I thought the best place to pick up again would be exactly where I left off in December 2007.

After I settled into my new house, I paid a visit to my parents. While I was there, I managed to have a conversation with a local handyman who was hired to stain their deck. I started the conversation by mentioning the fact that I was considering getting into the handyman business. After I let him know that I wasn’t local (and thus, not competing), he was more than willing to share some inside information. I learned a lot in the 20 minutes we were chatting, and I was determined to start my own business once I returned home.

What I discovered was that all handymen are not created equal. Some possess real construction skills, while others are forced to pick up jobs that no one else wants. These jobs usually don’t require much skill, just a bit of hard work.

I started the handyman business by handing out flyers. Although it was slow to start, I eventually got a fair amount of work helping homeowners with things like raking leaves, cleaning gutters, cleaning windows, power washing, cutting grass, and really any kind of yard work that they required.

Although I was offered jobs that required some construction skills, I turned them down knowing that I was only asking for trouble. I think everyone should know their limits. The last thing a wanted to do was be responsible for screwing up a construction job. There is no quicker way to sink your business.

The handyman business was okay, but I did have a few issues with it. For one, I felt like I was a 16 year old kid again, doing odd jobs for a dollar. Of course, I was getting paid much more than that, but the fact remains that I was treated like a summer student. I actually think many of these homeowners got a kick out of bossing around a middle-aged guy. I’m also sure that the majority thought I was a little odd. I just didn’t fit the typical profile. It was a little humiliating.

The second problem I had with this little business I started was the fact that after November things completely died until March or April. I needed to make enough money in eight months to last all year. That’s easier said than done because you need to be working five or six days a week for eight hours per day. Realistically, I wouldn’t be able to fill my schedule like that for years.

Ideally, I would have liked to have been working steady. But in reality, the work in this sort of business is sporadic. Some weeks I worked seven days, and others I’d work two. Some days I’d work 12 hours, and others I’d work four. Although I did average a fairly steady income, it wasn’t nearly enough to live on year-round.

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