Handyman Book Reviews

There are quite a few books out now about how to start a handyman business. Some are better than others, and some are very strong on certain topics (like what tools you'll need and which jobs to expect to get), but very weak on other business specifics like small business taxes and getting a business license.


The reviews here will give you a pretty detailed description of what each book is really about, and let you know if its worth spending your startup money on.


Handyman's Handbook : The Complete Guide to Starting and Running a Successful Business
This book gets mixed reviews from people, and there's a good reason. If you are completely new to the idea of being a handyman, this book will be helpful. But if you're well-acquainted with doing home maintenance jobs and you want specifics on how to start and run a handyman business, this book is going to be a disappointment.

There is no mention of getting a contractor's license (or the easier to get repair and maintenance license that is all most handymen will ever need). There is only one paragraph about taxes, and there the author says little more than "please call a professional." There is nothing about hiring a helper, or what to do if one of your clients refuses to pay or just never seems to get around to paying you.

What this book is strong on is a tool list. The author has entire chapters dedicated to tool lists, along with high level instructions on how to do certain jobs. He even gets down into the clothing you should wear for a job. All in all, this is a book that wanted to be a "how to repair guide", but kind of got adapted into starting a handyman business. If you can only get one book about starting your handyman service, this is not the book to get.


The Handyman's Guide To Profit: Using Your Skills To Make Money In Any Economy
This is a much more business-centered book. The tools lists are kept to a minimum (less than 10 pages) but there are entire chapters on Safety, how much to charge, writing contracts and other mission-critical issues. There is some good wisdom in this book, like "the grief factor" that needs to make it into your calculations when you bid on any job, and how smart it is to keep customers and get more work from them, instead of continuing to constantly find new ones. Its a little known business factoid, but it costs seven times more to find a new customer than it does to retain an existing customer.

If you are looking for a "how to repair things" book, skip this book entirely, but if you want to get some real world advice on the business side of having your own home repair service, then this is a very good start. If you can only get one book to start your handyman business with, pick this one.


The Handyman Business Guide To Success: Setting Your Hourly Rates, Estimating Handyman Jobs, Marketing, Licensing, Insurance And More!
This book is a good balance between the business side of starting and running your own handyman business, and the hands on world of how to do the dozens of different kinds of repairs that handyman are called upon to do. I like the detail the author goes into about insurance and choosing a name, as well as the real word specifics on getting paid, and how much, and when and how. It is so easy for small business owners to work very hard, but let the billing and recievables "take care of themselves". The problem is, that sometimes they don't take care of themselves. A few simple habits and rules will steer you clear of most problems.

The pricing guide is the real treasure of this book. It covers pricing for a couple of dozen different jobs. Of course, where you live and how much experience you have and how good your references are will determine how much you can really charge, but it is always nice to have a road-tested figure to start your own calculations from.

I still like The Handyman's Guide To Profit best, but if you can afford to get a second book (and find the time to read it), buy this book as well. The pricing guide is worth the cost of the book alone.


Handyman Business & Estimating Guide by Handy David
This is a 64 page ebook available from HODI Publishing. You can also read it online at Google Books. If you want a sort read, this may be the book for you. Its quite good on practical marketing, taxes (including sales tax) and how to keep your business overhead low but effective. Because it was published in 2008, its starting to get just a wee bit dated, but the handyman business really does not radically change from year to year, so its still fresh enough to pass muster.

Of course, given that you can actually read this for free online makes it the top choice for those of you starting your handyman business with little to no budget. You'll get some excellent information from these 64 pages, including some detailed estimates on how long different jobs will take, the pros and cons of franchises, getting bank funding, and some things to do when you launch your business that will make it easier to sell later on.







More articles about starting a handyman business:

How to Start a Handyman Business

Handyman Business Cards

Handyman Clients: How to Find the Best Ones

Are You Cut Out to Be a Handyman?

Tools for a Handyman Business

Payment Options for Handymen

How To Advertise a Handyman Business

Customer Service Tips for Handymen

Choosing a Name for a Handyman Business

Record Keeping Basics for Handymen

Being a Handyman Versus Having a Handyman Business or a Franchise

Getting a Website for Your Handyman Business

Getting Paid Upfront: Deposit Policies for Handymen

How Much To Charge Per Hour

Should You Charge by the Hour, or by the Job?

Insurance for Handymen

Handyman Business Book Reviews

The Handyman Guide: How to Fix and Build 1000s of Things Around the House



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