We were lucky to catch up with RJ Harris recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, RJ thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

The idea for the business kind of developed from 0-60 so to speak. My wife had just started into the world of Real Estate and we were prepared to be down to one income for a bit while she built her business. At the same time I was getting burn out at my last corporate job (something I swore I would never have) and trying to decide my next steps. I was looking for some extra side work to ease the transition of her moving into the Real Estate world and I had a friend needing a hand doing some build out on a restaurant he was starting. We are both very much the type that thinks we can figure it out ourselves with a little effort and investigation so I jumped in to help with the process. I grew up around two very handy grandfathers and my dad and step dad both being very capable around the house and helped with projects growing up. I had remodeled my own kitchen and bathroom as well. The more we got into the restaurant build out and seeing some of the project management side of things from my friends perspective and helping trouble shoot things that would come up the more it seemed like a career path I could lean into. After we finished his project I started doing odd jobs for friends and family in the evenings and weekends. As projects would get completed the scale of projects I was getting asked to do was growing into bathrooms and kitchen projects. Trying to re-do a bathroom or kitchen with limited time afterwork and on weekends is not the most efficient way to go about it and I knew people would get burnt out and frustrated with the timing of the projects if I tried to tackle those. I started talking with my wife about the thought of starting to take this more into a full time job so I could start taking advantage of these projects that were being asked of me. We discussed maybe transitioning over a 6 month period. Partly because I carried the health insurance and benefits and we both probably didn’t need to become self employed at the same time. So naturally I scheduled out work for the next 2 months and put in my two weeks notice almost immediately after our conversation. From there it was all on me to make it happen and I tend to do better when the pressure is on to make something happen. When you have a wife and small child the stakes are a little higher to make it work. The business model has evolved over time with demand and the needs of the network I have built my business from. Working with Realtors and receiving calls that started with “this job is probably too small for you but…” made me realize there was a lack of representation in the market for someone willing to do the small punch list or “handyman” projects but in a professional manner. A lot of what people would tell me is they had an older guy that did work for their parents than then they would use who had just aged out of the career and was no longer doing the work or they were just getting random numbers for the guy that did it on the side and may or may not show up. My goal then became to blend the “handyman” concept with that of a General Contractor. Handle business like a larger construction outfit but provide the service and communication that gives the customer the feeling of “having a guy” they can always call on and be the first to recommend. Finally Finished Contracting was born in 2019 and has been growing ever since.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is RJ Harris and I am 37yrs old. I have been married to my wife Laura for going on 13 years and we have two daughters. Maggie who is 7 and Josie who is 3. I grew up helping my Dad, Step Dad and Grandfathers with projects. Wether it was around the house or on automotive projects. The thought process of “If you want something done right you might as well do it yourself” was definitely heard throughout the house growing up. The progressed into me updating things around my own house. After working in small businesses growing up until my late 20’s and eventually landing at a desk job in the advertising world for 5 years I had had enough and decided to venture out on my own to start building my own business. Working with my hands was the complete opposite of working behind a computer and I was excited to move on to the next phase of life. Starting Finally Finished Contracting in 2019 started as doing small punch list jobs for clients and grew into kitchen and bath remodels. Over time I had more and more current and potential customers reaching out wondering if their project was too small for us and I realized there was a market there. The business is now built around being a General Contractor for home repair inspections in real estate transactions, property management for executive rentals and AirBnB units and general home repairs. What I love most about this model is the fast pace and the wide scope of work we get to complete. Every day is different. Our goal is to provide the personal touch to construction. Every client has my cell phone number. I have sponsored some local events along the way that I enjoy but for the most part everything has been built by referrals. I have never paid for a lead from marketing companies, etc. I think referrals is the best possible way to get business. I personal recommendation to someone vs seeing a business name pop up in an add is always going to be a better way to start a relationship with a potential client. There is a level of trust already established to build on. I have regular clients from the first year in business and they have know now to always call me first because if it is something we won’t handle I probably have someone I can send them to. Being their “go-to” person is always a good feeling.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

Referrals, referrals, referrals. Having someone personally refer you to a Client, family member or friend of theirs speaks volumes for the type of business you are running and the quality of your work. I was very fortunate starting out to have a large network of friends and family that trusted I could handle their needs. As I started growing my portfolio with the types of jobs I was tackling the more referrals I would get. Starting out I had calls almost weekly from lead generation companies wanting me to sign up. Some were down right aggressive when I wouldn’t sign up and couldn’t understand how my business was growing so quickly just on referrals. I always kept the idea of signing up in my back pocket for the first slow season incase I needed to farm for more business but luckily my network grew and the slow season never hit to a point where I would need to pay for leads. Focusing they types of jobs we do to helping with repair requests on real estate transactions has been a great source for growing our clientele. The pool of Realtors that we work with opens us up to their client base as well. After doing repairs on the home they are selling and building that relationship it turns into work on the new home they purchased. That turns into a long relationship helping maintain the home from there on out. Once that relationship is established it turns into their friends and family as a new client pool and it snowballs from there.

Can you talk to us about how your funded your business?

Starting the “Handy Man” business was a relatively cheap endeavor when it comes to starting a business I feel. Already having a truck and decent amount of tools from working around my house on my own remodel projects was a big help in reducing start up cost. That and not needing a store front were huge cost savers. We had recently taken out a small loan when we refinanced to take care of some projects around the house and I took a portion of that to purchase some more specialty tools that I did not have yet. From there it was a matter of using what I had and when a certain job would come along that required a tool I didn’t have I would look at it from a couple directions. I could rent for a certain amount and be done or I could purchase for more and have the tool for future jobs. If it was a job I felt I would do or want to do more of I would typically buy it. Spend money to make money as they say. Buying a tool for x amount knowing I could use it for a job that paid y would typically be an easy justification for me. Now 5 years in we rent a 3,500 sqft, have two full time guys in their own Sprinter vans loaded with tools. When it comes to big investments like a van with tools it was a matter of waiting for one van to be paid off before purchasing the next and then knowing having another person running that van full time would help pay it off. Again only spending money on things that can produce more revenue for the business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.finallyfinsihedcontracting.com
• Instagram: @finallyfinishedcontracting
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/finallyfinishedcontracting

Image Credits

Jake Zaepfel Photos, Laura Chism Photos