Turning a Friendship Into a Flourishing Business
Sometimes, the best business ideas start with helping a friend. That’s how Jason Call, founder of Handyman Marketing Pros, got started.
After leaving his job in banking and finance, Jason helped a friend, fellow home service entrepreneur Allen Lee (Honest Lee’s Handyman and interviewed in Episode 17), build a basic website for his handyman business. The results were immediate: Allen started ranking on Google, building reviews, and growing fast.
That success inspired Jason to narrow his focus and create a marketing agency just for handyman businesses.
“In helping him get like a basic website, Google presence set up, and then seeing the immediate impact of getting a website, getting on Google, getting five-star reviews, him doing his normal business owner marketing, he was flourishing in his business and he was hiring somebody pretty quickly. And so the light bulb went off in my head of, you know, I should just help handyman businesses.”
Since 2017, Handyman Marketing Pros has helped over 1,000 home service businesses boost revenue, increase lead flow, and build credibility online.
Why Handyman Marketing Matters More Than Ever
You might think a busy handyman doesn’t need marketing. But Jason says a strong handyman marketing strategy can help every business, whether you’re booked out or just getting started.
“I will say even to that segment, a website, Google profile, online reviews… it’s gonna build reputation. And the more reputation you have, the higher pricing you can charge as well.”
He adds that even the busiest handymen should build the fundamentals:
- A great website that communicates who you are, what you do, and where you serve.
- A verified Google Business Profile with steady 5-star reviews.
- Other online profiles like Facebook, Yelp, and Nextdoor.
“It is kind of like the online version of word of mouth. And when you have these fundamentals in play, anyone that’s rocking on word of mouth only—it can be a rollercoaster. So my encouragement for anyone out there that’s like, ‘Oh, I’m so busy, I don’t do any marketing,’ is get the basics together because it’s gonna lift that base floor of lead flow.”
How to Get Those First 10 Five-Star Reviews
If you’re just starting your handyman business, Jason recommends keeping it simple.
“Initially start with friends, family, neighbors—anyone that can testify to your work or your character. Don’t overthink it and think you’ve got to reach out to somebody who you love their project and they love you. Start with your own network.”
When asking for reviews, Jason says the key is to keep it personal:
“We advise our clients to ask it like it’s a favor, because let’s be honest—it’s a favor. You don’t have to take the time to take two minutes to write a review. So I recommend framing it as, ‘Hey, will you do me a huge favor and leave us a Google review? It truly helps our business and builds our reputation.’”
He also reminds listeners that feeling awkward at first is normal:
“You should not feel weird. You will feel weird because business is uncomfortable getting started. You have to kind of get used to this discomfort, and then it ultimately becomes comfortable… You are underestimating how much people want to support you.”
A verified Google Business Profile and a steady stream of reviews are some of the most powerful handyman marketing tools you can build for free.
What Makes a Website Rank and Convert
Plenty of handymen have DIY websites, but Jason explains why a professional site can take things to the next level.
“A professional website is gonna have a very positive ROI over time because a good web presence, from website, SEO, Google presence—it’s an asset that your business owns. And assets grow in value over time. Good assets grow in value over time, I should say.”
He also cautions new business owners not to get stuck spending hours perfecting a site on their own:
“Do not spend dozens of hours building your own website. Your time is way better spent doing sales-generating activities like networking, like local Facebook community groups, cold outreach to realtors, property managers, any referral relationships you can be creating.”
When it’s time to invest, Jason says, a well-built website can become your most powerful salesperson.
“Most notably, you’re gonna have a website that acts as a great sales tool that is maximizing the value of your marketing efforts. It is getting more juice from the squeeze.”
Introducing Handyman Champion CRM
Jason didn’t stop at marketing. Along with his friend and past podcast guest Allen Lee, he co-founded Handyman Champion CRM, a business management tool designed specifically for handyman professionals.
“We want to equip the handyman industry with a CRM that is made for them—that is the absolute best for a handyman business… Other popular softwares are made for everybody, and when something is made for everybody, in some ways it’s not made for anybody at all.”
The CRM focuses on doing the basics extremely well: estimates, invoicing, scheduling, and review requests. Jason and his team are actively developing new tools too.
“The biggest value I think of that… is that we are actively developing and building this and actually listening to feedback. Like, you know, every company says, ‘Oh, we listen to your feedback,’ but we are like in the trenches getting feedback from our clients, sending that to our amazing development team, and enacting all these changes and improvements.”
You can try it free for 30 days at handymanchampion.com.
Helping Handymen Build the Future
At the end of the day, Jason’s mission is to elevate the handyman industry as a whole, helping small, family-owned businesses gain the respect and recognition they deserve.
“We want the handyman industry to be just as respected as any other trade—electricians, plumbers, HVAC, remodeling contractors. Handyman has historically kind of been a disreputable kind of thing, like not as serious… We want to uplift the handyman industry for it to flourish and be just as respected.”
Whether you’re a one-person operation or a growing team, Jason’s advice is simple:
Get your online presence in order, ask for reviews, and treat your website like the valuable business asset it is.
Listen to the Full Episode
Learn how Handyman Marketing Pros helps home service businesses grow, and explore Handyman Champion CRM — built to simplify life for busy handymen.
🔗 Connect with Jason Call
📺 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@handymanmarketingpros
🌐 Website: https://handymanmarketingpros.com/
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/handymanmarketingpros
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handymanmarketingpros/
🌐 Handyman Champion Website: https://handymanchampion.com/
