I WANT TO START MY OWN HANDY MAN BUSINESS.?

II WANT TO START THE BUSINESS WITH MY FATHER BUT I WANT TO KNOW WHAT COLLEGE COURSE I SHOULD TAKE TO GET ME STARTED AND WHAT I WOULD NEED TO DO TO START THE BUSINESS? I HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT I WANT (HANDYMAN) BUT I JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO START.

You don't need a college degree to become a handyman. Just practice some basic carpentry skills such as painting, drywall, basic electrical, how to replace a water heater, dryer, washing machine, dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, etc. Basically you just need to know how to fix the many basic problems people have with their homes. Then make some business cards and go door to door to make people aware of the service you provide. Run ads on craigslist and in the phone book so people can find you when they need you. Set your rate and you're good to go.

Make sure to keep track of all of your income and expenses because you will be responsible for reporting your business income on your taxes. Make sure you keep a copy of any expense receipts you have - scan them into your computer and date them if possible. The IRS will want you to show that you have real business expenses if you write them off of your taxable income.

It also really helps to have a separate bank account for all of your business deposits and expenses. Just walk into any bank and tell them you are starting a business and need a separate business checking account. This keeps things much more organized.

As a formality you can file a "doing business as" (aka "DBA") name with your local county courthouse if you want to have a business name that is different from your own legal name. This is extremely easy and cheap. Once you have a DBA name you can open any business accounts under this fictitious name and people can write checks out to the name of your business (kind of cool).

That's it! Good luck in your entrepreneurial endeavors :)

Source(s):

Small business owner for 10+ years. Own 2 LLC's and have 3 DBA names for various businesses.