Today we’d like to introduce you to Steven Moore
Hi Steven, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My story really kicked off in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic, but actually originates back to 2016 when I purchased a foreclosed home in Webster Groves to live in. I had recently moved back to the St. Louis area from a brief stay in Indiana and accepted a full-time Firefighter/EMT job. I was looking for a house to purchase but knew I did not want to live paycheck to paycheck or just scraping by because of making a big mortgage payment each month. After looking at literally hundreds of houses over the course of a year, one finally came up in Webster Grove in my budget, but it was a foreclosed home that nobody lived in for over nine years. I bought the house with no idea how to work on a home and had one of those twenty-dollar all-in-one tool kits. Fortunately, with my new job and the schedule we work (48 hours on-shift and 96 hours off-shift), it allowed me to work four days in a row on the house. With the help and guidance of friends, colleagues, and YouTube, I was able to get the house complete and move-in ready in less than four months.
Now the house is complete, and I have a lot more free time. Word got out that I had the time and skills to work on projects around the house. Everything started out slow with my first “real client” with interior wall painting, painting window trim, and miscellaneous work. Then she told her neighbor who was getting ready to put her house on the market; and now I’ve got two clients. I was not investing a lot of time and all of the jobs were fairly small.
Fast forward to 2020 when COVID arrives, and everybody is at home pretty much full-time. Apparently, everybody is noticing work needing done around their house. I see postings on the NextDoor app, Facebook Community Connect pages, and other various handyman apps. I started putting my name out there receiving multiple jobs a week. One of my clients suggested making a Facebook Page. I was a little hesitant at first because I wasn’t sure how many jobs I really wanted or how much time I wanted to invest. I decided to make a Facebook and Instagram page however I needed a name for myself. With the help of a family friend, it was decided … First Responder Handyman … playing off me being a firefighter. I started posting pictures of jobs, I am getting “likes” and positive feedback, clients are recommending me, people are calling me, and now all of a sudden, this part-time job has become a full-time side job.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Is there ever a smooth road when starting your own business? HA, absolutely not! Having a handyman business was never the intent. Looking back, I would not have referred to myself as the “I know a guy that can help you” and was more of a hobby. With the amount of work out there and shortage of quality workers, this hobby turned into a business.
With that being said, at this stage of my business, my bigger hurdles are running the business successfully, making sure clients are happy and satisfied with the work, and consistently keeping the calendar full. I suppose if I had to pinpoint the biggest struggle, it would be balancing home life and work life. As an entrepreneur, I have a hard time saying “no” to anybody. If I say “no”, they might not call me back for another job or they might not refer me to their friends. It’s not always easy to balance both schedules. I never want to turn any clients away, so for me it’s being honest with them. I explain to clients the timeline that I am on, so I am not over promising and under delivering. I make sure clients understand I’m also human and have a family life outside of business life. Having a successful business is great, but you also need your home-life support system.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My handyman services specialize mostly with the upkeep and maintenance of a clients’ house, apartment, condo, or even business. Most of my clients just need a few things done around the home and take just a few hours. I have learned it is very hard for people to find someone willing to come over for just a few hours to knock out a “honey-do-list” versus taking large, contracted jobs. However, I have repeat clients that come up with a list every month and I will gladly spend an entire day with them.
Some examples of the more common jobs I complete include … Changing out or upgrading light fixtures, ceiling fans, outdoor light fixtures and outlets. Installing bathroom sinks, vanities, faucets, toilets and light fixtures. Installing LVP/LVT flooring, baseboard and trim. Interior painting of walls, ceilings and trim, along with concrete wall waterproof painting, concrete basement floors, and basement stairs. Installing new kitchen countertops, sinks, garbage disposals, dishwashers and backsplash. However, I am not limited to just those bigger items. I have clients wanting furniture assembled or items hung on their walls such as curtain rods, artwork and mirrors. Refinishing, power washing, staining, and painting of porches and decks is also on the list. Sometimes it is as simple as installing a few smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors.
Communicating, dependable and reasonable priced is what sets me aside from others. The biggest complaint I hear from my clients is that it is hard to get someone to call them back or even show up. More than not, a client will thank me for just calling them back and committing to a time and date. There are times I have to schedule a client several weeks or even a month out and they are happy to do it simply because I returned their phone call. I also know my limitations and realize that I cannot do every job especially since most of the work is done by myself. I am honest with my client,s and they know this, but luckily in this industry, I have met several other contractors and handy “people” (men and women) that I will be glad to recommend.
My goal is to make every client happy and feel good about trusting me to come into their house. I enjoy turning a house into a home with a few simple upgrades that did not cost them a fortune.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
On one hand, starting a handyman business was sort of easy but also had several challenges and risks. The biggest risk is selling yourself. Do I have what it takes? Am I going to be successful? Am I wasting my time? Will I do a good job? What if someone does not like the work I completed? What if I get a bad review? The “what ifs” can be endless. The nice thing about my business starting off as a hobby is that I had time to build the confidence and skills over time before actually starting the business. I had roughly four-ish years to build up my skill set at a much lower price and figure out what I wanted to specialize in. Once I turned my hobby into First Responder Handyman, my name was already out there, and I had a client list already who were referring me. Plus, with the help of Facebook and Instagram, the social media platform has increased my business success beyond my expectations.
As far as a perspective of risk and my opinion. Pick a quote or phrase. “If you don’t take a chance, how will you ever know.” “In the end, the only regret the chances we didn’t take.” “The biggest risk a person can take is to do nothing.” They can go on forever. Literally, you won’t know unless you try. Why not take that chance? If you are starting from nothing (a brand-new business), then you have nothing to lose. Even if it doesn’t work out, you can still say you tried and gave it your all.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/firstresponderhandyman
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/firstresponderhandyman
- Other: Email: frhllc20@gmail.com
