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Rating: 
Summary: Full of Useful Imformation
Review: A thoroughly entertaining book. Helpful reading for the hapless homeowner as well as the would-be handy-person, far more understandable than the more technical and impersonal expositions of the how-to genre. Lots of useful tips and personal anecdotes on how to get jobs done. The simple hand drawings are great for understanding and selecting tools.
Rating: 
Summary: Serves me right for not reading reviews first!
Review: Anyone who is starting a handyman business and doesn't already know the elementary information provided in this book is NOT smart enough to own and operate their own business.
There is a much better book out there geared towards contractors, but the information is much more useful. This book is a waste of money.
Rating: 
Summary: Big Hat, No Cattle
Review: I always liked to work with my hands, Now I know how to EARN MONEY using those skills. This book features excellent ideas for many aspects of a handyman's business.
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Summary: handy for homeowner too
Review: I find this delightful and entertaining book indispensable for the homeowner too. Particularly helpful in putting together a homeowners' toolkit.
Rating:
Summary: pipe dream
Review: If you think you are going to run a contracting business with no overhead forget it.Go ahead and try and find jobs without advertising.Hmm why without advertising.Because if you try and advertise ,and don't have a contractors license and liability insurance.All those people who do have them and pay thousands a year for the privilege will be turning you in so fast your nail gun will spin.Unless you live in the Boonies ,most Counties and Towns require rafts of paper work and other license, before you can pull a nail in someone's home.The days of Gommer the fixit man are over because we live in such a litigious society,liability insurance is a must and it costs thousands.There is really no way to start a contracting business on the cheap and run it in a professional manner.this seems to be the case with most of these start your own contracting or repair business books out there.They forget about or gloss over the whole liability issue, like it's no big deal.You damage someone's home or property and you will see what a big deal it becomes.I am not a contractor ,I have a small 3 bay auto repair shop , and my liability runs almost 20 thousand a year.That's quite a big bite for a guy just starting out.Even if you stay away from large jobs,say a customer wants you to install a new window ,in most towns that would require a contractors license,check it out well before you just jump in.It takes a lot more then just the tools and the knowledge of how to use them to run a home improvement business.
Rating:
Summary: Not as advertised!
Review: Not very informative for anybody that has any handyman skills to begin with. Would be ok for somebody that has no skills whatsoever. Has nothing to do with "Starting and Running a Successful Business". I might give it to my kids because that is all it is really is good for. Very disappointed!
Rating:
Summary: pretty lame
Review: This book I thought was dumbed down to the point of sad. All the info in it was, and should be, known by anyone remotely knowledgable about houses and handyman type work. It seems to have been written for the high school drop-out needing a direction. I would not recommend unless that person was completly clueless.
Rating:
Summary: Big Hat, No Cattle
Review: This book is weak. It's billed as "The complete Guide to Starting and Running a Successful Business". Actually, there's not much info on starting or running a business.Most of the book is filled with lists of different categories of tools and hardware and their descriptions. Pages 43 to 171 out of 253 (chapters 7 thru 39) of the book just list different tools and harware with descriptions. I'm thinking of starting a handman business. I'm most concerned with the business side of things - i.e. how to estimate costs so that I don't lose money on jobs or leave money on the table. What kind of insurance I need. Where to find customers. What records I need to keep... The info in this book on the business end of things is woefully inadequate. The author devotes a whopping three pages to "how much to charge" - chapter 42. The first of two paragraphs on 'fixed price' jobs starts out "You look at a job and try to guess how long it will take.", and goes downhill from there in my opinion. HELLO!!! There are estimating manuals for handymen that have accurate costs for virtually any job. He devotes a whopping two pages to "record keeping and finances". Maybe 30 pages of 253 address issues related to "starting and running a handyman business". You could bump that number up closer to 40 if you want to include chapter 53 - "Clothing for the Handyman" and chapter 54 - "Food and Excersize". On the plus side, I do like his suggestion for cleaning paint roller covers. I'll use that idea.
Rating: 
Summary: Retired Handyman
Review: This is an excellent book for anyone interested in starting a new career.
Has lots of helpful hints and tips for both the beginner and those with some experience.
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