The Complete Handyman Business Starter Kit

Subject: Your repair list: a few photos and I can price it

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME],

Thanks for contacting [BUSINESS NAME] about [TASK LIST]. I’d be glad to help.

Send me a few photos and the full list, and I’ll price it before I come out. Here’s what helps most:
• Your address or nearest cross streets.
• Everything on your list, inside and outside. Several tasks in one visit make the most of the visit minimum.
• Photos of each item: one from across the room and one close-up with a tape measure in the shot.
• For anything you’re providing (a TV mount, shelves, a grab bar, furniture), the product name or model number.
• About when the home was built: 1978 or later, before 1978, or not sure.
• A few days and times that work for you.

Small jobs are welcome. Every visit has a [MINIMUM CHARGE] minimum, so it’s worth adding anything else on your list.

Thank you,

[OWNER NAME] | [BUSINESS NAME] | [PHONE]

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME], it’s [OWNER NAME] with [BUSINESS NAME]. Thanks for reaching out! Text me photos (tape measure in the shot), your full list and cross streets, and I’ll price it before I come out. Visits have a [MINIMUM CHARGE] minimum, so add anything else on your list.

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME], this is [OWNER NAME] from [BUSINESS NAME]. Thanks for getting in touch!

Could you send a few photos of each item here, with a tape measure in the shot, plus the full list and your cross streets? If you’re supplying a product, the model number helps too. Also, roughly when was the home built: 1978 or later, before 1978, or not sure?

Every visit has a [MINIMUM CHARGE] minimum, so feel free to add anything else on your list.

OWNER TIP:

Log the lead before you reply, then run checklist S1 on the list as it comes in. If the first message already includes a Red item (a new outlet, a gas line, a garage door spring), answer it in this first reply with the refer-out wording from message 12, and keep the Green items.

Subject: Your quote from [BUSINESS NAME]: [QUOTE NUMBER]

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME],

Thanks for the photos. Your quote is attached.
• Quote: [QUOTE NUMBER]
• Tasks: [TASK LIST]
• Total: [PRICE] for one visit
• Includes: [SCOPE SUMMARY]
• Materials: [MATERIALS POLICY]
• Valid until: [DATE]

Items needing a licensed trade are not included and will be listed separately. If anything changes once I’m on site, like more damage than the photos show or a task you’d like to add, I’ll write up a change order with the price so you can approve it before I start that work.

To book, reply with two or three days that work, or choose a time here: [BOOKING LINK].

Thank you,

[OWNER NAME] | [BUSINESS NAME] | [PHONE]

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME], your quote [QUOTE NUMBER] is [PRICE] for [TASK LIST], one visit. Full details are in your email and it’s good until [DATE]. Reply with a few days that work, or book at [BOOKING LINK]. [OWNER NAME], [BUSINESS NAME]

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME], thanks for the photos! Your quote for [TASK LIST] comes to [PRICE] for one visit (Quote [QUOTE NUMBER]).

That covers [SCOPE SUMMARY]. I’ve emailed the full quote too. If it looks good, send me a couple of days that work and I’ll get you on the schedule.

EXAMPLE:

Filled in with the Kit’s worked example B (EXAMPLES): “Your quote Q-2026-0002 is $415.00 for a TV mount on your supplied mount, 3 floating shelves and a tub caulk refresh, one visit.” The total includes the $40.00 Visit Setup & Cleanup line and a $0.00 Zone 1 trip charge.

Subject: Reminder: [BUSINESS NAME] is coming tomorrow

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME],

A quick reminder that I’ll be there tomorrow, [DATE], arriving between [ARRIVAL WINDOW], for [TASK LIST].

A few things that help the visit go quickly:
• Clear the work areas. Move small items, photos and valuables away from walls and surfaces we’ll work on.
• Pets. Please keep pets in a closed room or crate while tools and doors are in use.
• Parking. Let me know where to park, especially in condos or on busy streets.
• Access. If you won’t be home, reply and I’ll call you for access details. Please don’t text or email codes.

If anything has changed, reply or call [PHONE].

See you tomorrow,

[OWNER NAME] | [BUSINESS NAME]

Reminder: [BUSINESS NAME] arrives tomorrow [ARRIVAL WINDOW] for [TASK LIST]. Please clear the work areas, keep pets in a closed room, and tell me where to park. Not home? Reply and I’ll call for access (please don’t text codes). Reply YES to confirm.

Hi [CUSTOMER NAME], just a reminder that I’ll see you tomorrow between [ARRIVAL WINDOW].

If you can clear the areas we’re working in and keep pets in a closed room, that saves time. Where’s best to park? And will you be home, or should I call you about access?

OWNER TIP:

When the customer confirms, set the job status to Confirmed. For account jobs in occupied units, send the reminder to the property manager, not the resident, unless the manager tells you otherwise.

Here is a customer’s repair list: [PASTE LIST]. Here are my lanes: Green [GREEN LIST]; Yellow items I have verified [YELLOW LIST]; Red [RED LIST]. Sort every item into Green, Yellow (verified), Yellow (not verified: do not quote) or Red, in a table with a one-line reason. Match Green items to my exact Task Menu names. Flag anything that might involve paint disturbance in a home built before 1978 or of unknown age. Give no technical instructions for any Yellow or Red item. Then draft a short reply to the customer listing what I’ll price and what needs a licensed pro.

Check my shop rate math. Labor cost per hour: [AMOUNT]. Monthly overhead: [AMOUNT]. Billable hours per month: [NUMBER]. Target margin: [MARGIN]. Use these formulas: overhead per billable hour = overhead ÷ billable hours; hourly cost = labor cost + overhead per billable hour; shop rate = hourly cost ÷ (1 − margin), rounded up to the next $5.00. Show every step. Then show my actual margin at the rounded rate. Finally, list five things that commonly shrink billable hours in handyman work (driving, parts runs, estimating, weather, admin) and ask me whether my number accounts for each. Do not suggest what other businesses charge.

Using my context block, write a Google Business Profile description for [BUSINESS NAME], a handyman service in [SERVICE AREA]. Keep it under 700 characters. Open with what we do and where, name 6 to 8 services using the exact Task Menu names from my Green list, add one sentence saying we refer licensed-trade work to licensed pros, and end with how to request a price with photos. Do not include prices, links, phone numbers, “best,” “number one,” “licensed,” “insured,” “we fix anything” or “no job too small.” Give me two versions.

Here are my rough notes from a call: [PASTE NOTES]. Write a follow-up text under 300 characters and an email under 120 words that confirm the list we discussed, ask for any missing photos or measurements, state the next step with a date, and repeat our minimum if the list is short. Use [CUSTOMER NAME] for the name. If any item in my notes is on my Yellow or Red list, flag it for me instead of including it. If my notes don’t answer something, write [CHECK THIS].

Create a 30-day content calendar for [BUSINESS NAME] on [PLATFORM] for [MONTH], posting [NUMBER] times a week. Columns: date, post type, topic, one-sentence caption idea, photo or video needed. Mix: seasonal home checks for [MONTH] in [CITY], one Task Menu spotlight a week, behind-the-scenes (load-out, protection, walkthrough), real before-and-after, customer FAQs, and one “what we refer out” post. No more than one promotional post a week. Never suggest how-to content for electrical, plumbing, gas, roofing or structural work, and never suggest giveaways tied to reviews.