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He actually started with more than 450$. He started his business with the skills he learned from previous employment. I think its important to remember that money is not thing you bring when you start a business. He was a maintenance employee. This was vital for his success.
Yeah, but this is only a problem if you actually believe the thumbnail to where they said “former apple employee” do you think they’d be talking about some data analyst or computer engineer or even a coder but maintenance, see what I’m saying?
I know James Droste and he was not a maintenance guy; he’s a leader and Apple utilized him as a people leader. What James is doing here is a result of experiences that any of us could acquire with a willingness to put ourselves out there.
Lol bro looking for a Netflix script and just found an honest dude going from wage to freelance. Maintanence guys from Apple are still Apple employees.
@@jehhutyNo they are not Apple employees. They are under a managed facilities contract with a company like CBRE. That would be like calling the sub contractor your employee. I’ve done maintenance for a competitor of Apple but now I’m a direct employee since teaching myself to program.
@@PinkFZeppelindude whatever, the point is he's still a capable human being, even if he was not white collar like the OP wanted for his redemption arch
@@jehhuty more like maintenance guys from apple are still maintenance guys lol. not knocking him at all, but apple is a tech company and this dude isn't a tech guy
Pro handyman in Paris here. For people who hesitate to star their business, make the jump NOW ! Us, handymen, have golds in our hands, the world will always need us !
I dont work for Jobber. I’m a customer. It has been an essential tool for my 7 man fence contracting company. I prefer this story type ad over a product demo or boring ad.
@@whatcomhandyman1350 Any chance you would help another tradesman starting a fencing business out? I’m looking to start one when I move but have a lot of questions? Things like licensing and such
@@danielecohen3803 Nobody wants to believe someone makes more money doing handyman work than they do at their 9-5 job. This is why they still have a 9-5 job.
What didn't add up? Are you in the trades? What seemed like an advert to you that took away from a very straightforward video? I assume the up votes are other knuckleheads.
THE HIDDEN FACTOR is his wife’s nice corporate job with health insurance! Let’s see this guy ‘live the dream’ as a single man living in a one bedroom apartment with no garage for keeping his tools safe at night.
Agreed, but...I think you can 'step' into it by first trying to get a maintenance job...use that to hone your skills and learn on your employer's time. Then after a couple of years, keep taking on side jobs until you have enough clients to quit the employment job. Not sure, but I think that would be a plan?
Imma tell you right now this platform can teach you any task you agree to perform; the days of having to have the experience to be successful are almost dead; information about everything and anything is available at our fingertips and if you have a little bit of common sense you can take on most tasks a handyman does with little to no knowledge or experience backing you due to the information being available. I’ve worked on cars houses and boats not knowing what I was doing until I discovered a half dozen videos on topic and studied them then took on the job and came out just fine.
I still work a corporate job and have a handyman LLC on the side. After 10 months with no advertising i find myself having to turn some jobs away, it's getting busy!
Me and my coworker do carpentry and light handyman work on weekends for side work. We had so much work this summer we didn't have a single day off for the months of of May and June
Too many people went to college in recent decades so not enough people to build and fix stuff. So temporarily handymanning can pay okay in many areas but there's no guarantee it will last.
In this economy 100 an hour minimum. Some cities and places up to 150 an hour. This is after a 125$ fee to show up with a 20k van and 10k worth of tools, which includes the first half hour.
Location is key. Just watch South Park Enter the Panderverse. HCOL locations with highly paid knowledge workers and less competition with home depot parking lot placement agency, think places like Portland OR, and Seattle. Much harder to charge these rates in LA or Miami for example.
I’d try creating a project menu and getting away from hourly pricing I started as a low voltage electrician billing $45/hr, eventually bumping it to $90… but always made more on bid jobs. Now I build sheds and regularly clear $200/hr… but my customers have no idea of my hourly. They’re looking at the value of the total project.
Bid for completed project. Base your price by material cost and the hours to complete multiplied by the hourly rate you charge. Never tell your client you have an hourly rate that you're basing your bid off of. It's none of their business. The value is in the high quality work completed and finished within the time frame you have laid out for them.
@@anonymousanonymous-bd1be I hear you. But when it comes to handyman work the jobs can be very scattered for each client. Drywall here, faucet there, light fixture here
Huge things missing the the video, he already had most the things, he already had the skill, he lives in a insanely wealthy area where rich people don't do their own things and hire out. 75 or 100 would never work in other areas.
I agree. He was already a maintenance worker. And in my experience dealing with handymen is that it's the type of job being done. And he never really mentions the actual jobs.
@@thehammer_7840 I absolutely agree. The failure mostly comes from failing to treat the handyman business as an actual business. If I didn't set aside a little from each job, I'd be in real trouble. @Jobber is one such tool that can keep you organized to be efficient.
Nearly impossible to scale. You will always have to work for a living unless you hire employees, and then the whole game changes. When you're just a guy with a truck, when you're not working, you're not bringing anything in. People watching this thinking it's easy, it's not. Majority of people who do this, fail and go out of business. Or they get hurt and can't work anymore.
Yes, that's a major realistic position that can happen, but if you got the balls 😉 and can't stand working for someone, I'd say make the jump. It doesn't cost $150,000-200,000 to start so if it fails you're not out that much money. Plus, you got a bunch of tools that you can use and just do it on weekends or after your work for extra cash.
There is definitely a difference between being self-employed and being a business owner. This gentleman created a solid job for himself, but he could scale rather quickly if he finds the right people to work with.
My thoughts exactly, it’s what’s held me back from making the leap from employee to business owner, the fact that you end up still having to do a JOB except with more responsibilities/ more stress/ and more expenses! If there’s not a clear path to scale and to eventually achieving financial freedom, then I cannot see the point.
Yeah, because office workers are the epitome of perfect health Who go to the gym and have never signed a death waver. But that poor handyman and his knees, I'd hate to be him
It's never too late to start! You can choose exactly what services you provide and find others in the area that cover a broader spectrum of tasks. RU-vid has a growing wealth of knowledge to learn. Home Renovision, Stud Pack, and The Build Show are good places to start. For specialty work, you usually have to watch A LOT of videos and see who can do what well. Usually, 8 or 9 out of 10 videos are 'regular' or sub-par, but you'll find 1-2 gems with solid info and techniques. Another big thing is how well-kempt the person is. If you're sloppy, working in people's houses is probably not the best idea. Gotta clean up after yourself and respect the customer's property. So many dudes on job sites are overlooking that.
Gonna call out his tool kit he showed. Definitely not “all you need”. If he’s doing plumbing fixtures and installing tvs on wall etc. I can think of at least a dozen more. This video shows him using a stud detector and wrench sets in his box. Then again this video isn’t about his kit.
I have done a lot, but have not turned it into a business!! you have giving me motivation. I'm so tire of working as a System Engineer!!! 25 years of Technology work!! sick of it!!!
I live in Germany and I’m also a handyman and licensed electrician. I can do almost anything in residential field in terms of Labor and as electrician both, residential and industrial. But here as an employed handyman or in my case electrician you eat shit, I get 18$/h and I consider myself a skilled worker. I love the US for their gratitude towards hardworking People and blue collars. Much love from Germany 🇩🇪
I grew up in Germany. Live now in Canada. I have a remodeling business and do some handyman services on the side. I make $100 an hour and I love my job
First off i have to say... So happy for you, most dont take the leap (or in your case) forced. Kudos! Love the work ethic and problem solving. My question is, while this is GREAT money what is your plan moving forward as you grow? I only ask as a thought provoking question. I used to be a handman part-time and made very similar numbers, HOWEVER this is hard labor and can take it's toll over time..... A bad injury and your out of work temporarily or for good. How are you handling cost of insurance/bonding?
you can turn this into a company, open a corporation hired one person, then another one and grow, it will get to a point that your job is just to manage. find job and make sure the job is being done the right way.
I love doing handyman’s stuff around the house, but i could never make a living out of it. I’m sloppy, i lack the instincts/intuition and I just don’t have it my genes i suppose, all of my closest ancestors sucked at it, i’m actually the first one trying to break this curse.
This guy is straight up a liar. You NEED a truck or a van to get going like him in this industry. Apparently, he thinks $450 buys a truck or van and tools. Another click bait.
That hourly has to cover A LOT that is forgotten BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING INTO BUSINESS and it’s all on YOU! Tax (fed small business rate 25-37%), state and local tax, tax services, tools and expendables (nails/screws/blades/glue/brushes/putty/brackets/staples/tape/drops/on and on, ladders/boxes/etc., phone/cell, computer, office materials/printer, vehicle/trailer payments, car registration/insurance (commercial vehicles pay more), business insurance/bonding, advertising/marketing, website, clothing/shoes, business license, medical insurance for you and your family, and more! The biggest is liability, which can ruin you financially for life if some gets hurt/ killed and or property destroyed! Know what you are doing or don’t do it!!!! You DO NOT make even close to $200 an hour, and if you do you’er doing it wrong. Don’t think the IRS, county, or judicial system is stupid, may take them a while but you will pay dearly.
He's getting paid $100 an hour to do simple stuff like assemble flat pack furniture and mount TVs, he probably already feels like he's charging way too much lol.
My friend close to Vancouver was refinishing wood floors. He said he was making between $3-6k per week working 3 or 4 days a week. Can be hard work, but pays really well when you start getting repeat clients (apartment managers, etc.) He just had a pickup truck with a cab - he later switched to a large van. Another friend was doing well as a handyman - he just had a little ford ranger truck LOL Last year he retired early. One of his secrets was he keeps his life simple. No flashy vehicles, his wife had a really good job, and no huge flashy house...they lived in a 2-bed apartment they renovated themselves. Both retired now and doing ministry work in europe - very happy couple
Lot of freedom and a lot of autonomy, get to claim tax benefits on all the tools and the vehicles, yet they still charge an arm and a leg as call out fees, I mean how many salarymen get to charge their companies for visiting the company for work? Some don't even clean up after themselves and leave a mess behind and some even forget their tools!
@@DavoBlairo Thanks Davo, but around here, that's the average price! UK seems to be very different to the US in terms of how much trades people can charge.
Pretty cool that he has not only a plumbing license to change plumbing fixtures, but also an electrical license to change out ceiling fans and light fixtures. I wonder how many continuing education hours he does each year.
I am so glad I came upon this video I can do just about everything but have been scared to venture off. I set up trade shows and mostly have two jobs cause the work isn't everyday This year I just feel the urge to do my own thing and watching this video just gave me the push I needed thank you for the encouragement and advice. Now I just need a name hmmm....., 🤔
Glad you found this story motivating! Best of luck in your business. We have lots of helpful resources for Handyman businesses that you might find useful! getjobber.com/academy/handyman/
How do get the phone to ring? Website with SEO service and barely get calls. What Am I missing? Always complete a project as intended and beyond with great positive customer service. I'm in a good market with not that much competition in Marble Restoration.
Thanks for your comment! Have a listen to Jobber's podcast, Masters or Home Service. We have an episode all about getting new customers: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-U3RSrm7aIqQ.htmlfeature=shared MOHS is also available wherever you listen to podcasts!
You can have a Google business profile, that can help, if people are looking for your expertise in the area, your business will show up in search results
I've hired HVAC and Roofing contractors from talking with them at the gas pump or coffee shop. Make sure you know what you're doing, advertise on your shirt or side of vehicle. And most importantly, know exactly whom to recommend if the job isn't for you - on the spot.
Why do people like to slap "ex-Apple" employee in titles as if these people are at a different class level or something? You know I've met and worked with shitty "ex-apple, ex-google employees"
Hi @artenman, This title is meant to highlight James' career transition from an employee to entrepreneur. James utilized expertise gained at Apple to start his own successful business!
Here in Cali they have a rule if you don't have some kind of electrical or plumbing license you can only charge max of $500 per project. Do you have any license working as a handy man?
I can't believe how 1 for 1 I am with this guy. I bought a Tacoma, I use an old bin for my batteries, I used to use totes to store materials in the back, I just happened to start building my own version of the "Decked" system to upgrade my tool storage and material storage.
Limited Liability Corporation. It protects him personally so if something bad happens his business is who a client sues instead of him. It protects his ass.
Being a handyman is all about clientele, for example people will post need a ceiling fan installed around here , and you will get lawn care guys computer guys plumbers everyone responding to the ad, it’s really word of mouth that builds you up
Interesting as in Texas a Handyman can not perform any electrical work or plumbing unless they are licensed plumbers or master electricians and even then have to do electrical work on behalf of a licensed electrical contractor. So if one abides by the rules it’s challenging to be a handyman in Texas
I just created a basic profile on thumbtack with only 3 years as an apartment maintenance assistant and 1 year of a carpenters apprenticeship... i get tv mount jobs ALL day long that I charge $100 minimum for and I've never had a problem. I'm in and out within an hour and I've got 4-6 more lined up that day. I don't even take other jobs that often because A they usually take much more time and have several factors in place that can go sideways = more time and less money. B - i don't have to. I've made 26,340 in my first 90 days - that's my bottom line after i have paid thumbtack to be on their website. 90% of those jobs were all TV mounts!! I've decided to expand my service offerings because I'm getting bored. But it's a double edged sword -let's say i pickup a job the customer just needs a new toilet seat, sink & faucet swapped out. Should only take an hour or two for that but instead of hourly I'm going to quote them the "job/jobs" cost - starting at $275 plus materials if needed. That gives me about a three hour window to get a job that should take two done and still factors in all the things I'm more that used to seeing more often than not with installs of any plumbing related anything older than 5 years old. Like I'm going to get DIRTY! They may or may not have actually bought a new sink or faucet yet!!! Yep even though that's not what they said originally to get your cost...now I'm also taking a trip to Home Depot to get a sink and faucet and I'm not going with them i pick one up they better order one that's available for pickup within the hour or I walk on the job and they are stuck paying thumbtack the $275 because they incorrectly stated they had the parts and I'm not liable for that plus I've got another job scheduled in an hour and a half by this point. But let's say they had the right stuff and I'm installing it but it's got broken hardware or maybe even worse their system has low water pressure and customer didn't know or did and now it's an issue/ now its MY issue. I might get stuck 2-4 hours fixing that including a run to Home Depot at my cost because the customer isn't going with me or meeting me there - DONT ever do that! Your time is valuable and precious and your cost of materials is factored in by your set parameters like inconvenience so they don't get a receipt for materials - it was factored into their set price they agreed to! And if you have them meet you you'll be stuck for hours while they decide on a color or style or whatever and that's not your job!!! Know your value, price accordingly which includes all the taxes and time and everything overall you need to run your business and you charge that. If they can't pay it you don't want that clientele. The ones that can and will generally appreciate you more, will NOT try to nickel and dime you or bargain - your price is set they pay it or you don't show up!!! They can go get $20/hr Larry all day. I'm going to guarantee my work, it's going to get done right and done right now. I'm taking the client paying me $100 for their one job while the other one runs Larry into the ground for two hours with all their honey do's for $40. You're worth more than that!! The money is there it's not even hard to find. If you choose middle class clients you're going to get middle class paid. All homeowners have the same problems but they don't all have the same financial status and it's ok to choose your market!! If you want to be a business why would you sell yourself short right from the beginning!! You have a skill they don't and need you provide a service - charge your worth not what you think your value is!!!!
This is one of those lines of work where you must love it. Like really love it, because there are other types of work that pay just as well that don't require knowing so much about a lot. Real Estate Photography comes to mind.
I need to decide if I want to expand and refine as a handyman like this, or lean into remodels and small builds. I’ve been steady at $50/hr and I’m very happy with the money but I’m ready to grow.
Hey there, thanks for watching! There's no one path to handyman training. You could start with community college/vocational training, volunteering, independent learning, or getting some entry-level work experience to name a few ways. We some resources that you can reference as you get started --> getjobber.com/academy/handyman/
Everyone saying $100 hr is too much. Its very possible. People will pay and if they don't their not an ideal customer. I've been charging $100 hr + easy and when I price jobs out for many things I can average much more. Plenty of money out there guys go get paid what your worth.
Jobber is fantastic! It's just too bad I can't afford it as a start-up. It would be great if they would have a better low cost option than the "core" option. Maybe they could charge less for a start-up with only one worker? Otherwise I'm having to go with another company.
Thanks for the feedback Jim! We acknowledge that a huge portion of service providers are running their operations with a one-person team, and we'd love to work with you to find a plan that works best for your business! Feel free to reach out to our team at 1-888-475-4473 and we'd love to chat with you about your options!
Great for James. If I lived anywhere close to him I would try and link up with him to help expand a little more. The extent of my handyman stuff rests in my culdesac. Anything from footers for decks and storage sheds to AC/furnace all the way to gas appliances and hot water heaters. Really great feeling to see how much money can be saved and the bonds that can build.
my wife and I own 24 airbnbs and have 7 more that are just clients that we manage, and I do most of the handyman work myself. Alot of the things I saw James do in this video, I do on a weekly basis. With some big projects like kitchen or bathroom remodeling done with a team of people during the off season and slow time. I want to get an actual handyman business going in my off time as I only work a few hours a day every other week. How would I go about signing up as a handyman for jobber?
Thank you for sharing! Sounds like you have a fantastic opportunity to take on more work as a handyman. We have quite a few educational resources for starting and growing your own business as a handyman at the link below. You'll find a wide range of content from how to start your business, to pricing, software, tool lists, and more. Handyman business resources -> getjobber.com/academy/handyman/ Create your Jobber account -> bit.ly/3YWA0Zn
Hey, lots of trades are charging at-least 100 bucks an hour, most of the time more. I think a lot of carpenters or handymen don't have the self confidence to charge what they should be charging, especially if they are good and run their business as a professional service.
Do you need your electrician license or plumber to do minor plumbing or electrical? I work in a lot of areas that don't require it, but bigger cities do, which is a pain when you just need to do something simple like replacing a light fixture or faucet.
HELLO I HAVE BEEN A HANDYMAN FOR 10 YEARS BUT I HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO STAY BUSY. I DO GREAT WORK BUT I NEVER SEEM TO HAVE CONSISTENT WORK. I HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA BUT I DONT ALWAYS DO WORK WORTH POSTING, SOME WORK IS JUST QUICK REPAIRS ETC. I WOULD LOVE SOME IDEAS AS IM CURRENTLY LOOKING INTO A WEBSITE.
Hello! Jobber offers several resources for handyman businesses. You can check out this article on what makes for a great handyman business website: getjobber.com/academy/handyman/handyman-website-examples/ As well as many other resources here: getjobber.com/academy/handyman/
How do you find work? What’s the best way to find clients? I’m a handyman looking for more work. I have my truck, tools and experience in different trades.
This is an egregious lie, im a commercial contracotr in nj/ny market. 50year old guy with no contractor experience working by himself making 13k a month, no way. Not that it cant be done. Its just impossible with that background and no experience. He charges by the hour not by the job. Biggest obstacles he's faced is the power going out during the day 😂 wow
Yeah that threw up a red flag for me as well. I've done field service work before and not having AC is the norm. Working in darkness is nothing compared to when things don't go as planned or you make a mistake or you're having issues troubleshooting a problem.
Your issue is you're the contractor, and your jobs are larger, and you're paying a crew. It's nearly apples and oranges here. You can get a job that will make your year. He can get a job that will make the week.
Hah! It’s hilarious to see the nay sayer comments. It’s 100% possible. I’m in Missouri and I hover around six figures (net) annually in the business and I often times don’t work a 40 hour week and my family takes 2 weeks a year for vacations. Additionally, I typically take off most of December just because. The biggest trick on my end is finding competent, reliable, professional assistants to pick up the work I currently have to turn down. I’m currently having to turn away an average of five jobs per day.
They will tell you anything related to handyman work, but not how they are finding customers. Type on Google “ handyman needed” or similar and start to learn where they advertise. Start with business cards and direct mail marketing. Good luck!
HA! I just started my handyman business and priced myself at $25 an hour for my first job. When I told the customer about my price, he was shocked, and at that moment, I realized I had significantly underpriced myself. I will follow through with the job at the agreed price, but I will definitely rethink my pricing. Thank you for making this video.
Think of it another way, if you told me you charged $25 and hour I’d pay you every week to come cut my grass , where as I pay $100 each visit to have my grass cut Hope that makes you think about your value …charge more
