Start a handyman referral business while you keep your day job

You do not manage the day-to-day of this business; Actionist does. Here is how it works applied to a handyman referral network: you pick it and set your limits, the agent plans every task, then works through them and brings you the few that need a person.

1. 01

   You pick the business and your limits

   You choose the trades you want to cover, the area you will serve and the referral fee you will charge. Set a limit on how many jobs to handle a week. That is the only heavy thinking you do. Everything after this, Actionist plans and runs.

   →A clear brief Actionist can plan against.
2. 02

   Actionist maps every task and subtask

   Actionist breaks the business into a plan: the stages to launch, the tasks under each, and the subtasks under each task. You see the full scope in one place, from building your first pro roster to collecting your first referral fee.

   →A complete task plan for the business.
3. 03

   It schedules the work and runs through it

   Actionist schedules the tasks and works through them in the background, so progress continues while you are at your job. It sets up the intake form, recruits your first pros and lines up the first job requests without you driving it.

   
   →Steady progress without you doing the driving.
4. 04

   It assigns you the human-only tasks

   Some tasks only a person can do: vetting your first pro face to face, signing the referral agreement, or taking a homeowner call when a job goes wrong. Actionist assigns those to you, with everything you need, then carries on with the rest.

   →A short, clear to-do list, just for you.
5. 05

   It asks before anything that matters

   Before Actionist sends a recruitment message, matches a pro to a new homeowner or raises a referral fee invoice, it stops and asks you to approve. You choose how hands-on to be per task, from approving every match to letting routine jobs run.

   →You stay in control of every client-facing move.
6. 06

   You keep your day job and check in

   You run this around your job. Check the board when it suits you, approve what is waiting, and message Actionist over Telegram or Slack to nudge or change anything. The jobs keep moving between your check-ins.

   →A business that grows around your schedule.

This is the plan Actionist builds to launch and run the referral network: every stage, task and subtask. The work is split across your Actionist agents, from recruiting the first pros to collecting the first fees. Only a few tasks and approvals are left to you.

An example plan Actionist builds for this business. Yours adapts to your area, your trades and your pace.

Here is what a week actually looks like once the network is running. Your agents take the requests, match the pros and track the jobs every day. You step in for a handful of moments, the ones worth your judgment, and the rest of your week stays yours.

This is your referral network and your reputation. Actionist asks before it matches a pro to a new homeowner, before it sends a fee invoice and before any message goes to someone you have not dealt with before.