Buying a handyman business?

Buy a shop with customers, then build it your way

A small owner-run handyman shop often sells for about 1.7x to 2.6x what it earns the owner, with customers and cash flow on day one and no royalty. The risk is everything that lives in the seller's head.

  • 20-point due diligence checklist: money, customers, team, licenses, financing
  • What to check before the seller's customers walk out with the seller
  • Then a 100-day plan to put systems in

Get the buy-a-shop checklist

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The numbers
1.7x to 2.6x

Typical earnings multiple for small service businesses (BizBuySell 2021 to 2025 median about 2.38x).

10%

Minimum equity injection on an SBA 7(a) acquisition loan (SOP 50 10 8).

$0

Royalty on a business you buy outright. Compare a franchise at 8% to 9% of sales.

Sources: BizBuySell service-business valuation benchmarks; BizQuest handyman listings (Oct 2026); SBA SOP 50 10 8. Not investment or legal advice. Use a broker, CPA and attorney.

How it works
1

Check the deal

Use the checklist with your broker and CPA.

2

Close and keep the customers

Transfer the phone number, Google profile, website and customer list.

3

Install the systems

SOPs, pricing, scorecard and numbers in the first 100 days, with Tim's playbook.

Who is behind this
Tim Leary, founder of Handy's

"A drywall patch is a drywall patch no matter who completes it... it's the whole experience that comes along with it that we're trying to really sell."Tim Leary, on why Handy's charges for the experience

Tim Leary runs Handy's, a handyman company in Salt Lake County with W-2 technicians, estimators and an office team. Handy's University packages the systems they use. Read Tim's story.

Avg ticket~$1,900Most handyman shops are under $1,000, Tim says, because they quote by the hour over the phone.
Close rate42%Estimates won, year to date, with most presented on site.
Customers~4,000Households served in about two and a half years.
Revenue$1M+A year, as reported by Tim. Built with W-2 techs and an office team.

Tim Leary's own numbers for Handy's (Salt Lake County, Utah), self-reported on a recorded call in October 2026 and on his Skool profile. Not audited. They describe one business, are not typical, and are not a promise of what you will earn.

Questions
Is this a franchise?

No. You keep your own business name and brand, set your own prices and marketing, and owe no royalties. Membership is month to month.

Do I need a license?

It depends on your state, your job sizes and whether you have employees. See the license quick map and verify with your state.

Will I make what Handy's makes?

We can't promise that and we don't. Tim's numbers are his own business's results. What we do promise is the deliverables: the templates, the calls and the tools in your package.

Handy's University is training and optional services, not a franchise or business opportunity. Results vary. Disclaimer.