Handyman Business Start Up Success built upon multiple courses at The DIY School.
An offer to buy his share in the print and photography company at which he was the Managing Director enabled Paul Garlick to escape the increasing bureaucracy of employment law & health and safety that had dulled the joy of building and running a business. For some time, Paul had considered the pleasure he would derive in working for himself, on his own, offering a handyman service around his home town of Hyde near Manchester.
Although he had always been practical, Paul considered that he should formalise his skills and so looked around for practical courses that would suite his need. A trawl of the Internet in 2008 took him to The DIY School website where in particular the Home Maintenance Course looked like it would fit the bill and so Paul booked on the course.
Whilst on the Home Maintenance Course, Paul noticed the high quality of training being delivered on The DIY School's Tiling Course, Plastering Course and Bricklaying Course on to which he booked completed soon after.
For some a dramatic career change just after their 50th birthday may be daunting but Paul told us that the courses have prepared him well for his new venture as "Handyman Inc".
His first job to repair a garden wall and garage gable end utilised the Bricklaying Course skills. A bathroom refit fully utilised the Plastering Course and Tiling Courses whilst many odd jobs have used the full range of skills covered in the Home Maintenance Course.
Now in late 2009, Paul is not unique amongst The DIY School customers looking to set up in business when he says he has work coming out of his ears. He set his business up with a small add in the local free paper and a very nicely sign written van. Paul says that 40% of his business is already coming from returning customers and recommendations.
What Paul finds is that his customers have "lists of odd jobs" that no one specialist trades person wants to tackle but together are providing him with many days of work at each customer. Paul says "it's the jobs that people just don't get round to doing; the dripping tap or cistern, changing door handles, a bit of tiling or plastering, hanging a plasma TV and channelling the cables in to the wall, curtain rails or bathroom re-grouts. The lists are long and he enjoys getting through them.
Common customer feedback of his work comments are that he is a perfectionist and that he turns up!
If you too have a list of jobs that needs tackling why not drop Paul an email. If you fancy setting up in business then Paul is all the evidence that you need that there is plenty of work to be had and that with some good customer care and honesty a strong business can very quickly be built up.
