Hi everyone.
For the last three years I have been running a pretty spotty handyman business without putting a ton of effort into it. It’s not for a lack of product knowledge or craftsmanship but more for random family events that have come up and more importantly, my general withdrawal from wanting to do even the basics of customer service, like calling people back. I’m an introvert and then some when it comes to customer relations and having to call someone back is a mental hurdle that obviously sours people. To date I’ve managed to stay on top of bills and lead a pretty decent life but I absolutely know I’ve got it in me to thrive in the home improvement sector and am now making my last go-of-it with this rebrand.
When I am “on” with customers I gain trust quickly and am very well spoken and presentable and do a fantastic job for what I’m hired to do, my problem (as I see it) is maintaining that professionalism all of the time with every customer. I’ve successfully owned two businesses in the past. I sold one and the other I gave to my ex-wife via the judge. When I was younger I was hugely enthusiastic and did whatever it took to be successful and now I feel worn and old (46) and better suited as a manager type that ensures a job gets done properly rather than being the one doing the job.
My website building skills are good. My marketing is above average. I do not have any dependencies like alcohol or drugs or gambling.
I am awaiting approval for the rebranded LLC that I’ll be moving forward with and at that point will cease the existing handyman business. The new business idea is to be larger than “just a handyman” and include things like shed conversions and restorations while still doing some handyman work. It will also allow me to start (mostly) new and hopefully kickstart the old feelings of dominating the market I’m in.
My question for the community is fairly broad and pretty much boils down to me asking for any advice you may have to offer. This is my last ditch effort for staying my own boss and I don’t want to mess it up.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be monitoring this throughout the weekend.
A few things.
It sounds like your idea, skills, and ability to execute are spot on. I don’t see an issue with rebranding as you describe.
I would be really surprised if you don’t have adult ADHD inattentive or combined type. If you haven’t thought about it, spend a morning researching it and learn to work with how your brain works. If you want medication, in the US, you would have to get a formal diagnosis.
We are a similar age and most of us get a metabolic/energy breakdown at middle age. IMHO this is especially problematic for people who have genetic ADHD as it seems to require a lot of energy for our brains and bodies to work properly. Personally I went on a low carb/keto/carnivore way of eating, and it has transformed my life and now the ADHD feels less like a disability and more like a superpower and my physical energy and strength is 100% better too.
I have had tons of business ideas through the years, and even in retrospect, none of them were unworkable or bad. My problem in making them work is always getting into a place in life and state of mind where I can focus and see it through.
Ha! On October 27th I watched a quick Facebook video about how someone realized they most likely had ADHD. The way the video was made was humorous and I chuckled until I realized that those symptoms are 100% spot on with how life is now, that was my “ahh crap” moment. I have done a deep-dive into it and have already gotten passed the “what if’s” phase of the process. I’m procrastinating with a doctors diagnosis.
And I appreciate your diet suggestion. My diet is extremely healthy with very little sugar (damn tea) and I think that helps limit things, but I haven’t ventured into the low carb/carnivore diet yet, so that’s something I’ll look into this weekend. Thank you
Yeah it was my daughter who filled me in on my ADHD. I haven’t sought out a formal diagnosis since I don’t wish to seek treatment. Even though I have very definite symptoms, I was a good student and atypical in certain ways that let It go undetected.
When I started carnivore I gained a lot of mental clarity but the ADHD didn’t actually feel better since having a faster and better brain doesn’t always equal a more organized brain. About the 6 month mark it all started to even out and feels more like a superpower than a disability now. Currently I’m at 8+ months carnivore/ketovore.
Even though our paths have been different your story sounded so much like mine…