Handyman services questions

aleksd

Any suggestion on setup, advertising etc of handyman business? I am doing this sort of jobs for years for friends, family, neighbours etc and all of them suggesting I should offer this services to wider publc as apparently is very difficult to find someone reliable this days so I am thinking about starting own business in cambridgeshire. Do you think £20/hour without call out charge and 1 hour minimum is right or I should charge more? What would be the best way to approach new costumers? Flyers? Yellow pages? Thanks for your suggestions.

YAA_3

I know a business that does this locally, they charge £15 per hour with a minimum 2 hours so you are not far off. I think flyers would be best, getting them out into houses. There is another thread about flyers so you could find a cost effective way and deliver them yourself. Also you might try your local council or Help the Aged or something like that, they have directories for say elderly people to access who have been reference checked and provide this sort of service, the list includes cleaners, ironing service etc. Advertising can be expensive so think of lower cost ways initially. Try a Business Link course for some start up marketing advice/course.

Hope that helps.

gwinnie

For setting your charges, I'd check out the competition in the area. The flyer idea is a good one as you can run these off on your own PC. For design, I'd copy/adapt the style of a big organisation's flyer, for a professional look. Give all your friends and family some flyers too, if they're happy to help distribute.

I would also think about getting liability insurance, because this is a litigious society, and insurance gives you cover in case something goes wrong. Insure your kit as well.

Good luck!