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52 Handyman Business Ideas & Opportunities (2021)

52 Handyman Business Ideas & Opportunities (2021)

Good with your hands and into DIY? We put together 52 business ideas for you.

Here's the list:

1. Start a construction company ($4.2M/year)

Clifton Muckenfuss from Apex, North Carolina, USA started Carolina Exteriors over 10 years ago, a construction company.

  • Revenue: $350,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 10
  • Location: Apex, North Carolina, USA

The founders are childhood best friends from small-town America (South Carolina). We took different paths after college and approximately 9 years later, reunited in North Carolina. I (Clifton) was recruited from Florida to work for a Mortgage Company in Raleigh, NC and Wesley was already established here (Raleigh) working for a major building materials manufacturer (James Hardie). After the housing crisis, the Mortgage Company went bankrupt and I (Clifton) found myself without a job. I then founded a Residential/Commercial/Cleaning Company (still in operations today, Managed by my wife, Mary Ann) and grew that business from $0 - $500K rapidly.

Surround yourself with POSITIVE people.

Then, Wes and I were talking about the possibility of starting a siding/exterior remodeling company since most of the contractors were retreating after the recession and the ones that remained, didn’t focus on the customer, but rather, only on the transaction.

growing-an-exterior-remodeling-company-from-3-5k-to-9m-year

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Clifton Muckenfuss, on starting Carolina Exteriors ($350,000/month) full story ➜

2. Start a crime scene cleanup business ($33.6M/year)

Nick-Anthony Zamucen from Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA started Bio-One about 13 years ago, a crime scene cleanup business.

  • Revenue: $2,800,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 7
  • Location: Greenwood Village, Colorado, USA

I started Bio-One Inc. over two decades ago.

Bio-One is the nation's leader in Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaning with over 90 franchised to date and growing. Bio-One isn’t like any other business you get into, it’s not all about profit.

Let me explain a bit more. When a suicide, homicide or an undiscovered dead body is found, there are many people who get called to the incident. The police, coroner/medical examiner, fire department, detectives and the last responders are companies like mine, Bio-One the crime scene cleaners. Not all scenes we clean are crimes, but the term crime scene cleaner gives some mental picture of what gets done. We clean and remediate what is commonly left behind from EMT’s, police, fire departments and coroners to name a few.

how-i-created-a-1-2m-month-crime-scene-cleanup-business

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Nick-Anthony Zamucen, on starting Bio-One ($2,800,000/month) full story ➜

3. Start a moving company ($1.38M/year)

Max Maher from Chandler, Arizona, USA started Skinny Wimp Moving over 5 years ago, a moving company.

  • Revenue: $115,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 40
  • Location: Chandler, Arizona, USA

I didn’t exactly come up with the initial idea for this company because this is a franchise which means for me that I license out the name “Skinny Wimp Moving”. However, because it was the first franchise location I was able to be in a prime decision-making seat and guinea pig for all ideas enabling me to test out theories on marketing and customer service which have no become standard across the brand.

Put yourself out there and ask for their business. Sure be conscious that you may get rejected but don’t be afraid to ask more than once. It won’t work every time but it will work 100% more than not trying at all.

We realized people simply don’t want a moving company that sucks. So we asked ourselves what can we do to make the stressful experience of moving suck a little less and the answers we came up with and stuck to were very common sense:

how-i-started-a-1m-year-moving-company-at-19-years-old

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Max Maher, on starting Skinny Wimp Moving ($115,000/month) full story ➜

4. Start a furniture business ($444K/year)

John Humphreys from Austin, Texas, USA started Humphreys over 4 years ago, a furniture business.

  • Revenue: $37,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1
  • Location: Austin, Texas, USA

Since I was a kid I have always had a sense of wonder about the world and the mechanisms behind it. Whether it be a jet engine or a windshield wiper-I have thought about the creative process behind these things since I was 10 years old.

I drew houses as a kid. My dad grew up in a home designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, it was a solar home and it had an odd features. One example is, the entire back wall that was about 100 feet long and 15 feet high comprised of windows that all opened. In front, there were functioning levers that had fans which would draw airflow in and out.

Growing up I thought I wanted to be a pilot. I was described in high school by a classmate as “poetic” which I found offensive. I tried a hand in many things; managing a farm and pre-school, which were two businesses I inherited. This type of work wasn’t for me.

my-story-starting-a-400k-year-handcrafted-furniture-business

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John Humphreys, on starting Humphreys ($37,000/month) full story ➜

5. Start a chimney repair business ($545K/year)

Mitchell Blackmon from Blue Ridge, Georgia, USA started Patriot Chimney over 2 years ago, a chimney repair business.

  • Revenue: $45,394/ month
  • Founders: 3
  • Employees: 5
  • Location: Blue Ridge, Georgia, USA

When I was in college, I was involved in a lot of extracurricular activities and always working. When I graduated, frankly, I became bored after work. My mom owned a housekeeping company when I was younger and I thought that would be a good idea, so I created a housekeeping company and hired her and my aunt to work it. My brother, Matt, and I would talk about creating different businesses together since he was out of the Marines and we’d go back and forth between things like home health, more housekeeping, or even a landscaping company, but we never really could agree on one.

The most important thing you can do is communicate - who does what, set due dates that you all agree on, hold each other accountable, and create consequences for failures.

During this time, Matt started working for one of our competitors in the Roanoke valley and used his GI Bill to get certified through the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), which is the main chimney/dryer vent education association in the USA. After a while, Matt helped his friend Billy get a job at the same company. They noticed some shady practices, their paychecks bouncing, and their ideas to help grow the business were cast aside by the owner. They made it through the burn season (the busiest time in the industry) but that following summer they were let go.

how-i-started-a-21k-month-chimney-service-company-while-working-full-time

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Mitchell Blackmon, on starting Patriot Chimney ($45,394/month) full story ➜

6. Start an ac repair business

Examples of a successful ac repair business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a ac repair business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an ac repair business ➜

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7. Start an appliance repair business ($1.2M/year)

Chad Rubin from Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA started Think Crucial over 13 years ago, a appliance repair business.

  • Revenue: $100,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 1
  • Location: Fort Lee, New Jersey, USA

I studied finance in college and started covering internet stocks like Amazon on Wall Street. This really opened up the world of e-commerce to me. At the same time, my parents were running a shop that sold vacuum cleaners along with accessories but it wasn’t doing very well. I started helping them out with their business and took it online while still working crazy banker hours.

When I was let go in 2009 after the crash, I was ecstatic - this was my chance for a whole new beginning in e-commerce. I felt like a kid in a candy store. I helped expand the business, first on Volusion then selling on eBay, and then finally Amazon. Ultimately, I realized I didn’t want to be a reseller-- I wanted to have my own brand. That was the genesis of Think Crucial.

The key is to start small and stay scrappy. Don’t put the cart before the horse - source or create a product customers need, package it right, and sell it. As you grow (and only then), add more.

starting-a-vacuum-business-and-growing-to-100k-month

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Chad Rubin, on starting Think Crucial ($100,000/month) full story ➜

8. Start a window manufacturer

Examples of a successful window manufacturer:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a window manufacturer:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a window manufacturer ➜

article

9. Start an antique furniture refurbishing business

Examples of a successful antique furniture refurbishing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a antique furniture refurbishing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an antique furniture refurbishing business ➜

article

10. Start a storage locker business ($408K/year)

Molly O’Connor from Weymouth, Massachusetts, USA started The Mobile Locker Co over 6 years ago, a storage locker business.

  • Revenue: $34,000/ month
  • Founders: 1
  • Employees: 2
  • Location: Weymouth, Massachusetts, USA

As a runner I was experiencing a need for a more secure, more convenient option for my valuables and gear at road races. Scratching my own itch, I launched the service with a focus solely on running events in New England.

Utilizing my connections with other runners and syncing up with event organizers, we tested the concept for 8 months with a locker trailer before bringing the trucks on the road and rebranding as The Mobile Locker Co.

The initial launch with the locker trailer was self-funded from my personal savings. This allowed us to test our systems with minimal overhead and also gather real world feedback on the concept. Luckily, it was well received and we were able to secure funding to get our first two trucks on the road from personal connections through my two initial sweat-equity partners.

growing-a-lockers-on-wheels-business-to-34k-mo

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Molly O’Connor, on starting The Mobile Locker Co ($34,000/month) full story ➜

11. Start a bathroom appliance business ($6M/year)

Howard Law from Erlanger, KY, USA started Magnus Home Products over 3 years ago, a bathroom appliance business.

  • Revenue: $500,000/ month
  • Founders: 2
  • Employees: 10
  • Location: Erlanger, KY, USA

My partner and I worked for a family-owned company for many years and helped to grow it to become a very large player in the industry. As often happens the owners eventually decided to sell the company to a huge corporation. My partner and I decided that working for a huge corporation was not going to be a good fit for ourselves and decided to go out on our own.

My partner has a background in IT and I have a background in sourcing, marketing, and purchasing. With both of us having over 20 years’ experience in our fields and the addition of a few key players we felt we had all of the pieces needed to be successful. The two of us along with a financial partner started Magnus in August of 2017.

We had the knowledge of what products would be successful, where to source them, and how to build a website. Our challenges were putting together a team to build the site and be able to offer superior customer service once we went live. Once we built the site we needed a marketing partner to generate the sales for the site. Little did we know that this piece of the puzzle would be the most difficult.

how-we-started-a-500k-month-business-selling-kitchen-and-bath-products

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Howard Law, on starting Magnus Home Products ($500,000/month) full story ➜

12. Start a construction company ($4.2M/year)

Examples of a successful construction company:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a construction company:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a construction company ➜

And for some real world inspiration, give Clifton Muckenfuss's story on creating Carolina Exteriors a read:

I’m Clifton Muckenfuss, I am Co-Founder of Carolina Exteriors, a Specialty Replacement Contractor based in Apex, NC, serving the Raleigh Metro Area. Carolina Exteriors offers residential home improvement services including Roofing, Siding, Windows, Doors, and Gutters. We believe that if we “build people, we build a winning team and combined, we Build Exceptional Customer Experiences. Our dedication to our people and customers and execution on our mission has led to us receiving numerous industry awards for customer service.

We bootstrapped the business on $3,500 and now 9 years later generate $4,000,000 in revenue.

growing-an-exterior-remodeling-company-from-3-5k-to-9m-year

-  
Clifton Muckenfuss, on starting Carolina Exteriors ($350,000/month) full story ➜

13. Start an aviation cleaning service

Examples of a successful aviation cleaning service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a aviation cleaning service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an aviation cleaning service ➜

article

14. Start a drone repair business

Examples of a successful drone repair business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a drone repair business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a drone repair business ➜

article

15. Start a home repair services business

Examples of a successful home repair services business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a home repair services business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a home repair services business ➜

article

16. Become an attic room organizer

Examples of a successful attic room organizer:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a attic room organizer:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an attic room organizer ➜

article

17. Start a bathtub reglazing business

Examples of a successful bathtub reglazing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a bathtub reglazing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a bathtub reglazing business ➜

article

18. Start a blind cleaning service

Examples of a successful blind cleaning service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a blind cleaning service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a blind cleaning service ➜

article

19. Start a boat cleaning service

Examples of a successful boat cleaning service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a boat cleaning service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a boat cleaning service ➜

article

20. Start a bookbinding and repair service

Examples of a successful bookbinding and repair service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a bookbinding and repair service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a bookbinding and repair service ➜

article

21. Start a cabinet making business

Examples of a successful cabinet making business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a cabinet making business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a cabinet making business ➜

article

22. Become a carpenter

Examples of a successful carpenter:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a carpenter:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a carpenter ➜

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23. Start a carpet cleaning service

Examples of a successful carpet cleaning service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a carpet cleaning service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a carpet cleaning service ➜

article

24. Start a carpet installation business

Examples of a successful carpet installation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a carpet installation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a carpet installation business ➜

article

25. Start a CCTV camera business

Examples of a successful CCTV camera business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a CCTV camera business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a CCTV camera business ➜

article

26. Start a tile business

Examples of a successful tile business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a tile business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a tile business ➜

article

27. Start a concrete cutting service

Examples of a successful concrete cutting service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a concrete cutting service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a concrete cutting service ➜

article

28. Start a construction cleanup business

Examples of a successful construction cleanup business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a construction cleanup business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a construction cleanup business ➜

article

29. Become a countertop manufacturer

Examples of a successful countertop manufacturer:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a countertop manufacturer:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a countertop manufacturer ➜

article

30. Start a dog house business

Examples of a successful dog house business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a dog house business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a dog house business ➜

article

31. Start a drain repair service

Examples of a successful drain repair service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a drain repair service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a drain repair service ➜

article

32. Start a fence installation business

Examples of a successful fence installation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a fence installation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a fence installation business ➜

article

33. Start a fireplace installation business

Examples of a successful fireplace installation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a fireplace installation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a fireplace installation business ➜

article

34. Start a garage organizer business

Examples of a successful garage organizer business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a garage organizer business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a garage organizer business ➜

article

35. Start a glass tinting service

Examples of a successful glass tinting service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a glass tinting service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a glass tinting service ➜

36. Start a glass installation service

Examples of a successful glass installation service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a glass installation service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a glass installation service ➜

article

37. Start a home theater business

Examples of a successful home theater business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a home theater business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a home theater business ➜

article

38. Start a painting business

Examples of a successful painting business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a painting business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a painting business ➜

article

39. Start an intercom installation business

Examples of a successful intercom installation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a intercom installation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an intercom installation business ➜

article

40. Start a laminate floor installation business

Examples of a successful laminate floor installation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a laminate floor installation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a laminate floor installation business ➜

article

41. Start an auto locksmith business

Examples of a successful auto locksmith business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a auto locksmith business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an auto locksmith business ➜

article

42. Become a locksmith

Examples of a successful locksmith:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a locksmith:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a locksmith ➜

article

43. Start a mirror installation business

Examples of a successful mirror installation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a mirror installation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a mirror installation business ➜

article

44. Start a mobile car wash

Examples of a successful mobile car wash:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a mobile car wash:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a mobile car wash ➜

article

45. Start a mobile oil change business

Examples of a successful mobile oil change business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a mobile oil change business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a mobile oil change business ➜

article

46. Start an odor control service

Examples of a successful odor control service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a odor control service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an odor control service ➜

article

47. Start a packing crate service

Examples of a successful packing crate service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a packing crate service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a packing crate service ➜

article

48. Start a pest control business

Examples of a successful pest control business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a pest control business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a pest control business ➜

article

49. Start a product assembly service

Examples of a successful product assembly service:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a product assembly service:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a product assembly service ➜

article

50. Become a property manager

Examples of a successful property manager:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a property manager:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a property manager ➜

article

51. Start a roof repair business

Examples of a successful roof repair business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a roof repair business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a roof repair business ➜

article

52. Start a sprinkler installation business

Examples of a successful sprinkler installation business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a sprinkler installation business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a sprinkler installation business ➜

article

53. Start a windshield repair business

Examples of a successful windshield repair business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a windshield repair business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a windshield repair business ➜

article

54. Start a window cleaning business

Examples of a successful window cleaning business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a window cleaning business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a window cleaning business ➜

article

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