How to Be a Good Handyman

Sooner or later, a homeowner will call you because something has stopped working. It might be a leaking faucet, a sticking door, or a dead outlet. Behind every call is a person who is worried, a little embarrassed, and about to let a stranger into their home. Being a good handyman starts with understanding what you are really being trusted with.

Skill matters, but it is only half of the job. The handymen who stay busy for decades are the ones people trust, and trust is built from small, ordinary habits. Each time you walk through a customer's front door, you are showing them what kind of person you are.

The following are some tips to help you earn that trust, complete the work correctly the first time, and build a reputation that travels by word of mouth.

1. Know your skills and your limits. Be honest about what you can do well. Would you take on electrical work you are not qualified for because the customer already has you in the house? Of course not. When a job is beyond you, refer it to a specialist. Customers remember that honesty far longer than they remember a quick fee.
2. Build your reputation on results. Do work you would be proud to put your name on, and ask satisfied customers for recommendations. Good word of mouth and good online reviews will do more for your business than any advertisement, so respond to every review with courtesy.
3. Return calls promptly. A quick, friendly reply tells the customer you are reliable before you have picked up a single tool.
4. Listen first, then explain. Make sure you understand what the customer needs, describe the problem and the fix in plain language, and put your estimate in writing so there are no surprises later.
5. Carry the proper license(s) and insurance. Being licensed and insured protects you and your customers, and it shows that you take the work seriously, even if it means your price is a bit higher.

1. Agree on the scope of work in writing. Spell out what is included, the materials, the timeline, and the payment schedule. Say clearly whether the work is guaranteed and whether it carries a warranty. A scope that you and the customer both understand prevents most disagreements before they start, and a schedule that fits the customer's needs makes you easier to hire again.

1. Be careful about asking for money up front. If you ask for more than 10% before starting the job, the customer will wonder how much capital you have at your disposal. Plan your finances so you can buy materials and begin the work without leaning on the customer.
2. Once the project is started, invoice in increments based on completed work. Invite the customer to examine the finished job, and do not ask for the final payment until they are totally satisfied. Clean up after yourself, and fix anything that is not right.

Don’t rely on your word alone to win OUTRAGEOUS work. Show up when you said you would, do what you said you would do, and let the quality of your work speak for you. Remember, a good handyman earns every customer's trust one job at a time.

UNCOVERY

1.

Contemplation
Bang
a singularity
miracle of miracles
and 'you' exist.
A part of the expansion
a part of Heaven
from the Greek word Ouranos
a bang into an expansion.
You, here, now,
reading, listening
interpreting
thinking
feeling
imagining the unimaginable
that singularity then
your individuality now.
Alone among billions
each an earthbound star
eyes reflecting light
ears encompassing sound
voices expressing feeling
minds considering consciousness.
Extending
further and further
always
changing
this solitary eternal moment
of your existence.
Imagine
imagine
you existing
as stardust then
in human form now
with mindfulness
observing you.
Consider the purpose
(or even the non-purpose)
for we were born to contemplate this
at the moment of the singularity
to contemplate this
to come to know
what the Gatekeeper wants us to know.

11

Light
Atomic signals
light shining upon us
in us
through us
interpreting truth.
Kingdoms of OZ overthrown by Artificial Intelligence
DNA and death out of the closet
the grim reaper is worried
The homage is the homage to science.
Microscope and telescope the magic wands
the scientist is the prophet of our time
of this there is no doubt
and the Gatekeeper wants us to know
The Gatekeeper wants us to enter by this way.
Follow, follow, follow
along the way of imagining
not by discovery
but by uncovery
as the artichoke leaves uncover the heart
a simple finding of what is already there.
As like E=MC squared was always there
waiting, for big Al, the Man,
to uncover it for us to know
to uncover what already exists
so that we may marvel at the knowing.
Hubble vision is the contact lens
the micro is the macro on a computer screen
through all frequency time machines
and always in the becoming
the showing of miracles on a routine basis.
Yes, the miracle has become the mundane
(for this we could be found guilty)
losing it all in the taking for granted
the way a lover loses his beloved
by taking her for granted.
The Light is the Rosetta Stone
the Light holds the wisdom of what we uncover
the Light is the way of deciphering the mystery
as Angels cradle galaxies in their hands
and the Gatekeeper smiles upon their creations.

111

Destiny
This very moment
on a sunny ocean beach
in anticipation of expectant release
a child holds sand in a tiny hand.
Another moment
somnus black potentiality
pregnantly awaiting its singularity
like the wombed infant
remaining ready to go forth.
Bang!
destiny unfolds
a tiny hand and singularity respond
all flowing outward
ready to accomplish
its preordained place
(Its work)
of filling time and space.
Galaxies, stars, planets, earth,
you, I, and they,
this very moment decreed
for science tells us of the physicality.
Each grain to land
preordained
each planet meant to be
billions meant to breathe
at the moment of the singularity.
The Angels are smiling upon us.
The Gatekeeper wants us to enter by this way.