The $100/Month Investment That Doubled a Handyman's Revenue
A live answering service, property manager accounts, and flat-rate pricing. The handyman's client acquisition playbook.
Mike was a solo handyman in suburban Denver. Good with his hands, terrible at the phone. He would finish a job, drive home, and find three missed calls from earlier that day. By the time he called back, two of those people had already hired someone else.
Then he signed up for a live answering service. $120 per month. Every call answered by a real person within three rings. "Mike's Handyman Services, how can I help you?" The caller gets a friendly voice, the job details get texted to Mike, and he calls back on his next break.
His revenue doubled in four months. Not because he got more calls. Because he stopped losing the ones he was already getting. The data is clear: the first contractor to respond to an inquiry wins the job roughly 70% of the time. Not the cheapest, not the most experienced. The fastest.
For a solo handyman whose hands are full of drywall mud at 2 PM, a $120 answering service is the single highest-ROI investment in the business.
Property Managers: One Account = Steady Work Forever
The handyman business has a volume problem. Most jobs are $150-$500. You need a lot of them to make a living, and finding them one at a time through Google or Nextdoor is exhausting.
Property managers solve this problem completely. One property management company overseeing 200 units will generate 20-50 maintenance requests per month. Leaky faucets, broken blinds, drywall patches, door adjustments, toilet repairs. This is bread-and-butter handyman work, scheduled days in advance, with a single point of contact.
The approach: cold-visit property management offices with a printed rate sheet. Not an estimate for a specific job. A rate sheet with flat prices for common tasks. PMs want predictability. They want to know that a garbage disposal swap costs $175 every time, not "it depends."
Mike landed his first PM account by visiting five offices in one afternoon. The third one had just fired their previous handyman for no-showing. Mike started the following Monday. That single account now represents 30% of his annual revenue.
The $150 Minimum That Actually Increases Business
Most handymen are afraid to set a minimum service call fee. They worry about losing the $75 jobs. Here is what actually happens when you set a $150 minimum: you lose the tire-kickers and attract better customers.
A $150 minimum communicates professionalism. It signals that you are not desperate, that your time has value, and that you are serious about your work. Homeowners who balk at $150 were never going to be good clients anyway. Homeowners who accept it tend to have longer task lists, tip better, and refer more.
Mike resisted this for two years. When he finally set a $150 minimum, his average job value jumped from $180 to $310. Why? Because customers started batching their requests. Instead of calling for one squeaky door, they saved up a list: fix the door, hang three pictures, install a new faucet, patch the drywall in the hallway.
More revenue per visit. Less driving. Fewer invoices. The minimum makes every part of the business more efficient.
Realtor Punch Lists: The 48-Hour Guarantee
Home inspections generate punch lists. Buyers want 15 small things fixed before closing. The realtor needs it done fast because the closing date is fixed. This is a perfect handyman job.
Build relationships with real estate agents and offer a "48-hour punch list guarantee." The agent sends you the inspection report, you quote a flat rate for the full list, and you complete everything within two business days.
Realtors love this because it eliminates a headache from their transaction. You love this because punch lists are high-value, multi-task jobs. A typical inspection punch list runs $500-$1,500 and takes 4-6 hours. That is $100-$250 per hour.
Mike built relationships with four agents. Each sends him 2-3 punch lists per month. The work is predictable, well-paying, and comes with a built-in referral: the agent recommends you to the new homeowner for future maintenance.
Menu Pricing Beats Hourly Every Time
Hourly pricing creates anxiety for the customer and leaves money on the table for you. The homeowner watches the clock, feels stressed, and second-guesses whether you are working efficiently.
Switch to flat-rate menu pricing for common tasks. TV mounting: $150. Ceiling fan install: $175. Toilet replacement: $200 plus parts. Drywall patch (per hole): $85. Furniture assembly: $50/hour with a two-hour minimum.
Customers love menu pricing because they know the cost upfront. No surprises, no anxiety. And you benefit because your actual time on a TV mount is 30 minutes, not the hour the customer imagines. Your effective hourly rate goes up while the customer feels like they got a fair deal.
Print the menu on a one-page rate card. Hand it to every client after a job. Leave a stack at property management offices. Post it on your Google Business Profile. Clarity converts.