You can always find a good idea for a business if you want. And even though it may seem unusual at first glance, there is no need to reject it without a thorough consideration. For example, the provision of household services. Why not the “Husband for an Hour” business idea? An excellent business that can bring a stable and considerable income.
“Husband for an hour”: advantages of the idea
What are the advantages of such an enterprise? Firstly, the minimum starting capital. The main part of the investment is the purchase of tools and advertising. And payback is in two months.
Secondly, the demand is quite high. The performance of services by service organizations is not up to par, and timeliness is a rare occurrence. Therefore, you have to turn to private experts for help. And finding a specialist who works conscientiously and does everything on time is a real success. So opening a “husband for an hour” business is a justified idea.
Thirdly, not every family has representatives of the stronger sex who possess all the necessary skills. And independent ladies often use such services if men’s hard work is too much for them.
How to start a business
How to open a business “Husband for an hour”? To begin with, purchase the necessary tools: all types and sizes of screwdrivers, hammers, glass cutters.
Tools
The approximate cost of the tools needed at the initial stage along with a box, protective gloves, a respirator and all consumables will be no more than fifteen thousand. If desired, these investments can be returned within a week of work.
But it is important to purchase only high-quality professional tools. They will withstand high loads and will be able to inspire confidence among clients: a master with neat and new tools is always perceived better. You can purchase tools as new orders appear; for starters, pliers, a hammer and a screwdriver are enough.
This method is suitable if there is a shortage of the required amount at the initial stage of business development. Another option is to use rental tools. But you shouldn’t skimp on their quality when purchasing.
Services and their payment
Where to begin? The most in demand remains the installation and assembly of furniture, replacing locks on doors, installing cornices, lights, electrical work, installing faucets, plumbing washing machines and connecting them. Based on this, the list of work performed is established:
Setting up and connecting household appliances
- Assembly and installation of furniture and interior items
- Installation of chandeliers and cornices
- Minor household repairs
- Plumbing and electrical repairs.
- Setting up satellite dishes.
The payment system should be built correctly. You need to start by calculating tariffs for each standard type of service, for example, installing an outlet, replacing wiring.
Calculating hourly wages can be difficult. Thus, non-standard work takes longer, especially in non-standard conditions. For false calls, it is worth setting a fee in the amount of a third of a regular worker: be that as it may, the specialist has arrived, and therefore payment is necessary at least to pay for the road. But in order to stand out from your competitors, you don’t have to charge a call fee at first.
There is a simple and beneficial piece of advice: if you have the ability to perform men’s household chores at a high level, you can do it without involving outsiders and without paying rent. And as development progresses, the list of small services expands.
Registration of the case
You should start with registration. Form - individual entrepreneur or LLC and choice of activities according to OKVED. Here it is better to immediately indicate the plumbing, electrical, plumbing and carpentry codes so that you do not have to make additions later.
After registration, a notification about work under the UTII system is sent to the tax office. This mode is the most comfortable.
Although it is advisable to immediately make a serious application for a reputable office. Therefore, special clothing is required. When hiring another specialist, the same form is issued to him. Sewing will cost approximately two thousand. The name of the company and its login “Husband for an hour” are required.
Advertising
Standard advertising should be placed for all types of services. Ads with tear-off sheets are suitable. This kind of advertising remains the most popular. You can place a message about the provision of services in newspapers. True, modular color advertising is superfluous, especially at the beginning of your activity.
Is there a city Internet portal? Wonderful! Advertising on it is free. And it definitely won’t be superfluous. Finally, it is recommended to order high-quality business cards and hand them to each client.
The business plan for the development of the “Husband for an Hour” business is calculated simply. Profits depend on the number of clients and the cost of types of work. The number of clients depends entirely on the funds invested in advertising. More ads - more calls. This is how the flow of clients begins.
Time will pass and a regular clientele will appear. Earnings per month are approximately fifty thousand, and for a start-up business this is not at all bad. It is quite possible to hire an employee to help, setting his salary at twenty-five thousand.
Business expansion
If you plan to immediately start working with hired personnel, you will either have to look for workers with their own tools, or purchase several sets at once. It is recommended to seek experienced professionals. When hiring, it is worth conducting a short exam to determine the qualifications of the craftsmen.
Their number at first is no more than three. Payment amounts are approximately twenty to twenty-five thousand plus a percentage of the work performed. Equipment is constantly being purchased, which means a supplier is needed.
It is worth thinking about a dispatcher who takes calls, since with the development of the “Husband for an Hour” business idea, it will not be easy for the owner to combine management and receiving applications. To submit reports - an accountant. You can attract it on the basis of outsourcing.
When the company expands, it will be time to look for premises for it. It's worth taking a closer look at the sleeping areas. It is there that the demand for services is greatest and professionals will be able to reach clients faster. Convenient access to the premises is necessary, since the weight of the instruments is considerable. And dragging them to the car is not easy.
But all this is perspective. If you immediately rent an office with several rooms, hire workers and dress them in uniforms, and conduct a full-fledged advertising campaign, then the investment will increase tenfold and amount to approximately two hundred thousand. Payback is achieved in six months. So, if funds allow, you can immediately organize a serious company. But a more affordable option is to do the work yourself with the help of an assistant in the future.
In the future it is possible to carry out complete repairs. So city services are an area for growth. You won’t be able to earn millions at first, and that’s not the main goal. It is important that a smart businessman should think about how to open a “Husband for an Hour” business: the profits are stable, there is a prospect for development.
An employee of the “Husband for an Hour” service anonymously told The Village how to earn 300 thousand on household repairs, what to do with dishonest clients and whether it is possible to hammer a nail sexually.
- Gaya Marina Garbaruk May 31, 2012
- 162680
- 49
A little bit about yourself
I am 33 years old, I was born in Tajikistan, grew up and studied in Altai. My mother is Russian, and my father is Uzbek-Tajik. I also recently graduated from a technical school in absentia - I studied refrigeration and compressor units, and now I was immediately accepted into the university for the third year of MGSU, so I will be an engineer. Someday I’ll open my own business, but for now I’m working for someone else’s uncle. In general, since the third grade I worked part-time, repairing watches: I already had a student at the age of ten, a 40-year-old man, he still earns his bread in Tajikistan with this craft. I untwisted it, repaired it, put it back together - and now I can do the same with any thing: figure it out, think about it, fix it.
Recruitment
The first time I saw the expression “husband for an hour” on stickers in the subway was as soon as I arrived in Moscow, six years ago. I thought then: “What a nightmare, probably pornography under the guise of a hammer.” About a year and a half ago, I came across an advertisement on the Internet: the company was looking for craftsmen to carry out household repairs of varying degrees of complexity, we provide clients. So I turned out to be this “husband for an hour” - however, I still don’t introduce myself to acquaintances so that stupid questions don’t arise. The office didn’t ask for any documents, didn’t sign any contracts - it was all unofficial. You also have to take care of taxes yourself, although, to be honest, I don’t know anyone who pays. You need to register as an individual entrepreneur - this is a lot of hemorrhoids.
Competition in the market
Now, if you Google, you will find fifty such services in Moscow. Someone makes an expensive website with the expectation of a wealthy client with claims, but most do not bother with the site at all, the main thing is that the phone number is indicated. Moreover, everyone’s filling is stupid - continuous repetitions, so that they appear higher in searches. In some offices, foremen work for a salary, regardless of whether they worked well or poorly. Then they have clear prices. And there are companies organized like a social network, we call it a guild among ourselves: there is a system of titles, and a rating based on reviews, and the opportunity to earn decent money depending on efficiency. This is exactly what I work in. And which master you will come across is a pure lottery.
Hierarchy
I know the owner of the company only by his voice. I suspect that he is from St. Petersburg. Probably a cool person: he once warned that he could listen to all our conversations. Otherwise, in our guild there is real capitalism that encourages competition. At first you are just a master. Based on the rating, the number of completed orders and the money brought in, you can be assigned an expert. The rating is based on customer reviews. The higher the position, the greater the chance that you will be sent an application. We sort of buy orders via SMS. First, the call center and the client agree on the approximate amount and scope of work, then the craftsmen who work in the area receive an application, and they participate in the tender: who will throw 100 rubles for the order, who will throw 150. Whoever paid the most takes the order. That is, in fact, the guild is an intermediary to whom you give 10–15%, and the rest you work for yourself.
Clients
In Moscow, people constantly don’t have enough time to do some small things, it’s easier for them to pay, so the demand is consistently good. You won’t call a construction company to hang a cornice for you. And the master came, hung it in an hour, and earned a thousand or two. Most often, single girls over 25 call us. I’ll say right away: I’ve never heard of office romances amid renovations. There are no handsome men among us, and the process itself is not very attractive, to be honest. Male clients are rare - usually when something difficult needs to be done that you can’t do alone, for example, assembling a huge cabinet. Pensioners call the housing office in the old fashioned way, although I do not advise anyone to contact them. The people who work there are usually illiterate air traffic technicians who are not hired anywhere else. After the housing departments, I redid the electrics a bunch of times, but they had fewer problems with the plumbing. They come, swear, they are so dirty. Very rude, boorish people. They behave as if the whole world depends on them.
Community
Of course, we have neither a trade union nor corporate events. We don’t really know each other, there are only a few stories when I came to clients, told them about our company, and then they also got a job with us. The rating of masters is also good because we are still men - just let us defeat someone. Therefore, in the top 10 best masters there is constant movement: people gain experience, receive good feedback from clients and go on the warpath. I quickly entered the top five. It’s not like we lock ourselves away on the weekends with books on “How to hammer a nail in a sexy way”, everything only comes with experience. By the way, our women also work: as painters and cleaners. They are called “wives for an hour” - not at all humane.
Prices
Sometimes you can come, ask for a minimum price and do everything superbly so that the client is satisfied, leaves you a good review and recommends you to friends. It is important not to be rude, not to say too much, and to do everything quickly. Another plus is if you clean up after yourself. The client is generally watching you, counting how many ridiculous movements you make there. One day, my brother and I were working for a guy, I was hanging shelves in the kitchen, and I sent him to the bathroom. So the client was surprised: they say, why does it cost you 150 rubles to drill a hole, and for your brother it costs 120. I then say: well, look at how he works - like a pig, there is dirt all around. And I use a vacuum cleaner - and it turns out faster and cleaner. There is not a single speck of dust on my carpet or furniture. That's the difference in price.
Earnings
I make at least three thousand rubles a day, and if you start working before lunch, you’ll have time to make 6–8 thousand. But here you have to get up early and ride the subway with a backpack with tools, and not stand in a car in traffic jams. The only problem is that you have to carry kilograms of tools on yourself: you don’t know what order will come. My brother had the earnings record - more than 300 thousand a month, but he was the one who seriously ran.
Communication
According to statistics, 80% of people are pleasant, but there is always a margin of unpleasantness. I wasn't really deceived, but there were cases. If you feel that the client is in trouble, you write everything down on paper, all types of small work and the cost, because people are used to freebies and strive not to pay. I usually do this if the order is over 10 thousand, so that there are no misunderstandings. There was another story when a rich client asked him to glue the leather on the sofa at the same time, he gave me superglue, but it left black marks. So I ruined his furniture. But he realized that it was his own fault, he did not swear. Here, of course, everything depends on the level of human culture. Another master worked with me at the same time, older, bigger - so the client shouted at him, but he treated me very respectfully. Well, apparently, how you position yourself.
Philosophy
It is important not to disdain work and not to bend your fingers - they say, I studied, I have a higher education. If you're an idiot, you'll be an idiot with a diploma. I was also offered a job in an office, but I realized that this was mortal boredom. And so I constantly move around the city, meeting new people. And the brain is constantly working, it’s always such a puzzle: not only how to do it technically correctly, but also quickly, aesthetically beautiful, without noise and dust.
An excellent option for organizing their own business for people who have perfectly mastered the skills of small household repairs would be an enterprise that has received the code name “Husband for an Hour” in our country. The concept of this business is to provide small household services for a fee. It is useful for a future entrepreneur to understand how to organize such a company from scratch, what skills and tools will be useful in work, what the range of services provided looks like, what kind of personnel to recruit and where to look for them, how to attract clients and how much starting a business can cost.
Business “husband for an hour”: where to start
Start any business by analyzing the market where you plan to work and studying competitive organizations. By paying some attention to researching existing enterprises, you will discover potential strengths and weaknesses of the future business, and also formulate certain goals to strive for in your work. Understanding the situation will help you draw up a detailed business plan, based on which you should begin organizing the activities of the enterprise.
Competitor analysis aims to clarify:
Contrary to popular belief, companies in the “Husband for an Hour” format do not compete with large construction and repair organizations, since the latter are much more interested in large-scale orders, in which they carry out a complex of turnkey works at once.
Video: how to analyze competitors
Business plan for the company in the format “Husband for an hour”
A traditional business plan contains all stages of an enterprise’s operation: from registering a business to spending profits. All key points must be reflected in the business plan. By following the outline, you will be able to adapt the recommendations given to a specific situation and get a first approximation of your own business plan.
Video: how to write a business plan
Business registration
The most common forms of business registration in Russia are individual entrepreneurs and LLCs. Registering a business takes a maximum of three working days, but registering an LLC will require more money than registering an individual entrepreneur.
The cost of opening an individual entrepreneur consists only of paying a registration fee of 800 rubles, and to open an LLC you need to pay 4,000 rubles as a registration fee, and then deposit at least 10,000 rubles into the company’s account as authorized capital.
In addition, many businessmen engage professional lawyers to draw up the charter documents of an LLC; this procedure is also not free. Significant differences between individual entrepreneurs and LLCs include the fact that an individual entrepreneur is liable for the debts of the enterprise with all his property, while an LLC risks only its authorized capital.
Video: how to choose between individual entrepreneur and LLC
Search for premises
It is best to open an office of a company providing small household services to the population in close proximity to potential customers, that is, in densely populated residential areas of the city. For work, a space of 40–50 square meters is enough, in which you can organize a small warehouse for storing tools and equipment, an area for receiving clients, as well as workspaces for office specialists. In addition, it is necessary to allocate a small room for the craftsmen to eat and rest in between executions of orders.
Make sure that all necessary communications (sewage, water supply, electricity, heating, telephone and Internet) function properly in the rented premises. Agree with the landlord about the possibility of attaching a bright and noticeable advertising sign above the entrance, even in the dark, indicating contact information and operating hours. This will help future clients know about you.
Video: how to choose business premises
What skills do you need to have?
If you plan to work alone at the initial stage, you will need skills in carrying out minor repairs. For further business management, knowledge in marketing and advertising, the ability to analyze data and operate with numbers will be useful; an entrepreneurial spirit is also useful, allowing you not to lose composure in difficult situations. Any necessary skills are acquired in the process of work, the main thing is that there is a desire and ability to learn.
Video: how the master from the “Husband for an Hour” service works
Range of services provided
The list of services can be anything. It all depends on your inclinations and skills, as well as on the abilities of the hired employees. As a rule, companies working in the “husband for an hour” format provide the following services:
Some companies also provide minor cosmetic repair services.
Regularly analyze which services are in demand by the population and enter them into your price list. Depending on where the bulk of clients are located, the list of services provided may vary. Thus, residents of new buildings who are just moving into apartments will need help in assembling furniture, installing lighting fixtures and inserting locks into doors, and residents of houses built in the 70s of the 20th century will more often repair plumbing and order minor household repairs.
Required tools and equipment
To ensure work, you will need two types of equipment: office and production. The equipment necessary to ensure the operation of the office includes office furniture and office equipment.
Table: office equipment and office equipment for organizing the work of a company for minor household repairs
The list of production equipment used by the master directly when performing work at the customer’s site varies depending on the type of services provided.
Table: tools required for work based on 6 craftsmen
The number of tools of each type can be changed depending on the number of craftsmen on staff, as well as on how in demand a particular device is in the work. All workwear is quickly made to order for a specific employee, so there is no point in purchasing uniforms in advance.
Photo gallery: sets of hand tools for the work of a master
The cost of power tools can be quite hefty, but you should not skimp on the quality of this equipment. For the service sector, it is necessary to purchase a professional tool. Meanwhile, you can buy used office furniture and office equipment in good condition.
Video: the difference between household and professional power tools
If your budget allows, it is also useful to purchase a vehicle for delivering a technician with tools to the site.
Recruitment
You will need to organize accounting for your company. Today there are various ways to solve this problem:
A useful employee will be an administrator-dispatcher who will receive incoming calls and requests from clients, and then distribute orders among foremen and monitor their execution. The main staff includes craftsmen who go directly to the client to complete the order. They can go on call alone or together, depending on the type of work performed.
To ensure order when storing tools used in work, you will need to hire a storekeeper. The cleanliness of the office premises can be ensured by a cleaning lady invited 1-2 times a week. The purchasing and supply manager will ensure that craftsmen have enough tools and supplies for the job. If you use company vehicles to deliver employees to the customer, you will also need a driver.
Table: staffing table for a small household repair company
The table shows approximate salaries of specialists for St. Petersburg. In other cities and regions, salary rates may differ. In addition, some specialists may receive piecework or hourly wages. For example, a dispatcher-administrator can be paid for his shift, but a marketing and advertising specialist can be hired only to implement large projects, for example, to launch a new advertising campaign or to hold an event. Depending on the desires, capabilities and skills of the business owner at the initial stage of enterprise development, he can perform some of the work independently. This will also save some money on employee salaries.
When interviewing candidates, pay attention to their integrity, absence of bad habits, family and social status. As a test case during an interview, you can consider several conflict situations in communication with the customer and invite the candidate to find a solution. Based on the applicant’s reaction, you will understand how friendly and conflict-free this person is, and whether he fits your selection criteria. Be sure to ask for references from past jobs. This approach will allow you to insure against the occurrence of undesirable situations in the future.
Video: how to conduct an interview correctly
Advertising and customer acquisition
The experience of many companies suggests that the most effective channel for advertising and attracting new customers is word of mouth. The most effective advertising comes from satisfied customers, but before they appear in sufficient numbers, the business owner will have to take care of advertising. The specificity of this type of activity is such that you are unlikely to be able to form a decent pool of first customers only from among your friends.
Modern promotion methods include using your own website and online advertising. The website must include contact information, indicate operating hours, a list of services provided and a price list. If you have the necessary skills, you can develop a website yourself using specialized designers (for example, ru.wix.com or mozello.ru). The cost of website templates can vary from zero to several tens of thousands of rubles. You don’t have to waste time learning web layout and immediately turn to a web studio or freelance webmaster for website development. In this case, the costs of creating a website will increase, but you can spend the free time on something else.
Video: how to make a website yourself
Contextual advertising in search engines, as well as targeted advertising in social networks, are interesting and promising. Modern technologies allow you to set the settings of advertising campaigns in such a way that your ad will be seen by exactly those people who are most interested in it. When setting up advertising, you can choose not only the gender, age and city of residence of potential customers, but even the names of specific streets and house numbers, as well as the time the ad was displayed and other significant factors.
Video: promoting a company on social networks
Don't skimp on making uniforms for your employees. Thanks to this identification mark, clients will be able to easily identify your specialists and distinguish them from representatives of competing companies. The uniform usually consists of overalls, a jacket, and several T-shirts. Some companies also provide employees with shoes and a change of clothes for winter and summer.
Work clothes must be of high quality and very comfortable to wear, otherwise workers will simply ignore them. Work suits must be branded. The company logo can be placed on a T-shirt, the front of overalls, or on the back of a jacket so that it is readable and identifiable. Some companies also place their logos on headgear, such as caps and hard hats. If opportunities allow, you can also brand the tool case.
Photo gallery: uniform for employees of the company “husband for an hour”
Regardless of what advertising methods you use, you need to regularly analyze their effectiveness. It is likely that spending on some type of advertising will turn out to be inappropriate, and you will be able to optimize your budget by redirecting funds in another direction. If your company employs a marketing specialist, all these chores can be placed on his shoulders.
Calculation of income and expenses
Here is an approximate list of expenses for supporting a business providing small household services to the population.
Table: costs of running a business “Husband for an hour” in St. Petersburg
Many men, having lost their jobs, or simply deciding to start a new life by creating their own business, often find themselves in a stupor when choosing an idea. Constant questions related to whether the business will be in demand, whether I can recoup the investment and earn money, etc., lead to the fact that this project remains at the level of an idea.
The ideal option for starting would be something that is not very complicated and, moreover, in demand and with minimal outlay of money at first. All these requirements are met by the provision of home handyman services. In this article we will analyze the business plan of the Husband for an Hour company, the basis of which will be experienced craftsmen in various segments: electricians, plumbers and general workers. Step-by-step instructions will help you assess the full scale of this activity and clearly outline the algorithm for opening such a business in your city.
How profitable is this?
It is worth noting that this type of service can be developed both in the regional center and in a small provincial town.
In addition, it is worth noting that this business is scalable in the future. Starting with a simple worker, you can build a very successful company with hired workers, ultimately doing purely managerial work. And taking into account the fact that to work as a master in the “husband for an hour” format you need very little starting capital, this business idea becomes an ideal solution for a beginner.
The second important factor is that the services provided, such as plumbing repair or furniture repair, are in constant demand. And don’t think that your potential clients are only single women who have no one to do all this work, but often in families where there is a man, it is easier for people to order repairs or installation of plumbing, electrical and other equipment for the home from a professional than to spend half a day time to solve these problems. In addition, you will need a special tool, which is usually far from cheap, and this calls into question the profitability of independently repairing some unit in the apartment.
The experience and quality of work of a home master is the basis of this business. People are willing to pay money only for quality work done, so take all this into account when selecting personnel and tools for the job.
Documentation
Before you organize a business in the form of a Husband for an Hour company, you need to complete all the necessary documentation.
Here's the main thing you'll need:
- open IP.
- indicate OKVED for the activity. For Russia these are codes - 95.00, 93.05. For Ukraine – 95.22.
- recruit staff. When carrying out work on the electrical network, the technician must have the appropriate permit and permit.
- enter into a lease agreement for the premises.
- obtain permission from the SES and fire service.
These are just the basic documents. Don't know where to start collecting all the papers? Then we strongly recommend contacting an experienced lawyer who will help you with this issue and provide legal support in the future.
Office
Of course, you can work from home, however, when you have an office, this instills more confidence among clients, and you will be able to take on larger orders for repairs and maintenance. For an office space, a room with an area of about 20 sq.m. is quite suitable. The manager will sit there and take calls. You also need to allocate cabinets for storing tools. It is advisable that there is parking near the building.
The technical equipment of the office includes:
- furniture
- computer technology
- means of communication and landline telephone.
This is quite enough for the work of a manager; in the future, when expanding the staff, it will be necessary to purchase new equipment.
Tool
The next step is purchasing a tool, perhaps one of the most expensive parts of starting a husband-to-hour business. To get started you will need:
- hammer
- construction vacuum cleaner
- pliers
- Screwdriver Set
- a set of keys
- adjustable wrench
- wood planer
- drill
- Bulgarian
- hex key set
- screwdriver
- small accessories (scissors, screws, nails, tape, etc.).
This is not a complete list, but it will suffice to get you started. Of course, if you are laying tiles, you will also need a trowel + laser level. Everything will directly depend on the list of services provided. Be sure to include the purchase of a household vacuum cleaner in the expense items of your business plan; it will help you perform all technical work with virtually no dust, and this is a very important point, since 90% of your orders will be carried out in residential premises. Such equipment can become your competitive advantage.
Also take care of your corporate identity. To do this, many entrepreneurs order workwear with the company logo. This approach adds credibility to your company with minimal investment.
What is highly recommended for purchase is transportation. Of course, you can do without it, but transporting such a quantity of tools on public transport can be very uncomfortable and even difficult. To begin with, you can buy an inexpensive car of the “pie” type, with a cargo compartment. This will be an ideal solution for running a business providing home handyman services.
Communication equipment will also be needed. Your business card should have the phone numbers of all the most popular operators. This is done primarily for the convenience of your customers. An ideal solution would also be to prepay a short, memorable landline number.
Staff
Personnel are the basis of your business in the field of minor repairs and installation of household appliances. At the initial stage, you can completely work on your own. Slowly collect a client base, advertise your business and “earn a name.” Only after you feel that you cannot cope with the number of orders or see that your funds allow you to hire a worker, you can look for a responsible craftsman with “golden hands” who will work for you. Over time, when there are more than 5 employees, you will need a dispatcher who will take orders and distribute them among workers. Accounting work can be outsourced.
Be sure to ensure that your employees do not have bad habits, as one visit from a tipsy employee can ruin the reputation of your company. The main criteria besides skill are: decency, accuracy and punctuality. Clients don't like to wait. It is better to tell the exact time of the visit with a reserve for travel, but under no circumstances make clients wait for you and be nervous.
It is in the personnel that the pitfalls of this business lie. This can include:
- bad habits of workers
- unkempt appearance
- unskilled work with low quality
- poaching workers from your clients. Often, craftsmen leave their phone number and ask you to call them directly in the future, bypassing your company, and for this they promise a price discount.
As you can see, there are a lot of problems, some of them can be solved by monitoring work, and some can only be stopped by dismissing the employee. Personnel turnover in this segment of the service market is high, and nothing can be done about it.
List of services provided
It’s worth saying here that a business operating in the “husband for an hour” format is built for each entrepreneur using its own technology and has a different list of services. This is how they compete with each other. There are craftsmen who are qualified exclusively in plumbing or household appliances, and there are builders who do repair work. And there are “generalists” who combine all this in one price list.
So, below is a list of the most popular items from the price list of a typical such company:
- minor repairs in an apartment or house (wallpapering, tiling, painting, etc.);
- repair of household appliances (refrigerators, microwave ovens, stoves, etc.);
- repair of plumbing (replacement of pipes, gaskets, faucets, etc.);
- electrician services (repair of sockets, replacement of fuses, replacement of wiring, etc.);
- services for the assembly and installation of furniture and other interior items;
- mover services (rearranging furniture, assistance with moving);
- for owners of private houses (trimming lawns, bushes, etc.).
As you can see, the list is quite extensive, and it can be even larger, it all depends on the qualifications of the professionals and the ability to sell your services to clients, this is primarily determined by the advertising budget.
Advertising
When drawing up a business plan for a company with the “Husband for an Hour” positioning, do not forget to include advertising funds in the calculations. After all, the success of this business will depend on these costs.
1.) Advertisements in the media are perhaps the most effective method of advertising your services. Of course, there will be a lot of such advertisements, but your client will find you, plus the cost of publication is quite small.
2.) Internet. His name can be put in second place. Young people search for everything on the Internet; they rarely buy newspapers. Having your own website is good, plus you also have contextual advertising running. Don’t neglect message boards and thematic forums. They can be easily found in Google or Yandex search.
3.) Posting advertisements in residential areas. This is also a very effective method.
Business expenses
We will consider starting a small company with one team of workers; accordingly, prices will also be indicated in the quantity of one set.
Starting investments:
- purchase of tools and equipment, as well as workwear – $2500 – $3200
- purchase of transport – $4500 – $5000
- office equipment – $1000
- corporate identity – $250
- paperwork – $180
Monthly expenses:
- office rent – $200
- payment for communications and internet – $50
- taxes – $120
- salary – from $150 per employee +% of completed orders.
- advertising – $60
- transportation costs – $100
This is the main list of costs. But here it is worth considering that some of the equipment can be bought second-hand at the start, and then updated as money becomes available.
How much can you earn?
Your earnings will directly depend on the number of orders that you attract through advertising. It is especially effective to use a combination of website + contextual advertising.
As an example, we will provide several basic prices for services so that you have a general idea of the pricing policy:
- installation of a chandelier – $4.2 – $4.5.
- installation of socket – $1.9 – $2.
- connecting TV, telephone, cable to the main switchboard – $2.8 – $3.
- bathtub installation - $15.
- installation of a shower stall – $19 – $20.
- toilet installation – $13 – $14.
- boiler installation - $15.
- wallpapering walls – $1.5 per 1 sq.m.
- laying tiles – $5 – $7 per 1 sq.m.
This is only a small part of the services. Please note that often the master goes to the site and performs a whole range of works, thus allowing him to achieve a good average bill.
Conclusions. And at the end of this article, I would like to say that the “husband for an hour” service is a business built on the daily needs of users, and even if there is competition, there is enough work for everyone, the main thing is to be a professional in your field and maintain an adequate pricing policy.
Do you have experience in this market segment? We look forward to your feedback and recommendations below.
“Husband for an hour” is not a very complicated business, which is quite easy to enter if you have good organizational skills or minimal skills in men’s work. This niche is quite deep, since many families today actually do not have time even for ordinary household work, not to mention minor repairs. Many people are willing to pay a specialist, since in this case they will save time and at the same time be sure that the work will be completed in full. Another direct reason for the popularity of this service is the lack of the necessary tools, which are simply unprofitable to purchase for a one-time repair. One of the indirect reasons is that repair companies, as a rule, try not to enter into contracts for minor household repairs. In the case of providing such services, their cost is quite high due to large organizational costs, that is, there are not many large players in this niche.
Firms within the framework of the “husband for an hour” service most often perform the following work:
- Connecting washing machines and other similar equipment;
- Assembly of furniture, including cabinets and computer tables;
- Installation and repair of plumbing;
- Hanging cornices and chandeliers;
- Installation and configuration of satellite antennas;
- Mortise locks;
- Electrical repairs, including laying electrical wires, repairing sockets and installing automatic machines;
- Other minor household repairs.
Business format
You can open the company “Husband for an Hour” either as an individual entrepreneur, or by registering a limited liability company for this purpose. As an individual entrepreneur, you can personally provide minor household repair services, but for this you must have the necessary skills. In the case of working with specially hired craftsmen, it is more advisable to register an LLC; in this case, you must have good organizational skills. Naturally, in the second case, you can ultimately count on greater profits compared to personal provision of services.
Premises and equipment
Taking into account the fact that the “husband for an hour” service is in demand specifically in residential areas, where husbands stay at work for a long time, you need to rent a room close to such houses. The total area of the room should be at least 40-50 square meters. m., on the territory of which it will be necessary to equip the following rooms:
- Reception;
- Stock;
- Staff premises.
When choosing a location, you need to focus on the availability and convenience of access roads, since it is often not very convenient for craftsmen to carry the entire set of tools in bags.
Each employee must purchase the following tools:
- drill;
- jigsaw;
- screwdriver;
- industrial dryer;
- milling cutter;
- perforator;
- Bulgarian;
- hammers;
- screwdrivers, pliers, etc.
The cost of a standard set of household tools will be 1.5-3 thousand dollars.
It is worth noting that it is necessary to purchase or order the development of workwear for workers. Overalls will allow craftsmen not to dirty their own clothes while traveling, and they can also play the role of good advertising, especially if there are any distinctive signs on it. The cost of workwear per employee will be about 1 thousand dollars.
Staff
The staffing table of a small company providing “husband for an hour” services should include the following positions:
- Dispatcher – 2 people;
- Master – 6 people;
- Accountant – 1 person;
- Supplier – 1 person;
- Storekeeper – 1 person.
Initially, the duties of a supplier and storekeeper can be performed by one person; the functions of an accountant can be entrusted to a third party. In the future, when the volume of orders increases, there will be a need for the constant presence of an accountant, as well as for the allocation of responsibilities to the supplier.
The wages of craftsmen should consist of two components: a minimum fixed salary in accordance with the legislation of the region and an allowance depending on the volume of orders completed.
Payment Features
Firms specializing in minor household repairs, due to the difficulty of forecasting some work, use flexible tariff systems, among which the following can be distinguished:
- Fixed rate - this rate is used when craftsmen are called, indicating exactly what service is required from them. As a rule, such services include very simple, easily predictable work, for example, inserting a lock or installing an outlet.
- Hourly rate - this rate is used in cases where the customer explains his requirements rather vaguely and at length, as well as in cases where light work entails additional problems through no fault of the master.
Separately, it is worth noting the need to set a tariff for a false call or a call not according to the profile. As a rule, the call rate is approximately one third of the cost of an hour of work. By the way, in the case of a false call to the technician during rush hours, it is advisable to assign a higher percentage, since in this case the travel time can be spent significantly more than during normal hours.
Costs and prospects
The volume of investment for organizing a company providing the “husband for an hour” service is approximately 36-50 thousand dollars:
- Repair of rented premises – 2-2.5 thousand dollars;
- Purchase of office equipment, furniture – 2.5–3 thousand dollars;
- Purchasing a uniform – $6 thousand;
- Purchase of sets of household tools – 9-18 thousand dollars;
- Purchase of two vehicles – 12-15 thousand dollars;
- Purchase of consumables – 3-4 thousand dollars;
- Advertising campaign – $1.5 thousand;
- Other – 1 thousand dollars.
Monthly expenses:
- Rent – 1.5 thousand dollars;
- Employee salaries – 10-12 thousand dollars;
- Transportation costs – 1 thousand dollars;
- Expenses for cellular communications – 0.5 thousand dollars;
- Advertising – 0.5-1 thousand dollars;
Total: 13.5-16 thousand dollars.
The cost of advertising in the media for this type of business is quite high and at the same time does not bring the best results. Promotion in this business is carried out mainly through word of mouth, however, it is necessary to create a website with a description of services and a price list, as well as periodically submit advertisements to thematic printed publications.
One of the prospects for the “husband for an hour” business is the development of the repair direction in the context of providing services for cosmetic and major types of repairs. Taking into account the fact that almost any housework can be included in the “husband for an hour” service format, to increase profits you can master related areas, in particular, setting up and repairing computers.
It is worth noting that in the first months of the company’s existence there will be few orders, so it is more advisable to initially hire only one or two craftsmen and, accordingly, purchase special clothing and tools for them; you can also purchase only one vehicle. Using these measures, you can achieve a reduction in monthly costs by 30-50%.
Business expansion should be undertaken immediately after developing a large customer base, otherwise the company will operate at a loss for a long time.
Self-development
