How to become a Handyman
Are you a skilled tradesperson who wants to work as a handyman in Australia? If so, then you’ve come to the right place. Everyone needs a handyman from time-to-time, whether that’s to help with assembling some furniture, or painting over some old cracks. In this post, we will cover what it takes to become a successful handyman in Australia.
Step 1: Research your market
Before you start your journey, it is important that you have a good understanding of the local market and your own skillset. Research the type of services that are currently being offered by other handymen in your area and determine which ones you can specialise in yourself. For example, you might identify that there are a lot of young families posting jobs requesting help setting up a nursery for toddlers, if you have a flair for that, then you have something you can focus on. You want to focus your attention at the intersection of where the demand is, and where your handyman skills lie.
Step 2: Sort out your licences and certifications
The next step is getting licensed and insured for your business. Depending on where you live within Australia, licensing requirements may vary from state to state or even from city to city. It is important that you research the specific laws and regulations governing handymen in your area before starting any work. For some type of work, such as electrical or plumbing, you’ll need to have certain certifications in place. Not only for your protection, but your clients. Just visit your state or local council website and search for further details. If you can’t find the information you need, just give them a call.
Step 3: Purchase tools and insurance
Insurance is essential for protecting yourself from potential liabilities should any accidents or mishaps occur while working on someone’s property or providing services for them. It is best practice to get both general liability insurance as well as workers compensation insurance for your business. Once you purchase some tools or a work vehicle, you’ll also want to get those insured. A good place to start is TradeRisk.
Step 4: Register your business
Now that you have the skills, licences, tools and insurance to start being a handyman, you’ll need to register your business. Most handyman will register as a sole trader, but depending on your circumstances, you may decide to open a trust, partnership or company entity. To confirm the right entity for your business, take this quick business structure quiz. If you expect to earn over $75,000 a year, you’ll also need to register for GST.
Step 5: Promote your services
When you start being a handyman, you’ll need to figure out a strategy for winning work. Most people will start by letting their family and friends know or promoting their services online or on gig economy sites like HiPages, Service.com.au or Airtasker. At the start you may need to accept smaller jobs, or price yourself at the entry level to win clients and build up your profile. Accepting smaller jobs can often lead to bigger jobs with the same client once they see how you perform, so keep that in mind.
Step 6: Invoice your clients
Now that you have completed the job, you’ll need to start quoting and invoicing your clients. Thriday is great for both, as it is integrated with your banking, accounting and tax. So as soon as you invoice a client, and it’s paid, the income is reconciled, and any GST is automatically calculated for your BAS. Thriday even sends automated reminders to help you get paid on time. Thriday was built to eliminate the time wasted on financial admin, so if you love being a handyman, and hate doing admin, then Thriday is well worth a try.
Becoming a successful handyman in Australia requires knowledge, skill, qualification, and licensing. However, if done right it can be very rewarding career choice with plenty of opportunities available due to high demand for these types of services throughout many parts of Australia. So, if this sounds like something up your alley then why not take up some training today and start getting handy.
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