An Indianapolis Handyman Who Went From $200 Days to $500 Days

The Story

Kevin B. is a solo handyman in Indianapolis. Drywall repair, door installs, deck staining, gutter cleaning — he does a little of everything. For three years, he charged $200 per day, flat rate, no matter the job.

"A buddy told me I was insane. He said '$200 a day? You're pricing yourself like a teenager with a lawnmower, not a licensed handyman.' But I didn't know what to charge because I never tracked anything."

Kevin started logging every job in JobsPaid — time spent, materials purchased, travel distance. After one month of data, the numbers told a brutal story.

"I was averaging 2.5 hours of actual work per $200 day — because the rest was driving, going to Home Depot, and setting up. My effective rate was about $80 per hour of work, but I was spending it on overhead nobody was paying for."

Kevin restructured his pricing: $85/hour with a 2-hour minimum, plus materials at cost plus 15%. His daily revenue nearly tripled.

"My first week at new pricing, I made $2,400. My best week at $200/day was $1,000. That's the same five days, the same work, just priced correctly."

Kevin says the hardest part wasn't the math — it was the confidence.

"You need data to have confidence. When I could show a customer exactly why a 3-hour job costs $255 plus $45 in materials, they respected it. I had the receipts. Literally."