"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
. uk...
tim..... wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message .uk...
tim..... wrote:
"The Medway Handyman" wrote in
message . uk...
Back in the 4th floor flat again today, one of the jobs was to fit
a bath panel.

Boy, you get all the big jobs don't you :-)


I don't want big jobs. I regularly turn down complete bathrooms or
kitchens.

That I can understand.

But there's small and there's *small*!

I can earn more doing 2 or 3 smaller jobs with less hassle.

Can you really get enough work just doing small jobs
(genuinely interested).

Absolutely. I'm currently booked solid until the 8 October with more jobs
coming in every day. Smallest job I've ever done is to change a single
light bulb - albeit 30' above a stairwell.

Two jobs today. Lady with a blocked gutter on an extension & some
flatpack drawers that had falled apart. Second was a church with a door
parted from the top hinge & a Yale lock that wouldn't shut properly. Took
£180 labour only.

Thats where the niche market is for me. Lady called today, wants 1 x
mirror, 2 x pictures & 2 x shelves fixing to walls. She had called 6
other firms who all said the job was too small. That will take an hour
for £45 leaving most of the day free for other jobs.

Sparkies are all Part P organised, plumbers are all CORGI registered, so
can't afford to take on smaller jobs. Putting up a new light fitting or
changing a tap washer are jobs they can't be bothered with.

My charges are geared to pay me more for smaller jobs see
http://www.medwayhandyman.co.uk/charges.htm

Three calls came in today for small jobs, 1 of which I've probably lost
because I can't do it for 3 weeks.

My 'tag line' is "For all those little jobs that need to be done".

If I get a call asking for an estimate and they say they have 2 other
companies giving quotes, I just turn it down - can't be arsed to compete.

The market for small jobs is huge & very profitable. That's the secret to
this handyman malarky.

That's interesting.

It's just that it's the opposite of what the guy from Cambridge
who came here 3-4 years ago said (I wonder if he's still
lurking?).

Some of you will remember that he moved over to trying out
being a handyman, as he was then finding little work in IT
due to ageism (which is pretty much where I am now).

After about 2 years he gave it up because he couldn't find
enough small customers to make it worthwhile. He said
that there was enough work if he was prepared to take on
the bigger jobs but that he didn't want to (or couldn't) do
that.

I wonder if your high density location is the difference?

tim