Driving Business - Driving Success How an Old-School Handyman Used an App to Repair His Business Hey Ray Handyman (logo) This story appears in the April 2015 issue of Entrepreneur. Handyman Ramon “Ray” Gonzales III admits he was living up to his profession’s negative reputation: archaic business practices and scattershot reliability. Six months after launching Hey Ray Handyman in Nashville, Tenn., he was falling behind on trafficking and tracking invoices and estimates, communicating with clients and collecting payments. And he was showing up late for appointments. His makeshift mobile office—consisting of a dog-eared appointment calendar and loose-leaf notebook—wasn’t cutting it. “The way I was running my business was really old-fashioned, and I was losing a lot because of it,” Gonzales says. The fixSearching for a mobile app that could help, Gonzales discovered Breezeworks, an iOS and Android micro-business organizing program. For a monthly fee of $20, the app helps mobile solopreneurs, small-business operators and franchisees (up to 20 users) manage scheduling, appointments, client and internal communications, invoicing, payment processing and bid and job status.

In other words, it puts the stuff that all service professionals—from plumbers to photographers to landscapers—see as necessary evils into the one tool that never leaves their side: their phone. business for sale tonbridge kentThe resultsGonzales knew he was onto something good when he received an alert from Breezeworks telling him he needed to be at a job in 45 minutes, and that given current traffic conditions it would take him 32 minutes to get there. business for sale uk rta“I arrived 10 minutes early, and the guy told me, ‘You’re my handyman from now on,’” he recalls.handyman mobile al water streetAdmittedly tech-challenged, Gonzales says it took him less than an hour to get up and running on Breezeworks, and only a few days to get comfortable using the program. business for sale cagayan de oro philippines

“It has saved me a lot of stress with handling appointments alone,” he says. “It has literally saved me hours, even days, of work a week with my receipts, my invoicing and my books. handyman services in lake county ilIt keeps me organized and gives a professional front to my brand that I think really sets me apart from the competition.” business for sale otsego county nyA second opinionWith its ability to coordinate, automate and track essential business functions and customer touchpoints in a timely, professional fashion, all via smartphone, a mobile platform like Breezeworks provides an immediate competitive advantage in fields that are “always way behind the [technology] curve,” says Paul Sanneman, founder of Dream Business Coaching in Novato, Calif. Sanneman, who consults with construction contractors as well as other service professionals

, believes the hardest part about Breezeworks is getting the tech-averse to change their behavior and actually use it. “If you’re in an industry that’s slow to adopt technology,” he says, “you can leap ahead of the competition for very little money, just by being an early adopter.” This ad will close in seconds... All of our pros are: About Captains Handyman service Captains Handyman service Reviews Captains Handyman service, Lasvegas All services from this provider Move-In or Move-Out Cleaning - 2 bedrooms (est. 5-6 working hours) Tax Calculators & Tips / Tax Tips for Handymen and Odd Jobs If you work as a handyman or do odd jobs around town for money, you are operating a business in the eyes of the IRS. Since you own your own business, you're likely a self-employed sole proprietor. This means you'll have lots of potential tax deductions to investigate. When you work for yourself, you file the regular Form 1040 as a self-employed person.

However, instead of reporting your income on line 7 as wages, salary or tips, you report it as business income on line 12. But you don't report the total sum of all income you receive from your handyman business. First use Schedule C to calculate your net income after taking all appropriate business deductions. Handyman Business Deductions on Schedule C or C-EZ If you pay for something that helps you earn income from your handyman business or odd-job work, you may be able to deduct it as a business expense. Examples of allowable business deductions include: Business use of your car — either actual expenses or the standard mileage rate deduction of 54 cents a mile in 2016 Equipment, furniture and supplies you use in your business Home office expenses if you use part of your house exclusively for your business Telephone and Internet — 100% if you use these services only for business, otherwise a proportionate amount Training costs related to being a handyman

Careful Record-Keeping Is Essential Do yourself a favor and keep careful records of handyman income and expenses from the beginning. This makes preparing your tax returns easier and smoother. Even if you don't work full time at odd jobs, you can make record keeping easier by: Maintaining separate bank accounts for your handyman business Applying for new credit cards used only for your business Storing all receipts and invoices in organized files Keeping precise mileage logs reflecting odometer readings by job name Self-Employment Taxes and Estimated Payments for Handyman and Odd-Job Income As a self-employed handyman, you must pay self-employment tax on your net profit. This tax — currently set at 15.3% — includes amounts to fund Social Security and Medicare. Complete and attach Schedule SE, Self-Employment Tax to your Form 1040 to calculate the amount of self-employment tax you owe. You'll also might need to file quarterly estimated tax payments during the year.