to many good things. Some advantages to starting a handyman business are:

Be Your Own Boss

If you choose to start your own business, everything is up to you. You always have to answer yourself and your users. You can choose the jobs you want and turn down the ones that aren’t worth the trouble.

New Challenge Everyday

If you do not want to waste your time and talent doing monotonous and tedious tasks day after day, a handyman business is the perfect choice for you. You can work on something new and different each day, and YOU get to decide what you’ll be working on.

Hands-On Experience

Sitting behind a desk and working 9-5 is not everyone’s cup of tea. Some of us really like to get our hands dirty and face challenges head on. If you are one of those people, starting a handyman business is what gets you that hands-on fun every time you get to work.

On-demand

Handymen are always in demand. There is always something that needs fixing or taking care of. So you never have to worry about finding work or making profits.

Stand Apart

In a handyman business, you can always choose a specialty skill and make your brand stand out from your competitors.

How to Start A Handyman Business

Now that you know what does a handyman do, let’s talk about how to turn your services into a full-fledged business. Most of the time, one or more service providers run a handyman business. These people may have different kinds of training for different kinds of maintenance or building jobs. Some information may come from experience, which means that there may not be a formal way to learn how to do the job well. But starting a business requires a bit more.
Here are the steps to starting your own handyman business.

Conduct a market survey to find out what service is in demand
Choose your service/specialty as per market demand or your skills
Make a business plan
Decide on your business name and branding
Register your business with the state
Apply for business licenses and permits
Open a business bank account and apply for credit card
Get insurance
Promote your business through digital marketing and social media to find new clients
Hire employees

Here are some job description samples and templates to attract the right talent for your handyman business:

Handyman Job Description Templates

About Us
ABC Handyman Service is a small business based in XYZ. We are known for our professionalism, on-time service, and unforgettable customer experience. We value agility, dedication, and a creative bent of mind.
Our organization is looking for a motivated and skilled individual to take charge of our _____ needs. This is an excellent opportunity for an individual who enjoys working hands-on and independently, both outdoors and indoors. We are looking for someone who can follow through on various assignments with little or no supervision, who enjoys hard work, and who is proud of their work. Most importantly, we are looking for someone who can add value to our team as a dedicated professional.
Job Responsibilities:

Provide high-quality service
Communicate effectively with customers and other team members
Reliable and committed to quality service
Be punctual
Maintain a neat appearance
Understand the importance of following instructions
Uphold our values and visions as service providers

Job type: Full-time
Pay: $15-$17 per hour

Benefits:

Paid time-off
Employee insurance
Bonus pay
Overtime

Schedule: 8-hour shift
Experience: 1 year
License/certification: Driver’s license (one location)

LOOKING TO HIRE HANDYMAN PROFESSIONALS
Established property management company with more than 1000 units across (STATE NAME) is looking for experienced, hardworking, and dedicated general subcontractors for handyman services to expand our ____ team. Currently require __#___ general handymen to assist our team with work orders, turnovers, and rehabs.
Qualifications
Experience as a general contractor/Handyman repair and maintenance, including the following areas:

CHA
Electrical
Plumbing
Sewer cleaning and maintenance
Drywall patching
Fixture installation and repair
Site cleaning
Patching and painting
Roofing
Tile installation

General Requirements: Full-time

Ability to work with little supervision
Good communication skills
Reliable and hardworking
Must have own equipment and tools
Must have own transportation
Punctual and meticulous

We are looking for an individual who values hard work, is a quick learner, and seriously looking for job opportunities to work long term.

Job type: Full time, part time, contractual
Pay: Starting from $400/week (negotiable as per experience and nature of work)
Experience: 2 years

Job Description
We’re looking for a trustworthy Handyman who can take care of maintenance and repair jobs inside and outside the office. We’ll count on you to do various odd jobs to keep our buildings in great shape. A Handyman needs to have skilled hands and a good understanding of how things work. You must be well-organized and have good fixing skills in general. In this job, it helps a lot to have a good eye for details and a lot of physical strength.
Duties and responsibilities:

Clean facilities by sweeping, dusting, etc.
Perform maintenance and light repairs
Perform routine landscaping on the grounds
Paint and fill gaps or crevices (on walls, sidewalks, etc.)
Undertake light installation or carpentry (e.g. build cabinets)
Repair equipment or appliances

Requirements and skills Full-time

High school diploma or equivalent
Proven experience as Handyman
Experience with hardware tools and electrical equipment
Basic understanding of electrical, plumbing, or HVAC systems
Basic math skills
Good communication ability
Attention to detail
Well-organized and skilled in problem solving

Job type
Full time/ contractual
Pay and Benefits
Negotiable as per skills and experience

How to Grow Your Handyman Business

So, if you ask, What does handyman do? The answer is simple. They mostly fix things around your home and office. But what does it take to manage a handyman business successfully?

Well, it involves a lot. And naturally, it comes with a lot of risks. The biggest mistake when starting a handyman business is to commit to a job that you cannot complete. Potential customers will come your way with all sorts of requests. But it is up to you to decide which ones to take. To do this, you need a very good understanding of your resources and capabilities.

But sometimes, people fail to achieve their goals despite having sufficient resources. This is due to poor planning and management. If you want to escape that risk, you need to streamline your workflow and have your backend processes standardized. But if you plan to do this manually, you are never going to achieve your goal or, as a matter of fact, expand your business. You will be too busy to take care of routine tasks, which might take a toll on your growth. Moreover, manual methods are always prone to human error, thus making your team’s efficiency vulnerable.

The only way for you to avoid those risks is to automate your handyman business. That’s right. Automation is not just for big companies handling manufacturing and logistics. Modern technology has made it possible for even small businesses, like a handyman service, to leverage the benefits of automation. And you don’t even need to learn complex software systems or tools to do that. All you need is a mobile app for handyman work.

That’s right. Now you can automate your handyman business with your own smartphone and also enable your field workers to receive necessary backend support, access customer databases, and more from their own devices. This is not only revolutionary, but it has also become the biggest competitive advantage in the domain of handyman services.

Final Thoughts

With advanced digital tools at your disposal, making money from different types of handyman services has become easier than ever. Therefore, if you ever considered starting your own business, your time has come. So start planning and building your team.

If you want to make the most of your resources, sign up for Field Promax. It is perhaps one of the best handyman apps that provides industry-specific automation solutions for handyman businesses and offers the widest range of features to streamline your workflow. From creating estimates to job scheduling, routing, equipment tracking, timekeeping, real-time monitoring, billing, and invoicing, it offers end-to-end solutions for all your automation needs. Besides, it is really budget-friendly.

So, what are you waiting for? Gear up to fulfill your dream to become an entrepreneur today.