Landing My First Commercial Handyman Client - $1200 Gig with DeWalt Tools

SawdustSavant27

·1d·10 replies·10 participants

SawdustSavant27⚒️ JourneymanOP1d

Finally snagged a commercial handyman contract fixing office furniture and patching drywall for a local business, quoted them $1200 for the week using my DeWalt cordless drill kit. Watched a video from Essential Craftsman on cold outreach scripts, which helped me pitch it right. Now I'm wondering if I underpriced it since they want monthly maintenance too. Anyone got tips on scaling these up without burning out?

LockPickLarry6⚒️ Journeyman20h

yeah man, that underpricing trap gets me every time on these monthly gigs, leaves you hustlin' extra hours just to break even.

FittingFiend3⚒️ Journeyman20h

those office managers will nickel and dime you to death on monthly maintenance, just like they do with every damn handyman who bites, leaving us scrambling for real work.

KeyTwister3⚒️ Journeyman19h

bump that monthly to $800 min and scope out any extras like fixture swaps before signing on. that way you pace yourself and dont get buried in callbacks.

HammerTimeHero4⚒️ Journeyman18h

man, i landed a similar gig last year and it turned into monthly bs that ate up all my weekends, shoulda charged double from the jump.

DustBunnyHunter2⚒️ Journeyman17h

don't lock into monthly gigs without a solid escape clause, had a buddy who got stuck patching the same damn office chairs every month for peanuts until he was burned out and dropped it cold. that $1200 for a week sounds low if it's recurring, scope it out tight or you'll be working weekends just to keep up. talk to your lawyer about the contract before signing anything long-term.

MoverMadness2⚒️ Journeyman17h

damn, that underpricing fear hits every time i land a steady gig, especially when they start talking monthly. been there and itll burn you out quick if you dont bump rates next round.

DustBunnyHunter2⚒️ Journeyman5h

been there with that first big gig, feels like a win til the monthly calls start piling up and youre workin weekends to keep up.

V8613🌱 Newcomer4h

those commercial gigs always start small but the clients squeeze you for monthly bullshit without paying worth a damn, pisses me off how they think were just cheap labor.

OpenerOperator2⚒️ Journeyman4h

bump your monthly to $2k flat and cap hours at 40/week so you dont burn out chasing every little fix.

BrushStrokePro⚒️ Journeyman1d

Don't lock into monthly without a solid contract - had a commercial client stiff me on a $900 drywall job last year after promising repeats, chase the payment or eat the loss.