Possibly starting my own buisness.(D.Fresh)

I am thinking about starting my own handyman service, aka leave ace hardware and work for myself. There are alot of responsibilities involved with owning your own business. BUT, I am very confident I could handle my own buisness.

I do know it is exspensive to get a buisness started, but I can set my own hours etc, name my own wage etc.

So.... keep an eye out for dougy fresh's own handyman service!

I will be doing all home repairs, hot water heaters, trim, paint, sheetrock work, anything you want done, I can do! simple to major repairs, I just need to get liscenced and insured!

Wish me luck!

Good luck to you friend. Starting up your own business is a very difficult venture. The first year is very hectic and it does not get much better after that until your name is solidified in the community, which takes time. I do all of my business books and know a little bit, so if you need help just let me know.

Thank you sir!

well good luck bud. im sure its a lot of work getting out on your own. but if it takes off im sure it will be worth it.

Why not sign out of JD's account and into your own to post Douglas?

You know you have my full support Fresh, but honestly it takes a lot of money to start a business and with the ammount of debt you're already in and on top of that, a broken car.... IMHO I think it's too soon for this adventure.

My $.02, for what it's worth, is to get yourself out of the debt you're in, get the STI fixed and sold, get your house so you're not renting anymore and have a place to run a business out of, THEN start Fresh's Home Repair (or whatever you wanna call it lol)

Good luck my friend, you know who to call if you ever need a helping hand!

u got my support doug . bein self employed myself i know exactly how hard it can be . i think u got what it takes bud . go for it

my dad owns 3 businesses, he seems to be doing pretty good..but the first few months KILL, we lost alot in the first year when he started American Bailbonds

good luck Doug =)

4.5 years into my business and I'm just now starting to make some good money, so it does take a while but TOTALLY worth it

Mom will be giving me a pickup (work pickup)

I would need to do the following
-Get an enclosed trailer
-A topper for the old pickup
-I have a majority of the tools, if not I can get them at Ace Hardware
-I have all of the knowlede(always can use more knowledge )

The beauty of this job, is most of the jobs are inexspensive for parts, but labor is where I will make everything. It will be hard to be cheaper then other handy men out there. BUT too many variables to compare against on here, That is the R&D I have to do on my own. So I can start with little money and work my way up.

I also need a Federal ID # and state #
I also need insurance and many other things.

I have thought about this for a few years, Just finally thinking of making it happen.

I think this would be the best way for me to get into a house, what if I meet the right customer who wants to do a lease to own, and its a possible fixer upper. lots of possibilities..

I love to hear about people going out on their own and starting their own buisness.... so I am definatley a supporter of the idea. I will just throw out my two cents, and maybe give you some things to think about. In the end, if you do this alone all your success or failure comes down to one thing... how hard you are willing to worka and what you will sacrafice for it.


1) whats the worst thing that could happen...honestly walk yourself through this scenario and see if you would be alive at the end and what would be the lasting effect. Not knowing your situation I bet the worst that could happen would be you claim bankruptcy after a certain period and start back at absolute zero. No car, no house, and no credit score.... could you pull out of that one?

2) Can you survive with zero income, and for how long. You have to know that there will be bad months so what will keep you a float? You better set guidelines now for who you will barrow money from and who you won't... this can cause a lot of family drama if you wait till you are in a bind.

3) With construction being slow and handy men flooding the market because the large majority of the work has slowed, what will you do to enter the market and survive where others are failing?

In general it will take you 3 times as long to make money and cost you 3 times as much money as you expected to get your buisness up and running. This is bit of an old wise tail but in principal it is very true. If you lay everything out on an excel spreadsheet, I would defiantly multiply evertyhing by two atleast. Even after you start by being very conservative with your numbers.

If you do it, I wish you all the best luck.


***Ooops didn't realize this computer was logged in with Jason's name.... this is Jake (b1r-ts)

Good Luck!

Also... I heard this one and it is SO true. Take your projected income and cut it in half, and double your projected expenses. This will give you an idea of what you will actually be dealing with. I thought it would take me 8 months to a year to break even but it was more like 2-3 years

Told my banker my intentions today, she said, "I know a guy who may be looking for help, she said take on an aprenticeship(sp) (drinking @ the bar) and. He told her he was looking to sell his buisness. So I can learn his tricks and then possibly take over his buisness if I meet his criteria.

Ok back to the bar.. talk on this at a later venue... lol

I consider owning your own buisness like owning a project car. Everyone knows how you treat your car/customer, and you always have to expect the unexpected. Constantly have to be outside of the box.. lol

Thank you everyone for your feedback!

I sent you a message. Give me a ring.